PDs are rebuilding for better days to come

I WISH to respond to Mark Wakefield who thinks the PDs should call it a day (Letters, January 4).

After the disappointment the party endured last May, we are going through a period of reflection which involves a thorough review of policy and image.

This takes time and is important to get right.

Come the next election, the party will be all the stronger for the time it is investing in this process. This period will represent little more than a historical footnote.

The election of a leader without a clear sense of party direction would only undermine him or her. A new leader will emerge as soon as this process is complete.

The PDs are one of the most successful small parties in Europe and have brought about real social and economic policy reform. Much of this is now mainstream and is emulated by other parties. The PDs need to focus on what they do best — implementing policy for 14 of the last 16 years — while Fine Gael continues to do what it has been doing best for 17 of the last 20 years — whining from the sidelines.

David Boyle

Headlands

Sarsfield Road

Cork