Labour can return to government with some careful electioneering

Labour effectively has about 10 critical constituencies to identify where it must fight for its life, writes Gerard Howlin

AS JOAN BURTON left her party think-in last night, her job to save Labour and return to government is more about cherry-picking than combine harvesting.

A very small number of votes will make the critical difference between oblivion and credible survival. A general election tally that matches its recent RedC opinion poll rating of ten per cent makes returning to government a possibility. Add one or two further points, provided Fine Gael holds its end up, and Joan Burton has a better than even chance of being Tánaiste again.