Gilmore must accept responsibility if Labour is to survive

Although I have no active involvement in politics now, I’m one of the increasingly small number of people for whom Labour — its values, its history, and its promise — means a lot.

I don’t usually “plump” in an election, but on Friday, in the local and European elections, I plumped for Labour candidates — my little statement of defiance, I suppose. For the first time that I can remember, not one of the people I voted for got elected.

Although this is probably as bad as it’s ever been, Labour has been here before. In the early 1980s its imminent demise was predicted, after its leader resigned and then defected to Fine Gael. It was rescued by a new leader, who shortly afterwards went into government in terrible economic circumstances. In the middle and late 1980s the party received not one but two terrible drubbings at the hands of the electorate, first in local elections and then in the general election of 1987.