Labour ‘treats candidate like token’

Labour’s first election policy launch was overshadowed last night after one of its own candidates claimed she is being treated like a “token” gesture and alleged she is “very much working on my own”.

Louth-based Senator Mary Moran made the claim after spending 35 minutes silently sitting on stage during the party’s jobs strategy launch beside constituency colleague super junior minister Ged Nash and Tánaiste Joan Burton.

The Labour document, which is considered key to the party’s bid to win back traditional voters’ support, includes plans to hike the minimum wage to €11.30 during the lifetime of the next Government and the creation of 50,000 new apprenticeship and trainee posts costing €131m by 2021.

It also claims that by 2018 anyone who wants a job will be able to get one and plans to cut the capital gains tax entrepreneur relief to 15% to help stimulate further jobs growth.

However, despite the policies — which differ starkly with Labour’s coalition colleague Fine Gael’s own plans — the key voter-focussed document was overshadowed last night after Sen Moran accused her own party of failing to properly back her in the campaign.

Speaking to reporters at 4pm after spending six hours travelling to local businesses and having spent 35 minutes on stage with Mr Nash and Ms Burton during the jobs launch without being given a chance to speak, Ms Moran said she was being treated like a “token” and being ignored.

Claiming she is “very much working on my own”, the Taoiseach appointee to the Seanad in 2011 who is facing an uphill battle to win one of five seats in the Louth constituency said: “I’m very disappointed. I’m not there as a token person, I’m there as me, and I would certainly like equal opportunity.

“I don’t know what the polls seem to suggest [in the constituency] but I’m very much working on my own as a candidate, I’m on my own.

“It’s a big difference when you’re looking at somebody who has a team of employees when you’re working on your own,” the senator said, adding she is “absolutely not” the second candidate to Mr Nash’s own ambitions.

“To think we’re 100 years in existence and it took that long to get one woman in, we definitely need a voice and I’m the one to do the job,” she said.

The comment took attention away from Labour’s bid to focus coverage on its jobs plan announcements, which despite playing to the party’s traditional vote differ strongly from Fine Gael — which it has effectively tied itself to if it wants to re-enter Government.

While Labour wants a fresh minimum wage hike just months after a 50c increase Fine Gael is understood to be wary of the proposal, and while Labour also believes a job for everyone who wants to work can be achieved by 2018, Fine Gael says it will take until 2020 for this to happen.

Asked if the differences and the separate disagreements over free GP care show signs of instability in the supposedly stable option of returning the coalition, Ms Burton said: “We’re a separate party to FG and that’s why our plans are very ambitious, probably a little more ambitious than theirs.”

Meanwhile, the Tánaiste has warned voters not to oppose a return of the coalition as it could create a situation “like in Greece or Spain” where a stable government will not be able to be formed after the first poll of the campaign saw Labour’s support slump to 7%.

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