Honourable leader will be missed

The decision by Labour Party leader Ruairi Quinn to stand down from the position at the end of October was not totally unexpected, especially in light of the party’s performance in the general election.

Having considered his situation during the summer, he has decided that in the interests of the party, he will relinquish the reins, something which Fine Gael’s Michael Noonan did immediately on receiving an even starker message from the electorate.

When he took over the leadership of the party five years ago from Dick Spring, the strength of Labour in the Dáil was twenty one seats, and Ruairi Quinn failed dismally to improve upon that. Conversely, neither did he weaken the numerical presence of the parliamentary party, but standing still is hardly a leadership attribute.