The Mayor of South Dublin, Dermot Looney, has resigned from the Labour Party.
In a statement on his blog, Mr. Looney said it had been clear the Labour Party is no longer for him – with increasingly different positions on core principles.
“I have been dismayed at the failure of Labour in Government to advance these values and ideas, and am equally concerned at the long-term outlook for these politics in the party,” he said. “Labour has kowtowed to Fine Gael’s economic agenda, presided over cuts across the public sector which worst affect those who are vulnerable, and implemented a series of demonstrably regressive budgets.”
The move comes after a number of defections within the Labour Party over the past few months including that of Athy Town Councillor Tom Redmond and more notably Colm Keaveney who defected to Fianna Fail after quitting Labour a few months prior.
Since the Labour Party entered Government, 19 local Councillors have resigned citing disagreements with the party’s ideological and legislative agenda as reasons. Yesterday, the Minister for Housing Jan O’Sullivan announced a number of strategic cuts targets primarily towards elderly people and the less well off, casting doubt on the party regaining its post-convention momentum, which was geared towards growth and protecting the poor.
In a recent poll published by RedC, the political polling company, Labour are down two points standing at ten per cent nationally.
Looney’s departure will be a disappointment to Labour who is trying to reform themselves ahead of the upcoming Local and European Elections. If the discontent that Mr. Looney points to is true, it will make for an interesting election season in Dublin South East.
By Liam Cahill
