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A LEADING LABOUR minister says that Eamon Gilmore is not under pressure, despite the party’s dismal early performance in local and by-elections.
Speaking on RTÉ today, Pat Rabbitte said that he was not aware of any heave against Eamon Gilmore.
“There’s no plot that I’m aware of,” Rabbitte told Sean O’Rourke.
The Minister for Communications said that he didn’t feel that leadership was an issue in Labour’s collapse at the polls, which has seen them fall behind the Green Party in the Dublin West by-election, a seat that Labour won in 2011.
If John The Baptist was leading Labour, we wouldn’t have done any better.
“Eamon Gilmore led us to our best General Election result in 2011.”
Rabbitte said that smaller parties take a disproportionate amount of blame in coalition governments, saying it was a “cast-iron rule” that the minority partner took the blame.
Already today, Brendan Howlin said that the party had been ‘given a good smacking’ by the electorate.
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“Eamon Gilmore led us to our best General Election result in 2011.”,…indeed he did, built on lies & deceit.
You’d think SF would learn from Labour’s mistakes
Lesson for Enda “seismic shift” Kenny there as well John….
Not really – if FG can do this well administering the bitter medicine, they could do very well in 2016 if the economic upturn continues and they address the serious errors in a national fiscal correction policy that are harming the vulnerable.
People respect a party that can put the long term good far above their own popularity.
SF campaign build on cons and coffins.
The consequences of Prom Night will be revealed once the Bank Stress Tests are completed by the ECB. Then we can assess the effectiveness of this “brave” government and their bitter medicinal treatment.
The truth is that they took a bad situation and made it much worse – to the point where the debt problem has become so unsustainable that default is no longer an option, it’s a necessity.
Unsecured bond-holders were paid with cash this Government now has to borrow to keep the country afloat. That’s pretty much why we’re goosed.
I love the selective history you government supporters have. State was built on cons and coffins. Who shoot the state hero Michael Collins ? A Labour man. Civil war ? FG and FF killing people. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones….
“if the economic upturn continues and they address the serious errors in a national fiscal correction policy that are harming the vulnerable.”
Yeah, and what better way to support the vulnerable by burdening them with charges, taxes, cutbacks in health services and patronising the general public.
“‘If John The Baptist was leading Labour, we wouldn’t have done any better’”
I’d be more concerned about Joan the Burton. You can practically hear the knife being sharpened…..
After what Fianna Fáil did, Hitler could have led Labour to victory in 2011 and he was a better speaker. If anything, they didn’t win because of Gilmore but in spite of him.
John the Baptist didn’t charge for the water…
Goodbye and Good Riddance
The present leaders of the Labour Party are a total disgrace shame on you all
Rabbitte living in the past and harking back to 2011 Any chance you could live in the present Pat – the here and now?
I dont like the Journals picture of ballot paper, especially the fact that SF’s Lynn Boylan got no.4 and not no.1!!
Nice to see that Hayes picked up no 11 though :-)
I don’t necessarily think its what he meant by it but the John the Baptist analogy is a pretty good one.
John the Baptist got his head cut off for the message he preached. Labour would do well to cut their head off and make some significant changes and not be so concerned with power and more concerned with the people.
TAXI FOR GILMORE
Better still, let him walk.
We are now about to see if Labour is actually a political party.
Normally one could expect to see the party members critically assess and change their leadership where there have been electoral disasters.
I don’t think that will happen here. The ehhh circumstances are different. For some reason.
Pension sunset …..
Justice for gingers!
John the Baptist rebelled
John the Baptist was beheaded
Jesus smiled.
John the Baptist would never have introduced water charges.
Pat Rabbitte is deadly at his funny little quips but at the back of it all he is as empty and mundane as the rest of his labour colleague sell outs
Totally agree. A comedian who excelled in the politics of no
After that remark I’d say Rabbitte has ordered a Pizza with extra cheese and Salomé.
Your right only half right there Jimbo – Labour will be no more after the next general election & deserve nothing but contempt for screwing over their core voter with gusto. John Gahan must be a spin doctor for the fascist party ! No amount of sugar coating will convince anyone that FG are a political party that gives a damn about ordinary people. They represent all that’s sickening about the political establishment in Ireland & they too deserve to be annihilated in the next election. Looking forward to that already.
Rabbittes “give up yer oul’ palaver” -type excoriation of the voting public will be the enduring memory of the John the Baptist interview for me.
To paraphrase;”Ye are very quick to tell us ye’ve had enough with austerity, property tax, water charges and cuts when the economy has been fixed”
“A cast iron rule that smaller coalition parties take the blame” Mr Rabbit? No if you had of stood by your socialist driven politics which got you elected then you would not be in this mess today. John the Baptist? do me a favour.
Except in Labours case it was Pontius Pilate and Nero running the party of the people…
at least Lorraine Higgins got what she wanted turkey was not sent to Europe ie Higgins 4% vote Ming 20% europe can rest easy knowing that turkey lorraine will still be in ireland also satisfying to know that Emer Costelloe looks like she will be spending more time at home…how will the costelloes cope been a one income family……
No Beemer for Emer?
was listening to rabbitt when he made that quote devoid of srcasm etc he can see the writing on the wall and it was satisfying to see the windbag deflated.taxi for gilmore,burton,howlin,quinn,,,,,
John the Baptist would have drowned them
If John the baptist was leading I wouldn’t have even given them my number 2!
John the Baptist would have got elected because unlike you he was not a compulsive liar
Gerry for Taoiseach
There is going to be no labour party after the next general election. Such is the stupidity of the electorate when it comes to punishing junior government partners.
Should punish Fine Girl as well, by leaving them off the ballot paper, Independents day.
Coming off the horrible presence of fianna fail in 2011 it wasn’t that hard to feed the people bullshit on his way to the best result for labour
Didnt John lose his head also. Bad comparison
John the baptist, I think Lazarus would be more the candidate.
What clown goes alll the way to preference 12? One & two is all I ever do
Champagne socialists
Joan Burton as his Salome??
have your say