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LAST YEAR, A shiny new political party was launched, promising new politics and a change in governance.
Renua Ireland had a former Fine Gael TD Lucinda Creighton leading the party, and financial advisor Eddie Hobbs as party president.
The party was off to a good start, with Creighton joined by two fellow ex-Fine Gaelers Terence Flanagan and Billy Timmins. Senators Paul Bradford and Mary-Ann O’Brien, an independent who was appointed to the Seanad by the Taoiseach in 2011 also signed up.
However, fast-forward 18 months and the party underwent a crushing defeat in the general election. Yesterday, Creighton stepped down as party leader.
‘Taking stock’
Renua councillor John Leahy told TheJournal.ie the party needed to take stock. He said Renua also needed to take responsibility for the election result.
The party was branded as “Fine Gael Lite” – something that didn’t resonate with the party members, he said.
The councillor said the party was branded as being extreme right, and that needed to be corrected.
We are very much a centralist party.
The Offaly councillor, who has been tipped to take over the leadership, said he would be up for the challenge, but that he thought the leadership contest should be opened up to members of the Oireachtas or anyone else.
“If other people are interested in joining the party, why wouldn’t we open it up to them?” he said.
“Ultimately, the membership of the party will decide.”
Leahy said the incoming leader would have a very different role to Creighton’s.
Lucinda set up a party right in the middle of an election campaign. Now we have time on our side. We can travel around the different regions and get new members. It will be a different body of work. The leadership is going to be a different role.
He said the next leader would have to be someone willing to give it 100%.
Leahy said the party had a lot of work to do, and it would start with their “root and branch” review.
Councillor Patrick McKee said there were “varying political outlooks” expressed at the meeting over the weekend, but that there was “no agreement” on what one the party should take.
“I think I am less optimistic than other members of the future of the party.”
He said that a lot of people had put in “sweat, tears and money” into the party, and many members believed the next leader should be from the grassroots and within the party.
Stepping down as leader
Creighton’s resignation yesterday was not surprising as Renua failed to win a single seat in the 32nd Dáil, with Creighton losing her own mandate in Dublin Bay South.
Renua had hoped to win 10 seats, running 26 candidates in the 40 Dáil constituencies. However, on count day, the political casualties mounted.
Longstanding politicians Billy Timmons and Terence Flanagan were denied a seat.
Timmons lost his seat in Wicklow, which has been in the family since 1969 bar a hiatus between 1987 and 1989. He has since stepped away from the party.
The risks of hitching your wagon to a new political party was something Creighton nodded to in her speech yesterday at the national members’ meeting in Portlaoise.
Billy Timmins, Terence Flanagan, Paul Bradford all took huge political risks not because Fine Gael would not welcome them back, not because they believed being part of a new party meant the likelihood of being returned to the Dáil would be greater.They took these political risks because they believed in what Renua Ireland was trying to do.
Creighton said she was surprised with the results, particularly when it came to Cllr John Leahy, who she described as “a dead cert for election”.
I was even reliably informed that Brian Cowen had even tipped him to take office.
Creighton, who has been the face most associated with the party since its inception, said she did not imagine she would be departing the political stage this early.
Creighton pointed out over the weekend that her departure does not mark the end of the party.
It’s time for me to move on from leading Renua Ireland and allow new voices to be heard. I leave my role as party leader perhaps more humbled, but no less proud of all that we have achieved together and what can be accomplished in the future.
So, what next for Renua Ireland?
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, party secretary Mary Kennedy said yesterday’s national members’ meeting in Portlaoise was successful.
Since the general election, the party has been carrying out an internal review, which involves holding discussions with all 26 candidates that ran for election, as well as holding five regional management meetings.
“There are a lot of people still very much interested in the party… there is no question, the party isn’t going anywhere,” she said.
Kennedy said the party has a future ahead of it.
“New people are interested in joining, and old people are still involved.”
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I do not think anyone cares
She and her party supported water charges. Bad move.
So do all the major parties and most of the independents.
Most of independents?!?!?!??
She and her party supported Water Charges in their current format, very bad move and that’s why they looked like a far right wing party
So do the social democrats
Not many support the billing system though
Eddie Hobbs is politically toxic and Lucinda is at heart a fine gaeler …all bad
Eddie Hobs??
Enough said!!!!
So out of touch it’s actually shocking.
From the frying pan onto the hob, he was clever enough not to run himself in the elections, the result was a foregone conclusion.
Why can’t the government just guarantee it won’t be sold.
Thats Right Rory – Nobody cud give a hoot. Pathetic Party with no vision – They cudn’t even launch the party properly.
Incorrect
I can see the Soc Dems and Labour merging (I mean they are the exact same party if you exclude Labour having to compromise their policies because they were in coalition)… Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael aren’t going to be appreciated after this little minority misadventure, so you’ll have a myriad of left wing parties and then there will be space in the centre for a party that’s not FF or FG; Renua could fill that space if they get their act together
She’s like annoying ex you’ve just dumped but they continue to text and ring you on private number… She didn’t get reelected and now she has stepped down as Renua leader, why are we still listening to her spout a load of crap..
Of the first four members 3 were ex FG and the fourth was a political appointee by the taoiseach and they weren`t
Fine Gael Lite? Stop talking complete bollix with your “centralist” claims,
If the cap fits, wear it.
Lucinda is duirt with a fada
I’m in the mood for a row but Mother I can’t even think of challenging you on that
Promoting themselves as a modern, young party and taking a 1950s stance on abortion ultimately killed them.
No it didn’t， where do all these pro abortion trolls come from?
Here we go.
You don’t have to be pro abortion to be pro choice
The Greens polled 2.7% of the national vote having contested every constituency, had 2 TDs elected and were widely viewed by the commentariat as having a great election…..Renua contested 26 constituencies, polled .5% less, had no TDs elected and were widely viewed as having a melt down election. The point is there is a very thin line between electoral success and failure.
Ruinua started with 3 TDs and now have none. The Green Party started with no TDs (or any state funding) and now have 2 TDs.
Also they were better organised as they could put up a candidate in each constituency unlike Lucinda’s lot who included,at one time, a tax consultant who when it was revealed wasn’t tax compliant said he didn’t pay his tax because it was too complicated and a woman who described The Vatican as the Antichrist.
The line between being creditable and not is indeed very wide.
…..between being credible….
No Brian, The point is that the Greens had some semblance of of intelligence in their manifesto, Whereas Renua had none what so ever in theirs, that, being coupled with the fact that the Greens went from Zero seats to 2 …….and Renua went from 3 to Zero means THAT is the difference between success and failure.
If you know someone educated, ask them to explain the difference between “pro-abortion” and “pro-choice” to you. I don’t believe anyone is pro-abortion, but a lot of people – probably a majority – are happy to leave it up to the women to decide whether or not she wants to proceed with a pregnancy.
Notice that none of the above has bothered to check the mathematical difference between 2.7% and 2.2% of the national vote. It’s 0.5%. Just highlighting the actual difference between popular support for the Greens and Renua.
Politics is about winning and losing and the winners rarely worry about margins of victory – they leave that to the ………….
Whatever you said, whatever you thought Lucinda, you are now history !
Dont think you can describe anyone who proposed an american style 3 strike justice system as centralist
That’s ok Dermot, you can explain that to the 84 year old woman in Offaly who was nearly beaten to death by a man with DOZENS of convictions for violence while he took everything of value in her home. She now lives in a care home, not because she can’t take care of herself but because she is so traumatised.
Locking people up who cause such misery in our country is not a right-wing idea, it’s called common sense justice.
Eddie Hobbs was a loud-mouth ignoramus about finance long before the financial crash.
He never saw it coming.
He is back again..
Along with he same bunch of chancers and guess-men.
Laughably called “Renua”.
Ruinua
I distinctly remember Eddie Hobbs appearing on the Late Late Show towards the start of the recession. He said there were “green shoots” appearing in the economy. Ha!
Eddie Hobbs was advising people to go and invest where it was best for Eddie Hobbs.
Exactly Pat Gorman, I can’t believe the general public would ever listen to Eddie Hobbs again. He is such an egotistical Muppet who gave bad financial advice.
“Ruinua”.
Very clever Larry Doyle.
I like that one.
Irrelevant party..
“Centralist party” in other words , we’ll lean in whatever direction gets us on the gravy train..
One of the more positive results of the recent election was the demise of this unwelcome development in Irish politics. Party? The party is over and the results speak for themselves: Lucinda, you are the weakest link, begone!
Paramilitary wing of the iona institute
Billy Timmins wanted to tackle homelessness by making sleeping on the streets illegal!
I kid you not!
They so desperately want to be seen a centrist party but every policy idea ( and there weren’t many) positioned them to the right of Trump.
The fact that their former leader was taking vote predictions from Cowen seriously shows just how embarrassingly inept she was as a politician.
Being leader of this shower of malcontents could be financially worthwhile as they will get approximately €200,000 in state funding until they disappear after the next election.
Nah….It was FG with a crucifix.
And a rosary!
The People spoke!
They said!
GO AWAY!
Rather loudly.
There gone ..defunct
Renua were a Trojan horse made to soak up the support lost over the gay marriage ref/protection of life bill and provide a junior partner for the next gov.
FG were simply preparing for next time using what they probably saw as one of their most capable lieutenants to do the job. Only question now is what method is used to reinsert Creighton into the fold after this failed endevour and how long she will have to play the bold kid in the corner before returning to prominence in FG.
Renua are stillborn.
More like the electorate aborted it before could every win even a council seat.
Good call ya Durty Divil.
I don’t think she’ll be one of Enda’s nominees to the Seanad though!
I’m a public sector worker and even if I had agreed with the rest of their policies, there was no way I was ever going to give them my vote. It’d be like turkeys voting for Christmas. I’d been listening to Eddie Hobbs’s fervently anti-public service pronouncements for years and suddenly he had a means at his fingertips to do something about it. What’s more, it wasn’t just me who was never going to vote for them. My other half wasn’t either, nor were members of my family.
Apart from that, I got the impression that this was a political party that only came into existence over the abortion issue. I’m not sure there is a gap in the market for the sort of party they propose to be. Or at least they seem to want to be. It’s hard to tell sometimes.
To paraphrase Michael McDowell ” There may be a gap in the market but there isn’t a market in the gap.”
You have just demonstrated why the public sector is a cartel that can never ever be reformed and will continue to bleed this country dry through their inefficiency. That’s not a judgement on you by the way, but I used to work in the public sector in Maynooth university – I started work at 09:30 and finished at 17:00 with a 20 min break (often 30 mins) at 11:00, an hour for lunch and another 20 mins at 15:30… literally did nothing!!! Plus we got two weeks off for christmas and two weeks off for easter, on top of the 28 days annual leave, 48 days off? Yes please!
You said it, turkeys don’t vote for Christmas!
Yeah, and I’m Miss America 1996
You look great.
As the song goes….the party’s over! ..in fact it started as nobody came… Wonder what happened all the sandwiches…..??
Oh yeah that’s right. remember when Renua was a thing for a few months. Now back to obscurity with you.
Lucinda should have stayed with FG would be .minister now They weren’t a right wing party However all the parties in the Dail are either centre left FG or hard left SF
@. Hard left is more towards communism and anarchism – Sinn Fein are neither.
Fine Gael are centre left?
SF bear more right wing traits than left wing
FG are a centre right party leaning far more to the right than the centre.
Yes Dave…..on the new FG true centre graph.
[-----------------------------------------------------------------FG--centre--------]
So dot – someone takes a stand based on principle and you want her to be like the rest? Fair play to her.
Renua is the Ice Bucket Challenge of Irish politics.
Come on at least the ice bucket challenge did some good for ALS.
Ice Bucket? More like the puke bucket. LOL
She and varadaker look so alike
She can work on being a stay at home mother now
What a joke. Bible bashers with rosary beads who couldn’t string a policy together to save themselves falling off the gravy train. Good riddance to each and every one of them. The only clear message they managed to send out was a dumbstruck terry Flanagan and an odious yearning for a return to 1950′s Ireland. Sadly, they will still receive our funding for the next election so there’ll be no shortage of them looking to find a way to unlock the treasure chest.
Renua are so far to the right that they make FG look left wing and that is saying a lot ….
The story’s hashtag’s Taking Stock. More like #LaughingStock
“there is no question, the party isn’t going anywhere,” she said. Think that’s the first time I’ve agreed with her on anything.
Does that mean mumbles be looking for his old job back in the Sindo?
If they want to be a centre party they need to dump their flat tax policy and their 3 strikes means life in jail immediately. Flat taxes benefit the wealthy and the 3 strike rule in for America lead to the Prison population exploding in size in many states.
She came across as arrogant and bitter.
A Finnish friend asked me how you pronounce “Creighton”. I replied “as in idiot”.
We have enough political parties in this country with out adding to it..
Centralism = in favour of centralisation.
If you want to be perceived as centrist, learn what the word for it is first.
Centralist party? Flat taxes and a draconian criminal justice system are the domain of the far right, not the centre.
You won’t be missed!!
Re-whoA ?????? Nobody gives a gick about ya
Who is the ” high profile professional” that “fell” into the sea at the cliffs of Moher after tbeir car was seen at the edge for a few days???? why wont the journal allow comments on it, yet allow posts for Sinead
Maybe it’s time for people to understand we can complain all we want but nothing will happen until we engage. Renua may not have turned out how lucinda had planned the PD’s to enda’s FF. But this is a golden opportunity for people to join a politicial party without the baggage of a curropt history. If you are interested in politics maybe joining Renua Is not a bad idea. We need a new party and new people to join that party maybe it’s time to make changes instead of waiting for other to grow a back bone?
They were preformed with baggage.
Morally corrupt flat tax proposal, morally corrupt American three strike rule and morally corrupt rejection of the will of the people as expressed through more than one referendum.
A party constructed of baggage on the very poor foundations of one woman’s ambitious over-reaching ego.
Join a party full of right wing failures? No thanks.
Merkel won’t allow that… If they were different, why were their policies not either?
Ireland’s Taliban destroyed by democracy.
The party was created solely on the abortion issue. It’s just another useless mob.
Are we ever going to stop hearing about that tiresome, irksome person and her inane statements? She was quite happy to go along with the Blueshirts’ cruellest anti-people policies and gave her word – the value of which we now know, LOL – in return for herself and her equally waste-of-space religious nutter husband being promoted as its candidates. Then she broke her promise to the party and tried a stroke by pitching for the Holy Joe and Holy Biddy vote and it backfired on her. Time for her to get a job, a real job, and recognise that there is no place for her regurgitated American Evangelical-Christian ultra-right-wing policies in 21st-century Ireland.
Who are renua?
Let it go Louis, let it go…
Hobbs is a wide mush for not trowing his hat in the ring during the election he knew Lucinda was cretion
Centralist?
Off-centralist, maybe?
Next please……. Yawn!
Replace the L with SH and then you have it…
Don’t you *dare* call yourselves a “centrist” party. True centrists listen to all. True centrists are to politics what atheists and agnostics are to religion.
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