CLARE TD Michael McNamara has launched a scathing attack on his party’s front bench saying that all but one of them need to go as soon as possible.
While the rivalry between Eamon Gilmore and Joan Burton has been simmering for at least three years now, he feels that neither of them should hold the leadership of the party.
Speaking to The Champion tonight, he said that it’s time for a huge clear out. “If we remain in Government I think there’s a case to be made for Brendan Howlin given his portfolio but for the rest, everyone’s time comes, mine will come too.”
He says that Labour must heed the election results and not dismiss them as part of a normal electoral cycle. “We have to listen to the people and it’s not just a mid term thing, there’s a lot of disillusionment about promises that were broken. ”
While he acknowledged that Labour would probably have suffered from being in Government and that the leading lights of the party responsible for making them have to go. “The scale of it (the backlash against Labour) is compounded by the broken promises and thos e who made them have to fall on their swords.”
Joan Burton has long been seen as a leader in waiting, but the Clare TD feels she is part of the problem rather than the party’s saviour. “Joan has been around a long time and she had the opportunity to make a move if she wanted to. The leadership has to move to a new generation now.”
By Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.