Gary Lynch, the deputy chairman of Labour Party’s Carlow-Kilkenny constituency branch, sees great appeal in the party’s strategies, arguing that they’ve been appropriated widely, including by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, particularly in regards to the elevation of the minimum wage.
An active member among 600 participants at the Labour Party’s biannual conference at the Helix in DCU, Lynch, a former jeweller and postal worker of 70 years, anticipates good prospects for the Labour Party in the upcoming local elections on 7th June. He believes the party could secure up to 70 seats, a noticeable leap from the current 56.
The party leader, Ivana Bacik, is particularly admired by Lynch, despite some backlash against her ‘liberal agenda’. He’s particularly impressed by her achievements prior to her leadership role. In his view, polling is important only on Election Day.
Speaking of the Social Democrats, he identifies a synergy in policies but admits to potential personality conflicts between the two groups.
Labour’s enduring contributions to Irish society, a strong national network, and connections across the European labour network are emphasized by Cllr. Fiona Connelly within a robust left-wing landscape. She also commends the party leader, keen on her equality record.
Cllr. Connelly has a distinct view on competition, aligning it with the spirit of sportsmanship and collaboration. Upon joining Dublin City Council nine months earlier, replacing Councillor Mary Frehill in the Kimmage-Rathmines area, she is hopeful of being re-elected on the basis of hard work, likening it to the reward of academic diligence.
According to Evin Ryan, a Labour Party member for eight years, their polling performance has been lacking for much of this time.
According to a 25-year-old architect and Wexford constituency member, the Labour party has been underperforming since he joined. Despite facing challenges from the growing number of independent candidates, he is still optimistic about the performance of Labour in the upcoming local elections due to the calibre of its candidates. The architect is wary of candidates advocating for anti-immigration policies in the Rosslare end of the Wexford constituency.
He holds high hopes for the Labour party performing well in the European elections, with Aodhán Ó Riordáin and Niamh Hourigan being strong candidates from Dublin Bay North and Ireland South, respectively, with the possibility of at least one of them securing a seat.
While he acknowledges that the party hasn’t seen significant growth since the appointment of its leader two years ago, he views Ivana as having a positive impact. Bridín Lyng Moloney, the 47-year-old community education facilitator shares his sentiment, praising the Dublin Bay South TD as an effective and principled politician. Moloney defends the Labour party, insisting on its multi-faceted nature as not merely an urban party. She praises the excellent quality of the Labour party candidates and regrets the party’s failure to thoroughly communicate its achievements during the 2011-2016 coalition with Fine Gael.
Moloney points out that criticising is straightforward when one hasn’t had exposure to the challenges of governing. Although she regards Holly Cairns from the Social Democrats as commendable, she also notes the unfortunate lack of affinity from the Social Democrats. Despite holding similar values, the Social Democrats seem to be faring better, largely because they haven’t been tested by being in power.