Gilmore on Sarko: A symptom of long-term Labour decline?

[mccafferty cat]

Doesnt it say a lot for the paucity of ideas and things to say within the Labour party, when this recent Sarkozy controversy has been the one issue on which Eamon Gilmore has had the most to say since he was made Leader ?

There has been a clear attempt by him to milk this Molehill of a story for all its worth: Rachel English yesterday, and Morning Ireland this morning, with innumerable soundbytes, statements and articles in the meantime. (courtesy of a biased pro-Labour/left view at RTE, and the Irish Times). Fine Gael - who were similarly wronged - have been pretty mute about the affair, perhaps seeing its worth in the overall scheme of things.

Are administrative cock-ups and protocol errors at the French embassy really all that important? Is dimplomatic etiquette really worthy of 3 days of sustained media criticism?

Contrast this with the recent recession crises: Gilmore didn't say an awful lot, his finance spokesperson wasn't much better. And they hardly had a single policy proposal between them, in contrast with Fine Gael, SFA, CIF, IBEC and their chums in the Unions, who came out with rafts of stuff.

Gilmore's tenure as Leader thus far has been a disappointment, on the whole. Yes, his Dáíl performances have been good to an extent. But he has not outshone Enda Kenny in any significant way, and has not done any better than Pat Rabbitte did during his term. The Party has also been stuck in the same 10-13% zone that it was in for most of Rabbitte's tenure, and Gilmore has not made anything like the sort of inroads which Rabbitte made in poll terms early in his leadership, taking Labour to 22% in May 2003.

Are his attempts to make a mountain out of this Sarkozy molehill, and his recent attempts to sound more eurosceptic, the best (or only) strategy he has to move Labour out of the mire of slow decline it has been in for several years?

[kerrynorth]

The Yes side are now turning on Gilmore - previously a darling of theirs. At least the Yes side are consistent as equal opportunity abusers of everyone and everything that will just not lie down and play dead before them.

[returning officer]

This is pure silly season stuff.

[mccafferty cat]

The Yes side are now turning on Gilmore - previously a darling of theirs

I think it would be more accurate to say that Gilmore has turned on the Yes side, rather than vice-versa. But that's not what I want to discuss.

I'm more interested in his overall strategy for Labour or lack thereof, in light of his attemts to grasp firmly to this issue

[code twinkle]

The Yes side are now turning on Gilmore - previously a darling of theirs

I think it would be more accurate to say that Gilmore has turned on the Yes side, rather than vice-versa. But that's not what I want to discuss.

I'm more interested in his overall strategy for Labour or lack thereof, in light of his attemts to grasp firmly to this issue

He clearly is attempting to cynically claw back voters support having chosen the wrong answer to Lisbon in the first place. And yes, I know the membership supposedly Voted to support the Treaty but unfortunately party activists and Labour voters aren't particularly in step most of the time.

He's doing quite well all the same getting the airtime...

[Stíofán]

This is pure silly season stuff.

Seconded.

I think the Labour leader is doing well to get any signigiant level of airtime, so he can be applauded for political nous, however cynical the recent side steps may be.

The Labour Party may be in long term decline, stuck in and around the 10%, but that is due to threats to their support from working class communities (SF), the crowded centre (FG, FF), and the increasingly important (for Labour) liberal-ish middle class vote, at increasing threat from the Green Party. It's a tough hand Labour are dealt, I don't think Lisbon soundbites on Morning Ireland will make it any better.

[red365]

I'm more interested in his overall strategy for Labour or lack thereof...

You're clearly not aware of the 21st century commission then.

[campbeca]

I think it's moreso that this is the first Labour newsstory that the media have chosen to pick up on, but I think that this lack of publicised policy output, in itself, is a sign that Labour is being eaten by the Greens (among educated people) and SF among "working class people"

[code twinkle]

I'm more interested in his overall strategy for Labour or lack thereof...

You're clearly not aware of the 21st century commission then.

Is that the Tony Blair-our-idol Commission?

[stopthetrain]

The problems of the labour party right now is that, they're focusing their energy on what does not concerned them rather than what will propell their party into government, which contributed to their decline.