Labour Looking for Cronin Replacement in South Kerry

Via The Kingdom, comes news of Labour scrambling to fill the seat about to be vacated by the retiring Breda Moynihan-Cronin. The man on the hitlist is former Labour member Michael Gleeson. Gleeson left the party in 1992 when Cronin was parachuted in over the heads of the local convention by Head Office (then under Dick Spring).

“He was furious that the party did not honour the democratic decision taken at the local convention and he later joined the South Kerry Independent Alliance which had been formed by disgruntled former Labour workers….A Labour source actively involved in the proposed merger confirmed to The Kingdom that preliminary contact has already been made between the two parties.
“An officer of Labour has contacted an officer of the South Kerry Independent Alliance to see if there are grounds for discussions. The Alliance is a registered political party and they will have to be dealt with on that basis,” he said.

The scramble for a candidate with some standing is necessary for Labour in the constituency with no natural Labour seat there. A high profile candidate is required in order to ensure that the party stands a chance of holding on there. Gleeson is a former Kerry footballer and a teacher in Cronin’s stronghold of Killarney.

Both these qualities make him a decent shot at the seat, the holding of which would do Labour’s fortunes the world of good. He is certainly not ruling anything out;

“I was never bitter. I accept the cruelties of political life”, said Cllr Gleeson. “I would always do people the courtesy of listening to what they have to say. Maybe Labour wants to support me as a representative of the South Kerry Independent Alliance in the next general election. I would be delighted to accept that support but, other than that, I couldn’t comment without an official approach from Labour,” he stated.