I’m sick and tired of hearing the disaffected and disgruntled label all politicians as feckless dim-witted citizens of Ballymagash who are only in it for the money. That is simply not the case. Why in the name of all that’s holy (or unholy for that matter) would one want to be a politician in Ireland at present, particularly if one is in Government ranks? For example, being a Labour TD must be one hell of a sticky wicket right now. Take a recent Sunday Independent piece which predicted Armageddon for the party come the next general election. Wrote John Drennan: “Young first-time Labour Party TDs Michael McCarthy in Cork South West, Ciara Conway in Waterford and Michael McNamara in Clare are also certain to lose seats.” Far be it from me to profess greater powers of prophecy than the metaphor-adoring Mr Drennan, but an election is, in all likelihood, still the better part of three years away. And if a week’s a long time in politics, then 120-odd more of them between now and election day certainly leaves time aplenty for twists and turns as of yet unrealised. Come 2016, will the country still be as economically hamstrung as it is at present? Might Eamon Gilmore finally abandon his sheepish stance and relocate the political teeth which chewed large beefy lumps of ‘No Plan B’ Biffo not too long ago? Will Labour realise that utilising its younger political guns, including Deputy Conway, in a more substantive manner than has proven the case up to now might prove a useful way of saving a few seats, including possibly her own? Youth and vitality is something painfully absent from a Labour front bench full of weary men destined to jump ship and take their fat pensions with them, as opposed to facing the general electorate again.
