JUST landed on Quidnunc's desk is a rundown of Irish socialists, i.e. Labour/Workers Party/Democratic Left, in the European Parliament since the first direct elections in June 1979. It shows that until this outgoing Parliament, to which Bernie Malone was elected five years ago, not one Irish socialist MEP stayed the full course. Since a vacancy is filled by the party which originally won the seat, rather than the by-election necessary in national politics, some seats were actually passed on twice during one five-year term. In Dublin two TDs, John O'Connell and Michael O'Leary, were elected in June 1979. Two years later O'Leary stepped down to enter government as Labour leader and was replaced by Frank Cluskey, who had lost his Dail seat. In October 1981, O'Connell, who had by then also been Ceann Comhairle of the Dail for six months, resigned from Europe and was replaced by John Horgan. Then both Cluskey, who had won back his Dail seat, and Horgan stepped out and in stepped Flor O'Mahony and Brendan Halligan.
The left failed to get a seat in Dublin in June 1984 but five years later Labour's Barry Desmond and the WP's Proinsias de Rossa won seats. They didn't stay the course either. De Rossa became leader of DL in March 1992 and was replaced in Europe by Des Geraghty; Desmond resigned in February 1994 when he was appointed to the Court of Auditors, and Malone took over. She held the seat in June 1994 and - uniquely for a socialist - did serve her term in Europe.
That's Dublin; other constituencies show a similar pattern. In Leinster Liam Kavanagh won in June 1979 but, when he entered government, was replaced in July 1981 by Seamus Pattison, who served two years before becoming a junior minister and in turn handing on the seat to Justin Keating. Keating failed to hold it in June 1994 and that was the end for the left in Leinster. In Munster Eileen Desmond was elected in June 1979 but two years later was replaced as MEP by Sean Treacy when she entered government. She failed to hold the seat in June 1984 and that was the end of socialists in Munster. A socialist candidate has never been elected in Connaught-Ulster.
Some record. Does it show lack of interest in Europe or is it a comradely distribution of wealth? Horgan, now professor of journalism at DCU, says it was all to do with the dual mandate. He was the only Labour person who resigned as an MEP without having a seat in cabinet. He did it because he disapproved of the dual mandate, was offered a job at DCU and wanted to campaign to retain his Dublin South Dail seat. He lost the seat but got the job.
The dual mandate is now frowned on by all parties but still any deputy lucky enough to be elected to Europe next month - and five: Noel Treacy, Ben Briscoe, Proinsias de Rossa, Joe Higgins and Jim Mitchell are running - will hold both seats at least until the next general election.