THE Labour Party is traumatised, as it used to be of old, by the results of the two recent by selections. It is turning inwards on itself, outwards on the media. For the first time since it reached the historic high of 33 seats 3 1/2 years ago, it is confusing perception with reality.
The Parliamentary Labour Party thinks it has a communications problem. This was the main message presented to the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, and his Ministers at their four hour meeting last Wednesday during a post mortem concentrating on the collapse of the Labour vote in Dublin West.
Fresh in at 6.30 a.m. from his nine day trip to South America, Mr Spring told his Ministers and Ministers of State at a private meeting beforehand to listen and let the backbenchers have their say.
Most of the 25 members who spoke at Wednesday's meeting referred to their own perception, rather than the reality, of the party's position one year away from the next general election. They accepted that their six Ministers couldn't work harder. They were implementing good policies. They were sticking to the Programme for Government. But the public wasn't being made aware of all this.
The most critical assessment of the party's performance came from two TDs on Dublin's north side whose seats would evaporate if the Dublin West vote was repeated.
Mr Tommy Broughan pointed out that Dublin would be the cockpit in the next election, and there was no Minister from the north side. He called for a ministerial reshuffle so that a new image of the party could be presented to the electorate.
Ms Roisin Shortall was one of many TDs who referred to "recent mistakes" and, outside the meeting, agreed that heads should have rolled over the fund raising controversies.
Mr Liam Kavanagh, the old dog for the hard Labour road, was extremely critical. They had got support for change during the 1992 election campaign, summarily dismissed John Bruton and caused a lot of disaffection by going in with Fianna Fail. They had changed to Fine Gael in mid course. The switch with complete abandon created the impression that labour wanted to stay in power at all costs.
Mr Spring has now been charged with drawing up a communications strategy to win back support for the party in the next general election, knowingly or unknowingly, after the high moral horse has bolted the Labour stable.
The members of the Parliamentary Labour Party think they have a communications problem. They are wrong. Having the best communications team of all parties in the Dail since 1992, they cannot fully comprehend that the public's lack of confidence in the party arises because it is too well informed about recent developments.
The party certainly may have lost some of its middle support for unexpectedly going into coalition with Fianna Fail after the 1992 election. But the dramatic decline in support, evident in Dublin West, is self inflicted for other reasons.
Mr Spring won a historic vote for Labour last time when his authoritative pledge to bring trust back into politics. He has demonstrably failed to honour that pledge recently.
By the standards he set for others in government, the Labour leader should have forced Ms Eithne Fitzgerald, the Minister of State at the Tanaiste's Office, to resign over her fund raising after offering a rare opportunity for access to the Minister for Finance before the publication of the Finance Bill. She is, after all, the Minister responsible for the Ethics in Public Office Act.
Having demanded a price in blood from Fianna Fail, and being perceived to have concurred with the resignations of Hugh Coveney and Phil Hogan in Fine Gael, Mr Spring compromised his own standards in his own party. And most members of his parliamentary party share that view now.
The handling of the two recent fund raising controversies has dealt a damaging blow to the labour Party's credibility. It has unleashed a barrage of criticism on other non related issues.
The cosiness of Ms Fitzgerald apologising for the notepaper that the letter was written on rather than the content of the letter, has unleashed questions about Labour controversies long buried. The unprecedented size of the political staff employed by each Minister, the scale of the consultancy contracts and the flaunting of the mobile phones are back on everyone's lips.
The most damning indictment of the Labour Party was made by one of its most loyal members, not a Sunday Independent commentator, this week. "We used to accuse Fianna Fail of arrogance after 16 years in government. We are seen to be as arrogant after three. We are not clean. We are arrogant and we are out of touch."
That is the reality the Labour Party has to address.
