Sir, – No one involved in party politics likes to view it as a spectators sport. Party members want to be on the pitch, passing the ball up the wing to their captain who will place it safely in the net, giving their supporters something to cheer about.
If the Labour Party is to reconcile the tension between the need to compromise on policy in coalition with the need to maintain the party’s public image, it must celebrate its democratic structures and vocal membership, not fear them. Members must feel that they are getting their game.
Noel Whelan’s article on the Labour Party (Opinion, June 16th) describes the possible role of the party chairperson “as a public spokesman for the party itself as distinct from the Labour ministers”. Perhaps in this role, Colm Keaveney TD will become the team captain that Labour’s grassroots are calling for. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Noel Whelan’s article (Opinion, June 16th) stated that Jim Kemmy was chairman of the Labour Party during the 1980s. In fact, Kemmy was not elected Labour chairperson until 1993. He was not a member of the Labour Party during the Fine-Gael/Labour coalitions of the 1980s cited by Mr Whelan. – Yours, etc,