Sir, – I wholeheartedly agree with Ronan Farren's letter (March 4th) where he robustly defends Labour's record in government in the years 2011-2016. As a backbencher at the time, I stuck with the party because, in the round, I could see that it was protecting people while restoring the country's economy. Because our participation in government was unpopular, it would have been easier to jump ship and maybe still be a TD. However, because we were restoring the country, it would have been cynical and self-serving to have taken that course of action.
Understandably Ronan Farren only touched on some of Labour’s achievements between 2011 and 2016. He could have mentioned many more, such as not selling off Coillte or the ESB or ensuring that no public servant lost their jobs during the economic crisis. We possibly should have backed away from some deeply unpopular actions such as water charges but, overall, I am proud of what we achieved in very difficult times. Almost always in our history, Labour has put country before party. We should go forward into the future proud of our contribution and willing to participate in government, unlike so many of our armchair critics. Labour’s struggle to build a fair and equal Ireland while tackling urgent issues like housing and climate change must continue. We must ignore our detractors for we have a much better vision for our people’s future than most of them. My message to our parliamentary party and our new leader is to walk tall, argue our corner and don’t allow ourselves to be distracted by those who wish to denigrate us. Such an approach will deserve support from the voters. – Yours, etc,
ROBERT DOWDS ,
(Labour TD,
2011-2016),
Clondalkin,
Dublin 22.