Labour moves to diffuse another selection row

sligo | politics / elections | news report Monday March 01, 2004 13:42 by JP - LY

Labour Party officials moved quickly this morning to diffuse another simmering row over selection of election candidates with a strong declaration that a convention for the Sligo/Strandhill electoral area had been conducted “strictly above board and in full accordance with party rules”. The statement from the party’s regional organiser, Mr. John Feely came in a response to a claim by Mr. Martin Cadden, who surprisingly withdrew from the contest for selection at Saturday’s convention, that the party head office had “manipulated the system” to ensure that Ald. Jim McGarry would secure a nomination. The row is the latest in a catalogue of differences which have surfaced since Ald. McGarry left Fine Gael to join the Labour Party late last year. On this occasion, Mr. Cadden, who had been expected to be an automatic choice for the Strandhill area for the forthcoming council elections, is claiming his late withdrawal was a protest against head office interference.

He has called on the party’s national organiser, who chaired Saturday’s convention at which Ald. McGarry and Ald. Declan Bree were unanimously chosen for the Strandhill area, to explain why head office had changed the rules to allow three candidates to run in the Strandhill area. Mr. Cadden claims the decision to have three candidates was made specifically to accommodate Ald. McGarry, but the party claims it had long since been decided on purely strategic grounds, to run three candidates. Mr. Cadden, who is the Finance Officer of the Sligo/Leitrim Constituency Council, told "The Sligo Champion". “It was originally agreed that there would be two Labour candidates contesting the Strandhill area and this decision was confirmed in January. "However, when it became clear that Jim McGarry would not have sufficient support to be selected, the rules were changed by head office so as to allow three candidates to run and guarantee Jim McGarry’s nomination”, he added.

Saying he was disgusted with what he called “the carry on” of head office, Mr. Cadden said he had worked in the Labour Party over the past number of years and had been encouraged to stand as a candidate. “Then, a few months ago, Jim McGarry, a person who has always opposed Labour and who always voted against the Labour Party, was brought into the party and head office changed rules to suit him”, Mr. Cadden said. Pointing out that he was coming under pressure from supporters to stand as an independent candidate, Mr. Cadden said he would be giving the matter some thought in the coming days.