Sunday Business Post-McGurk argues for FF-Labour Coalition

Tom McGurk is quite critical of Pat Rabbitte under the heading "Rabbitte's long march has come to an inglorious end".This article is factually incorrect in a number of respects.

• He states that "Since the foundation of the state, Fianna Fail has been seen by the electorate-time after time-as the natural party of government. This is factually incorrect. Cumann na nGaedhael (ancestors of FG) was the natural party of government from 1923-1932. FF was founded in 1926. It attained power in 1932.


• Referring to the Labour party he states that "the result was catastrophic for the party,with Labour barely increasing its vote at all. In fact the ultimate political achievement of Rabbitte' devotion to the pact was to drag FG back from the point of extinction." This is utter nonsense. In the 2002 General Election FG secured 22% of the vote. That was not extinction. It still had a huge organisation after the 2002 General Election. How does McGurk explain the strong FG performance in the Local Elections in 2004? It got within a handful of seats of FF. It won most seats in the 2004 European Elections. This was prior to the Mullingar Accord. In the 2007 General Election there were no huge seat losses for Labour. So how was the election catastrophic for Labour?

Tom's prefererence is for a Drumcondra Accord whereby Labour would prop up Bertie Aherne.

In 1932 Labour propped up the minority FF Government. By so doing it ceded much working class support to FF. It has never recovered this vote.

In coalition with FF under Albert Reynolds Labour agreed to a tax amnesty. This cost Labour dearly. FF is Labour's greatest enemy and competitor for working class support. FF would like to kill Labour with kindness.

Tom McGurk knows that the Greens may be decimated in the 2012 General Election. If this comes to pass FF will need another coalition partner. In Tom's ideal world this will be an FF-Labour coalition. I suspect that he desires an FF led Government in perpetuity.