Labour starts review of campaign

An internal Labour Party post-mortem into the party's disappointing general election result, including the decision not to rule…

An internal Labour Party post-mortem into the party's disappointing general election result, including the decision not to rule out a possible coalition with Fianna Fáil, will be completed by September.

The Parliamentary Labour Party reviewed policy and communications mistakes made before and during the election, although such key strategic choices as coalition options have been left until a meeting next week.

Despite some concerns, Mr Quinn's position as the leader of the party is copper-fastened because the party's plan of campaign was approved at conference late last year, and subsequently by the party's general council and parliamentary party.

A short report to the meeting from the party's general secretary, Mr Mike Allen, highlighted the degree of consultation that had taken place within the party prior to the election.

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Entering the meeting, Dublin North West TD Ms Róisín Shortall voiced unhappiness about Labour's refusal to rule out a possible post-election coalition with Fianna Fáil.

In addition, she expressed concerns about Mr Quinn's style of leadership, particularly about his alleged dependence on a number of key advisers, rather than the parliamentary party.

However, one fellow TD retorted curtly to Ms Shortall's criticisms: "She said none of that when she got inside. In fact, she made a positive contribution. She is just whingeing."

A report will be completed following next week's parliamentary party meeting on the changes that need to be made to the party's communications and policy positions.

The party's ruling general council will meet next week to begin its own review of the disappointing result, in which Labour failed to make gains despite Fine Gael's electoral collapse.

Reports from each constituency director of elections must be submitted by the end of June. In September, the party's general secretary, Mr Mike Allen, will present a final report to both the parliamentary party and general council.

Labour's deputy leader, Mr Brendan Howlin, said: "We need to see why we did not capture the volatile vote that moved on this occasion. Why did people vote for candidates with no policy costings when we had costed everything?"

Suggesting major changes in Labour's public presentation, he went on: "There is no point saying that we are a left-wing party if that means nothing to the people that we are trying to attract.

"We have to see it in a way that is meaningful. We have to have a professional analysis of what happened", he told The Irish Times.

Mark Hennessy

Mark Hennessy

Mark Hennessy is Ireland and Britain Editor with The Irish Times