Looking through Eamon Gilmore’s eyes (apologies to THE ADVERTS)

In the 1980s the Labour party was shoring up support for leftwing politics in Ireland. One can remember Frank Cluskey (RIP), Michael O’Leary (RIP) and Dick Spring leading Labour. On a national basis Spring was perhaps the most successful and he went on to lead the party for over 15 years (1982-1997).

The years following Dick Spring’s departure as leader brought Ruairi Quinn and Pat Rabbitte to the top of the Labour party. However both failed to repeat the success of the popular Kerry politician. Spring, at one general election, led his party to a large increase in TDs elected to the Dáil. This became known as ‘the Spring tide’.

Vincent Browne, on one occasion, teased Ruairi Quinn when he was Labour leader: Could Quinn bring about a ‘Spring Tide’?, was Browne’s cynical question, or would it be a ‘Quinn trickle’? Sadly for Labourites the latter was nearer to the truth. The new Labour leader, Eamon Gilmore, will no doubt try to emulate the ‘Spring tide’ at the earliest opportunity.

What follows is a short profile on Mr Gilmore’s background and his current standing in Irish politics:

Barry Desmond,since 1969, represented the Labour party in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown constituency. However upon his retirement from national politics(1989) a new man of the left was to replace Desmond. That man was Eamon Gilmore.

Gilmore was, initially, a member of the Workers Party and then Democratic Left, before that political grouping merged with the Labour party in 1999. Mr Gilmore was born in Caltra, Co. Galway in 1955 and was prominent in the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). By 1976 he had become leader of that organisation.

In 1985, Eamon Gilmore was elected to Dublin County Council and, since the general election of 1989, has represented the Dun Laoghaire constituency as a TD. Furthermore he has retained his seat in every subsequent general election. In the short-lived ‘Rainbow’ government (1994-97) he was appointed Minister for State for Marine.

In the aftermath of the general election of 2007 Mr Gilmore succeeded Pat Rabbitte as Labour leader. The current economic recession has seen his profile rise as the public get more and more disillusioned with the government. Labour are, once again, being spoken of as serving in a potential government. Certainly the omens are looking good for Ireland’s chief leftwing political party.

At a time of grave concern for our country, it looks likely that Eamon Gilmore’s animated, purple-coloured features will be seen for quite some time to come. His voice will resonate, not just to the people of Dun Laoghaire, but to everyone that is suffering the cuts and bruises of an economy on its last legs. Mr Gilmore will have to show empathy, something not really present with those governing us. He may do well in that regard, especially as we approach Lisbon 2.