Mark Hennessy in today's Irish Times remarked on something that I've commented on before. Although Labour has adopted a very cautious and risk-averse policy on tax, Pat Rabbitte recently proposed "a rebalancing of the tax system, so that those on higher incomes do not avoid making a fair contribution to the common purse." Hennessy detects a "recognition of Labour's current weakness [that] may have had much to do with Enda Kenny and Richard Bruton's blunt, if polite, refusal to consider raising personal, corporate or business taxes". He adds that "Labour does not want to do anything with the first two, but Pat Rabbitte has tried to keep room for manoeuvre open about the third, even if he has not outlined his preferred changes".
On the whole Rabbittes's leadership of the party has been characterised by caution in most respects. Failing to take the initiative on key matters of policy leaves it for others to set the policy agenda. How can we account for this level of caution? Ruling out coalition with Fianna Fáil is not incompatible with trying to ensure that the rainbow alternative has some good radical policies. The impression one gets is that Labour is getting old and tired, with an ageing parliamentary party and not too many young candidates in winnable seats. Maybe it's a case of now or never for some of them as far as holding ministerial office is concerned.
Indeed labour is far to aged for its own good . it seems to be the young dynamic party yet it is the oldest.
Posted by: simon | November 15, 2005 at 12:20 AM