‘Extremely difficult decision’ to leave party says councillor
By Mary Dennehy
THE LABOUR Party in Dublin South West was dealt a blow this week when Tallaght councillor Martina Genockey resigned from the party – with The Echo understanding that a second councillor is examining his future within the party.
Last weekend, Tallaght South councillor Martina Genockey announced that she was resigning from her position as a member of the Labour Party Executive Board, as the General Election candidate for Dublin South West and as a member of the Labour Party.
Cllr Martina Genockey
In August, Cllr Genockey, who is from Tallaght, voiced her support for a leadership contest, which she believed would give a “renewed sense of urgency to the rebuild of the party”.
In a statement released last weekend, Cllr Genockey said that she went into politics as she had seen “first-hand” what can be achieved when people come together as a community to “fight for what they believe in and deserve”.
The second reason she cited was that as a young women from a working class background she felt “under-represented in our political sphere”.
Cllr Genockey said: “And, while I feel as strongly as ever about my politics and how important it is to eradicate poverty and disadvantage in our society, I no longer think that the Labour Party in its current form is the place to achieve these aims.
“To me politics should be about communities, ideas and activism.
“It should not be about personalities, personal ambition and privilege.
“However, speaking out recently about the change that I see is needed in the party has opened my mind about the party and led me to feeling that it is a place I no longer wish to be.”
Extremely difficult decision
She added: “This has been an extremely difficult decision for me to make, but I feel that in order to be true to myself, my community and my politics, I have no choice.”
Alongside announcing her resignation from the party, Cllr Genockey said that she will not be seeking re-election to South Dublin County Council in 2019.
However, she will remain as a non-party member of the council until the Local Elections next year.
Tallaght Central councillor Mick Duff also supported calls for discussion around Brendan Howlin’s Labour leadership.
The Echo understands that Cllr Duff is also examining his future within the party.
However, when contacted by The Echo he was unable to make a comment at this time.
