The end of the Progressive Democrats

With 1st preference votes counted it has become clear that the Progressive Democrats have lost.

little more than 3% of first preference votes in the Irish municipal authority elections have gone to the Progressive Democrats.

This means the party may now properly be described as a fringe right group, and one may honestly wonder how they ever came to sit in Government. The effects of their peculiar blend of snobbery, self-satisfaction, greed and neo-liberal soundbyte will not so easily be lost, but one thing has become clear-
You may not offer good governance to Ireland without several of the "residual constituencies" representing the different socio-economic and cultural groups that make our nation in all it's diversity.
These are the various parties of the Left, as vocalised here on indymedia, the republicans, and let us be honest the residual constituency of Fine Gael.

You may offer good governance to Ireland without the Progressive Democrats.

Ireland needs neither the PDs in government or opposition. In short we don't need them @ all.

It is my opinion that good governance will someday be offered Ireland when the PDs are a but curious and anomolous memory of late XXcentury Irish political development, and eventually they will be historiagraphised as a rightwing splinter group of the FF national state machine. Today's results are good for the Left for true Liberals and for those who need effective councils in Ireland.
We can also be happy with the referendum vote, which saw our combined campaigns garner almost 21% of polled votes. That is seven times the first preference votes of the PD party.

http://www.rte.ie/news/elections2004/local_electionsresults.html

:-) fair play to ye. Next project for the General Elections- ending the PDs, continuing the left split of FF, bringing the Greens to the left, and of course securing the Leftist trotty voters and the needs of their constituents. (fair play Joe Higgins! you got Cork and Fingal is yours).

Bertie wants to go into opposition in 2005.
Let's make it so.