County councillor Frank McBrearty has launched a stinging attack on his former party saying they have ‘no shame’ for what they have done to Ireland since coming into power.
Cllr Frank McBrearty has quit the Labour Party.
The Raphoe politician revealed to Donegal Daily yesterday that he had resigned from the Labour Party in recent days.
And now, in his first interview since quitting, the father-of-four outlined his reasons for leaving the party he has served since 2009.
McBrearty said bluntly: “I joined the Labour Party for the right reasons because I felt we could genuinely make a change.
“But I feel that certain people in power, both members and management in the party, know no shame.
“They made promises to the people of Donegal and Ireland before the last election and they have broken those promises.
Cllr McBrearty was critical of Senator Jimmy Harte and leader Eamon Gilmore.
“My issues with Labour go much deeper than that and there are many facets to it but I simply could not carry on,” he said.
The former Mayor of Donegal specifically cited the Family Allowance cuts and the Abortion Referendum as ‘deal breakers’ for him.
He said he had huge issues with these during his time as Mayor of Donegal but he could not bring himself to resign during this time.
“I did not think it was the right time because I was very proud to be Mayor of Donegal and I did not want to tarnish the office of Mayor.
“I have let the dust settle and now I have made my decision and I certainly won’t be going back on it,” he said.
Cllr McBrearty revealed that he held a meeting with some of his family and supporters earlier this week and told them he was considering quitting politics altogether.
He says he is still not completely certain if he will stand again but will do so as an Independent candidate if he does.
He added that although he respects many of the grassroots Labour supporters in Donegal, he feels they are in a weakened state than when he became a councillor in 2009.
He said the issue of Senator Jimmy Harte co-opting Pascal Blake and Michael McBride onto Letterkenny Town Council and Donegal County Council was a major mistake, in his opinion.
“I know Michael McBride well and I have a lot of respect for him and I know it was Jimmy Harte’s choice.
“But I feel that caused a lot of tension in the party and left it in a weakened state than if the party had have decided who to co-opt,” he said.
Cllr McBrearty said he feels the management and the hierarchy of the Labour Party are now simply out of touch with rural Ireland and especially those in the West of Ireland.
“People like Tommy Broughan, Roisin Shortall and Colm Keaveney, I have tremendous time for.
“But, in general, Labour has lost touch with its people and especially those in Donegal and the West of Ireland.
“This is a sad thing to say but I do not think Labour will be in power when we celebrate the centenary of the 1916 Rising and they will only have themselves to blame,” he said.
Cllr McBrearty also produced a letter he had sent to Deputy Colm Keaveney in December last in which he said he could not support the then Budget and would be considering his position within the Labour Party when his term as Mayor of Donegal was complete.
Away from the Labour Party, Cllr McBrearty says he has enjoyed himself on Donegal County Council where he says there are “more good councillors than there are bad ones.”
But with the council being approximately €158M in debt, he refers to the spending of €4M on the One Sigma project as being real issues the council must address.
“This is a major issue for the council – spending this large amount of money on something we may never see put to use.
“The majority of county councillors are hard-working and honest but there are some who know how to play the game.
“Perhaps that’s my problem, that I am too honest and that I don’t play the game. But I know that if someone comes to me with an issue I can look them in the eye and tell them the truth,” he said.
He paid tribute to the council staff but said the pubic in Co Donegal should realise that there is very little money in the council’s purse to do much work.
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