One Month On - Cllr Dermot Looney

Well, firstly, it's been a while. A month since I last blogged - I keep putting it off. Hopefully this marks a return to more regular posts.

The big difference since June 5th is that I am now Cllr Dermot Looney. I'm deeply honoured to have been elected with an impressive 2329 first preference votes and to have received such an endorsement from the community I grew up in.

Count day was not as stressful as I thought with the tallies looking good for us from early on, although it took until after 1am for the Returning Officer to declare me the fourth elected of six. ElectionsIreland has count details although with a small caveat - the final count details are incorrect. The correct order on the final count was my colleague Cllr Pamela Kearns winning the third seat, me winning the fourth, Cllr Sean Crowe taking the fifth and FF's Cllr Eamonn Walsh taking the sixth.

I have already sent many thank you letters and mails to supporters and well-wishers but I am very late to say thanks to those of you who read this blog regularly. Having analysed the tallies and received contact from a number of voters we believe that a small but significant vote came to our campaign based on our activity online - and that comes from a vibrant, interactive mix across the various platforms.

The last month has been somewhat hectic with work and politics - hence the lack of blogging. Politically, much of the work has involved getting familiar with the Council and attending meetings. I am delighted that we have established, for the first time ever, a Left Alliance on South Dublin County Council with 9 Labour Councillors, 3 Sinn Féin Cllrs and Independent Cllr Guss O'Connell. The combined vision of this alliance aims for a fairer, more sustainable county and one of our first moves - to reallocate funds from external Conferences (perhaps unfairly known as the junket fund) to provision of the first emergency homeless accommodation in South Dublin - shows the kind of priorities we have.

More to follow in the days to come. The blog will change focus and I'm interested in hearing, by email or comment, what kind of site some of the readers would like to see from an elected Cllr.

A Sneak Peak

For those interested, here's a sneak peak at our election posters - which are up on the poles of Tallaght Central this week! It's a tough job to put them all up - so please let me know if you're free to help!

LABOUR GO ‘LOONEY LEFT’ IN DUBLIN 12 - Press Release

Labour Party Select Dermot Looney for Terenure-Rathfarnham Ward

The Labour Party have chosen one of their youngest candidates in Ireland as their new standard bearer in Dublin 12. Dermot Looney, a 25-year old campaigner from Greenhills, has been selected by Labour for next year’s local elections in the Terenure-Rathfarnham ward, which covers areas including Greenhills, Perrystown, Templeogue, Rathfarnham, Knocklyon and the W.O.R.K. area.

Greenhills-based Dermot Looney is an experienced activist with a huge range of experience covering local, national and international issues. From 2005-06 he led the local Labour Youth campaign to reinstate Joanne Delaney, a shop steward in the Ashleaf Centre Dunnes Stores who was sacked because of her trade union activity.

He has been active in local development issues, supporting a Compulsory Purchase Order for the derelict site of the former McHugh’s Shopping Centre on St James’ Road, and has been involved with a number of local sports clubs and community associations. Looney joined the Labour Party in 2003 and was previously the Chair of the UCD Pat Upton Branch, the National Communications Officer for Labour Youth.

Looney has also led campaigns for decent public healthcare and access to education and is an active member of campaigns as diverse as the anti-war movement, the Shell to Sea campaign, Burma and Palestinian solidarity and students’ rights. He is a primary schoolteacher who attended St Peter’s BNS and Greenhills College VEC before graduating with an honours degree in Social Science from UCD in 2005, where he specialised in social policies in the areas of education, housing, health, social welfare and employment.

He is currently completing a postgraduate diploma in primary education and is an award-winning sports journalist. A soccer fanatic, Looney is a Patron Member of St Patrick’s Athletic FC and was involved in the recent successful campaign to keep Pat’s at Richmond Park.

Looney’s selection is supported by Greenhills-based Councillor Eamonn Walsh (right), who will step down from the Council next year having been first elected in 1991. Looney has been selected with Pamela Kearns and Cllr Paddy Cosgrave to contest the 7-seat ward for Labour.

Speaking on his selection, Looney stated that he is “honoured to be asked to stand in next year’s election and to follow in the footsteps of Eamonn Walsh. I am standing to represent those who most need a strong voice on the Council – older residents, working people, our new communities and those who have been left behind or excluded from society,” he said.

“There is a unique community spirit and sense of belonging amongst the people of Greenhills, Perrystown and other areas of Dublin 12 and 6 West. This is the fundamental basis of what the Labour Party is about – promoting community through equality, freedom, democracy and solidarity. For me, our local community and the essence of the Labour Party go hand in hand,” Looney noted.

Congratulating Looney on his selection, Cllr Eamonn Walsh said that “Dermot Looney stands in a long line of local Labour and socialist activists dating back over many decades. His principled politics and track record of hard work will mean another dedicated representative for working people in this area.”

Looney has called on local people to get involved in his campaign and already launched an innovative online effort on social networking sites Bebo and Facebook and through his blog at http://thelooneyleft.blogspot.com

ENDS

(Pic - Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore with newly-selected candidates Pamela Kearns and Dermot Looney)