THE LABOUR PARTY and the Social Democrats need to merge, former Labour leader and Wexford TD Brendan Howlin has said. Speaking to The Journal, Howlin said there is no ideological difference between the two parties and although the Social Democrats are opposed to the idea currently, he believes “the day will come”. Howlin, currently a TD for Wexford, was leader of the Labour Party from 2016 to 2020. In October of this year, he announced that he would not be contesting the next General Election.
He has not been shy about his views on Labour and the Social Democrats in the past, nor have some of his party colleagues. When asked by the Irish Times recently if he could foresee a merger between both parties he answered: “Yes I do. Simple as.” This is also the view of former Labour leader Alan Kelly who told the Irish Examiner in 2020 that “Any right-minded people in both parties would have to think that some way into the future that’s a possibility.” He added however, that Labour will “always be the brand