This article is from page 14 of the 2008-09-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
THE demise of the Progressive Dem- ocrats may not be a foregone conclu- sion according to party members in OE
West Clare’s Murt Collins, who stood for the party at last year’s lo- cal election, claims that the party could still be saved should there be a groundswell of support among the party’s estimated 4,000 grass-root members.
A meeting of the entire party will be scheduled in the coming weeks when the members will be asked to accept the recommendation of the four par- limentary party membersparty and wind up the party.
“Tt hasn’t been decided for sure that the party will be wound up at all, it’s not a foregone conclusion. The 4,000 members of the party have to be called together and we will have the final say. The leadership have pro- posed that party should be wound up
but there is nothing to say that that will be accepted,” said Mr Collins.
‘“T would love to see it kept going but I do think at this stage that the writing is on the wall. If there is any doubt go- ing into that meeting then we should wind things up and go with dignity.”
Mr Collins, who may prove to be the last person ever to stand for the PDs in Clare, believes that the party’s role in the economy will be it’s biggest efx. Teas
“It’s a sad occasion, I am very disap-
pointed. I was reared in Fianna Fail and I left it because I couldn’t stand the corruption that was going on,” he continued.
‘The PDs had some great ideas over the years – they changed the whole Fi- anna Fail thinking about the economy, in terms of lowering tax and creating employment. I think that will be the biggest legacy.
“People say that all this has come very suddenly, but in the last election all the small parties did badly. So this
wasn’t such a big surprise to me.”
Even if the party does keep going, Mr Collins says his association with politics is at an end. “If I got all the money in the country I wouldn’t stand again. Over the years I gave a huge service to the people of Kilrush and west Clare,” he said.
“When you give that commitment to an area, and then you put yourself for election and don’t get elected, you wouldn’t be in a big hurry to stand again I can tell you.”