A FORMER Labour Party election candidate, who resigned in recent days, claims that he left the party because of its "lack of vision" and its philosophy of seizing "power at any cost".

Sligo man Alwyn Love, who unsuccessfully ran for the party in last year's local elections and is a former member of the party's central council, resigned from the party last week after being an active member for six years.

Even though Labour is riding high in the opinion polls, Love has attacked his former party leader Eamon Gilmore and colleagues for failing to cap their expenses. He told the Sunday Tribune: "I have been fighting my conscience for a few years as the party has a lack of vision. By that I mean all political parties are about sound bites and political point scoring; the furthest they see is the next election and will promise anything to grasp the reins of power.

"Eamon Gilmore... has in my opinion been blinded by the recent surge in support for the party. He has consistently mentioned reform. This reform has not materialised, smoke-screened by statements like 'We can do nothing if we are not in power.' Real leadership would have been to insist that all Labour party elected reps take a voluntary reduction in salary and cap their expenses. This would have shown... that the party was willing to take the tough decisions.

"Unfortunately turkeys don't vote for Christmas, even Labour party ones. The party has failed to build from the ground up, concentrating instead in finding high-profile candidates to contest the general elections; this demonstrates that the opinion in the party is power at any cost."

There has been tension in the local Labour organisation in Sligo since the selection of Susan O'Keeffe as the party's general election candidate for the Sligo-North Leitrim constituency a few months ago. O'Keeffe was selected over sitting councillor Veronica Cawley, after the issue went to party headquarters for decision. But Love was eager to point out that his departure was not connected to the selection of O'Keeffe.