THE FUTURE of the Progressive Democrats is to be decided by a special conference of the membership to take place next month. This is in line with a recommendation by the four PD members of the Oireachtas who have collectively stated that the party is no longer viable.
Galway West TD Noel Grealish will remain in the party until after next month's meeting has taken place, according to PD leader Senator Ciarán Cannon, who was speaking at a press conference in Newbridge, Co Kildare, last night.
Mr Cannon was speaking to reporters immediately after a special meeting of Oireachtas members with PD councillors, local election candidates and members of the national executive at the Keadeen Hotel.
He said the past few weeks and months had been "tumultuous" for the party and created a "huge degree of uncertainty". The parliamentary party met privately for an hour beforehand, reportedly at the nearby residence of former senator John Dardis, where it was agreed that the PDs should be wound up at a meeting of the full membership.
Mr Cannon said the meeting was "very, very frank and open". He continued: "The decision of the parliamentary party is that the party is no longer viable."
However, he added that the power to dissolve the PDs rested "solely with the members" and a special conference would be held "sometime in October". On that occasion, he said, "everybody will have an opportunity to voice their opinion".
Mr Cannon said it was "far from me to pre-empt what that decision might be". In his opinion, the party had two choices. It could "limp on" into an uncertain future, while elected members were "picked off the edge of the herd like wounded animals".
The other choice was to dissolve so that the party could say: "We have triumphed and in our triumph we are leaving the field with a degree of grace and dignity."
The PDs claim to have 4,000 members. Asked to clarify the position of Mr Grealish, who has been expected for some time to transfer to Fianna Fáil, Mr Cannon said the Galway West TD had agreed to remain in the party until the collective decision was made about its future at the special conference.
He said Mr Grealish's situation was "only a symptom of a greater malaise" that served to "crystallise" the choices facing the PDs. He said it was "a very, very sad night".
Earlier, on the way into the meeting, Senator Fiona O'Malley gave a clear indication that the parliamentary party felt the end was near.
"Well it's sad, but it's going to happen," she said. "The party's a long time on the go. It has a good history you know."
Asked how she was feeling, Minister for Health Mary Harney replied: "I'm feeling very well, thank you."
Mr Dardis, who chaired the meeting yesterday, said there was a "range of views" on the floor as to whether the party should be dissolved. Former minister Bobby Molloy was among the attendees.
