It will be a major blow to The Social Democrats, but Greystones TD has just announced his retirement from the freshly-formed party.
Stating that “some partnerships simply don’t work”, Donnelly was co-leader of the fledgling party alongside Catherine Murphy and Roisin Shortall.
Naturally, GG should have guessed. Having a coffee with Matt Wilson this afternoon, he took an urgent call from Donnelly. And he saw fit to step outside to continue the call. Outrageous.
Still, hinting at where the trouble may lain, the local TD said that if the Social Democrats are “to achieve its potential as a party of significant influence and scale, despite the many obstacles new parties face, one critical component is that the leadership team must function very well together as a team.”
Another local Social Democrat, Jennifer Whitmore – a close friend and political ally to Donnelly – has told the Guide that she will be remaining with the party. You can read her full statement – issued a few hours later – here.
During his resignation statement, Donnelly also said, “I would have concluded that our partnership did not have that. I further believe that this would be the case whether the leadership continued to be shared or was vested in one person, which was not something I nor anyone else had sought.”
The TD claimed great sadness at leaving the party, “having vested so much together with my parliamentary colleagues, Catherine and Roisin, a small core team and many volunteers across the country, into the establishment of the Social Democrats over the last 20 months”.
Donnelly is currently talking with his Wicklow team and supporters about his next possible move. For their part, The Social Democrats said their party’s core values were “not dependent on one personality or politician”.
They finished their press release by concluding, “We wish Stephen the best in his future endeavours and look forward, with excitement, to the future development of the Social Democrats.”
Mind you, the little shits also said, “The levels of dedication required for such a major undertaking can be overwhelming for some.” Miaouch! You can read the Social Democrat’s full break-up letter here.
So, with Stephen taking a step back for a short while to readjust his set, if you’re looking to push through some dodgy local planning permission, now might just be the time.