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THE CORK MAN described as the “guru” behind Labour’s landslide campaign scored a double election win last night, as his wife was also elected a Labour MP in Scotland.
Macroom native Morgan McSweeney left Ireland for England as a teenager and initially was working on building sites.
McSweeney gained a junior role in Labour in 2001 and has since gone through the ranks in the party to become one of Keir Starmer’s closest aides and his campaign director.
In a profile in The Guardian, McSweeney is labelled “Labour’s elections guru” who has “near-unrivalled influence”.
He is also credited by many for taking Labour to its emphatic electoral landslide victory and handing Starmer the keys to 10 Downing Street.
His father Tim McSweeney spoke to Cork’s 96fm Opinion Line with PJ Coogan this morning and said he never thought in his “wildest dreams” that his son would be in this position.
Tim said Morgan “grew up in the atmosphere” of politics and that it’s “in his genes” and added that he was “delighted” his son joined Labour in the UK as opposed to the Conservatives .
“Myt father would turn in his grave if Morgan joined the Tories,” said Tim.
Tim noted that he was also looking out for the results of Hamilton and Clyde Valley in Scotland last night, where his daughter-in-law and Morgan’s wife Imogen Walker was a candidate for the Labour party.
Walker was voted in comfortably with 49.9% of the vote and The Guardian remarked that this victory will make the two a “formidable power couple” within Labour.
Tim also said that former Labour prime minister Tony Blair “recognised Morgan as being somebody for the future” but remarked that he “works in the background” and wouldn’t consider standing for election.
He also remarked that Starmer will be a friend of Ireland and that “there is an Irish influence within Labour”.
“Many of the candidates elected this time for Labour are second-generation Irish people,” said Tim.
“There would be a very strong (Irish) influence and it would be for the good.”
Tim added that a potential tour of Downing Street is on the backburner for the time being and that his “immediate thoughts are with Cork to beat Limerick on Sunday” in the All-Ireland hurling semi-final.
His aunt Evelyn McSweeney also spoke to the Opinion Line with PJ Coogan and noted that Morgan comes from a Fine Gael family and that his father is very involved in canvassing for the party.
“His grandfather canvassed with (Cork North West TD) Michael Creed’s grandfather out on the bike, so that’s how far back we started getting involved in politics,” said Evelyn.
She also noted that her daughter, Clare Mungovan, is an advisor to Taoiseach Simon Harris, while Evelyn herself was a councillor for 20 years in Macroom.
Evelyn said it was a great honour for the family to have Morgan in this role and that she hopes he will find himself in a job within 10 Downing Street.
Morgan currently lives in Lanark, a town to the south of Glasgow, and commutes to work in Labour’s headquarters in Southward, an inner London borough.
Evelyn said she hopes the family will be taken on a tour of Downing Street but remarked that the “House of Commons would be good as well”.
While he has been hailed as Labour’s election guru by many, some see Morgan as an enemy to the Labour left.
He has been accused of removing every supporter of former leader Jeremy Corbyn from positions within the party.
Meanwhile, one Labour source told The Guardian that work for the next campaign begins now.
“This is a guy that grew up in the Republic but has an intuitive sense of what ordinary British voters feel that is quite rare for people in politics,” said a Labour source.
“Tony Blair had that himself, he didn’t need someone to advise him on that.
“Morgan has that Blair-like ability to sense what the average voter wants from the Labour party.”
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I returned home 2 months a go after 2 years in Brazil having never been on the dole before. Now 8 weeks later I’m at my wits end, I have started two jobs since I got home only to end up loosing the as I stood up to my employers for the lack of breaks. I recently worked for a push bike courier and worked 9 hours straight,when asked about lunch I was told it was too busy. There are lazy people out there but employers seem to be able to do as they wish at times.
Unfortunately the idea of “you have a job, you should be grateful ” over the last few years has given alot of employers the attitude that employees should and will take any conditions and crap that’s thrun at them and because so many people are sinking into poverty and are barely keeping their heads above water even though they are working they feel they have no other option but to put up and shut up. It’s a vicious circle.
Have you at any point considered turning to crime or drug abuse as a result of these problems?
I was unemployed for a number of months before I emigrated and not once was this a consideration of mine.
I’m not really sure why we’re constantly being told that “lack of support” of various different types is the cause of drug use and crime. I had little support, aside from Social Welfare, while I was unemployed and managed to get my ass out of the country and a new job without starting on heroin and mugging old ladies.
Where is the support for the retired Irish mother with a husband who hasn’t worked since 2009 and is getting by on state pensions and missing the support (emotional and financial) of her adult children who have all had to emigrate, or are unemployed themselves? Nope, not a word about that – it’s *always* inner city Dublin.
Also, I’m not entirely sure how quantifiable answers to questions such as “how is the recession, and Government policy, affecting your life?” actually are and how from this they can conclude the “greatest impact of the crisis and austerity measures has been felt by people who are on the lowest incomes and most dependent on state supports and services,” Surely these are subjective?
Similarly, communities like Fatima Mansions are much easier to provide services to than, say, dispersed rural communities. The fact that the have “community workers” to speak up (be they paid or voluntary) is something. Who speaks on behalf of the many thousands of people outside inner city Dublin who aren’t mentioned in the article?
There is much food for thought in your well considered comment. Kudos.
Time for the Irish people to stand up for themselves.
Pete
Dont be silly the Irish are lap dogs. Never protest, never stand up, just take it time and time again
Sad but very true :(
It’s all the fluoride In the water,makes them dolicile.Its banned everywhere in Europe.
The politicians are not going to stand up for anyone. They are too busy slurping at the trough with their newly appointed consultants. Why don’t these community groups demand free electricity and water for low income families and individuals? Are they so mired in corruption that they are unable to propose some simple solutions? And before the shareholders of Ireland Inc. start gnashing their teeth, and asking who will pay for it. The answer is, the Utility corporations can easily afford to take a small dip in profits.
You shut your mouth, put on some clothes, get down them stairs and get out & get a bleedin job for yourself (Dessie Curly)
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