A flurry of selection conventions and resignation announcements have been taking place in the past month or so as preparations commence for a general election in the spring. It is hard to keep up with them all though some selections are more memorable than others.

Selected to stand in Galway East is Cllr. Colm Keaveney who readers may remember made statements regarding the funding of treatment for Transgendered people and that there should be no further funding provided whilst children required operations for hearing aids.

At the time that the statement was made (which the Councillor stood by and did not retract) Labour LGBT made a complaint regarding the Councillor’s comments to the Labour Party for internal investigation.

A recent enquiry to the Labour Party has established that the party could not proceed with the investigation. A copy of a letter from the party general secretary to Labour LGBT stated that the party’s legal advisor said that as Keaveney ‘has not called for discrimination against transgendered persons, rather he has called for priority to be given to what he sees as more urgent medical needs’, no action could be taken.

The party’s General Secretary stated that she would not associate herself with the Councillor’s comments, and believed that ‘all citizens should be treated with respect and dignity.’

Comment has been sought from Labour LGBT who made the complaint but no reply was received.

Shortly after Cllr Keaveney’s selection a second candidate was added to the Labour ticket in Galway East by head office. Lorraine Higgins is a barrister from Galway who ran as an independent candidate in the local elections in 2009.