I’ve never seen a skinny guy win an election before,” joked Timmy “But I was happy to help.” “As a proud Irish Catholic I see this as my duty.” On other matters Timmy said he is a member of the USM Labour Club and that “I support the Labour Party.” “I’m a strong believer in solidarity. Solidarity with immigrants, solidarity with workers, solidarity with the poor.” Timmy finished his long winded statement by saying that “Labour is the party of the people. We want to rebuild the middle class.” “Labour is the party that speaks for ordinary people.” Timmy ended the rally by declaring that he is now “looking forward to campaigning” and is “looking forward to rebuilding Ireland together.” Meanwhile in Dublin there was also a Labour rally attended by members of the Labour Youth and Young Workers Movement. This was just before they marched through the city centre, which we reported on previously. The Young Workers Movement marched with a banner declaring ‘Solidarity, Fight Racism’. The Labour Movement was represented by Labour councillor for Dublin North East Ciaran Cuffe. Timmy is a graduate of UCD with a BA in Environmental Studies from UCD. He attended the University of London for his MSc in Public Relations from Central Saint Martins, where he wrote his dissertation on the politics of environmental degradation. He is also currently an MSc in Economics at the University of Bath. Timmy is currently the secretary of the United University Student’s union in Trinity College and vice-chairperson of the LGBTQA Students’ Union. Timmy is also an activist with Aisling’s Right to Education Campaign and the Workers Solidarity Movement, who have said they are “committed to a struggle for free, quality, universal and comprehensive education in Ireland”. They say “We are an organisation made up of working class and poor families. Our members are directly affected by the crisis in education. Our main demand is that: 1) Education be a right not a privilege 2) Education be free 3) Quality of education be improved 4) Education be comprehensive.” They also state “We fight for universal, free education so that we can build a society where every child is free to achieve their full potential, regardless of background. Education is vital to any chance of a decent future. Every child deserves to live with dignity and fairness and every family deserves the opportunity to strive for a better life.” Timmy previously worked as a political advisor to a left-wing political party in the south of France. He speaks French and has lived and worked in France for the past two years. He’s been living in Ireland for the past year and a half, and is a citizen of France. The party he worked for in France was the Rassemblement des Bouches-du-Rhône. It translates to “Riverside United” in English. It’s an obscure political party on the French far-right, who are currently polling in fifth place in the regional elections. After some discussion, it emerged that the party he used to work for was led by Franck de Fiebre, a former member of the UMP (now centre-right party) and then a member of a far-left party. After de Fiebre’s tenure as leader of his party ended, he then moved on to lead a new political party. The party in which he worked, with Timmy as a political advisor, was founded in 2010 with de Fiebre as the secretary general. The new party, La Région Républicaine, has had close links with the Socialist Party of Rhone-Alpes. Timmy has never been the secretary general of a political party in Ireland before and has never been involved in politics or election campaigns. During the meeting Timmy explained that he had not campaigned for Labour in the past, but that this election was “personal.” “It was not easy, but I believe I am stronger and fitter for the experience,” he said. “I decided to stand for election because I believe it is time we gave a voice to those who have been so long ignored,” he said. “I will make my first campaign promise to fight for free education. This will be a priority for Labour. We need a society where every child can achieve their dreams. Education is the most important investment for our society and the public purse.” Meanwhile in Wicklow, the Labour Party candidate in the Dublin South Central constituency is Timmy Fitzpatrick, who is one of the Socialist Party candidates. Timmy Fitzpatrick is a graduate of University College Dublin with a BA in Communications and Philosophy. He is currently the CEO of a consultancy, and he recently became an external examiner of UCD to advise on the UCD School of Economics (now EQUIS) Business School. Fitzpatrick also currently runs his own business. In 2012 he stood for election to Dublin City Council in the Dublin Bay South constituency, where he failed to be elected. Timmy lives with his partner Gareth Fitzpatrick in the Dublin 4 suburbs of Blanchardstown and Inchicore. They say they are in a relationship with “a strong political dimension,” and they both share a passion for campaigning. Timmy says that “We have been together for a number of years and have been with each other for six years in the relationship.” Timmy currently works as a project manager in a consultancy firm based in the Citywest area of Dublin. Prior to this he worked in the media department of the Labour Party in Dublin. Timmy has previously been active in a number of progressive organisations. He was a political volunteer with the Workers’ Solidarity Movement, the Anti-Austerity Alliance and the Socialist Party. He worked as a researcher for Ireland’s trade union national conference, and as a public information officer with the Dublin Dockers’ Union. “I lived in Paris for many years, and now live in Dublin. I studied French at university. I am also a member of the LGBTQ community.” When asked why he didn’t become a Labour councillor in Dublin South East as a working class candidate in 2011, Timmy told us that he “was disillusioned with Irish politics.” “I supported Labour but felt frustrated because I didn’t feel it was listening to us or represented our interests,” he said. “I was disappointed when Alan Kelly chose to represent Labour in this election, because he wasn’t even in the constituency. It is a slap in the face for any of us Labour voters.” Asked how he got involved in Labour politics, Timmy said he “supported the Anti-Austerity Alliance in my first term of college in 2011.” Timmy is active in environmental issues, and he is also a political ally of John Lyons and was one of the local organisers for the launch of Aisling’s Right to Education Campaign. Timmy says he stood to be elected as a member of Dublin City Council in 2012 as a Green candidate. He said that he was not a ‘serious political candidate’ and that the campaign was not a success. “I decided to go with Avaaz because they wanted a left-wing candidate,” he explained. “They took the opportunity to get publicity in Irish media. I was out on the telly, they were selling