Leonard to stand as sub for Labour Euro candidate

Kinnegad local election candidate Denis Leonard will function as First Alternate to Susan O"Keeffe, Labour"s European election candidate in Ireland North West...Should she be elected to the European Parliament in June, the Westmeath Examiner has learned.Following a recent meeting of Labour"s national executive, Mr. Leonard was chosen for the position, having been nominated by the party"s Longford/Westmeath constituency committee.The appointment means that if Ms. O"Keeffe is elected to sit in the European Parliament, the Kinnegad Community Council secretary will take her seats in Brussels and Strasbourg, should she have to vacate them for any number of reasons, such as election to the Dáil.Election to the European Parliament for the former journalist would signal a massive turnaround in Euro vote fortunes for the Labour Party the region; traditionally, the party has struggled to make an impact in the areas now covered by Ireland North West.'It"s a hard ask for Susan, as Labour has never really made an impact in Connaught-Ulster,' Mr. Leonard told the Westmeath Examiner. 'But as someone who has a long history of speaking the truth, she"s well capable of it.'I"m absolutely delighted to be associated with someone like Susan O"Keeffe,' the Mullingar East election candidate said, who will stand by as First Alternate until 2014 if Ms. O"Keeffe serves her full term in Europe.Labour is seeking to take advantage of a potential poll backlash against Fianna Fáil in Ireland North West, a constituency which also features Independent MEP Marian Harkin, and Libertas chief Declan Ganley.