"Are you having one yourself, Pat," demanded an angry Labour Party candidate last night after a running mate was effectively foisted on him by the party's organisation committee.
The challenge to Pat Rabbitte came from Cllr Aidan Culhane, the party candidate in Dublin South, who now faces the prospect of having his party rival, Cllr Alex White, as a running mate in the forthcoming general election.
The Labour Party's organisation committee decided yesterday to recommend that Mr White be added to the ticket. It also recommended that in the neighbouring constituency of Dún Laoghaire, Cllr Oisín Quinn should run along with sitting TD, Eamon Gilmore.
The proposed addition of Mr Quinn, who doesn't live in the constituency and who sits on Dublin City Council rather than Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Council, caused a lot of surprise in the party.
The final decision in both cases now rests with the party leader, Mr Rabbitte, and the chair of the parliamentary party, Breda Moynihan Cronin, but the addition of the two councillors is regarded as a forgone conclusion.
Mr Culhane, who said he had no doubt that the leadership would approve the addition of running mates in both constituencies, suggested that the party leader should set an example in his own constituency of Dublin South West.
"Not so long ago there were three left-wing seats in Dublin South West, so there is no reason why Pat should not do what is being expected of us in the neighbouring constituencies," said Mr Culhane.
He maintained that the addition of Mr White would make the target of winning a Labour seat in Dublin South considerably more difficult to achieve.
"I still think it is winnable, but this has made it an awful lot harder. I expect to be the highest placed Labour candidate, but staying in the shake-up long enough to get a seat is going to be that much more difficult," he added.
At the Labour selection convention, Mr Culhane tied with Mr White and was only selected as a candidate after his name was pulled out of a hat.
The proposed addition of Mr Quinn in Dún Laoghaire came as a bolt from the blue, as he represents the Rathmines area on Dublin City Council.
There had been continued speculation that Trinity law professor Ivana Bacik, who ran for the party in the European elections, would be added on to the ticket but she recently announced her intention of running for the Seanad.
