Labor TD Alan Kelly's attempted coup against his party leader Brendan Howlin isolated him from his colleagues.
Almost all Oireachtas members of the party have expressed their disapproval of Mr. Kelly's continued pursuit of the leadership of the party.
The Tipperary TD yesterday called for a "radical upheaval" within the party and said he agreed with councilors asking for change.
"We need a radical uproar, we have to change the direction of the party, we need a different vision, we need a lot more energy," he told the Irish Independent.
He also reiterated his ambition to put his name forward for a leadership contest should the vacancy arise.
His power play, however, has not fallen well with other members of the party.
Labor TD for Limerick Jan O & # 39; Sullivan called Mr Kelly's outburst a "distraction".
She added: "We have a lot of work to do in terms of homelessness and health and education, and we need to think about the elections, and this is a real diversion.
I wish Alan would just stop, I'm with Brendan because he's chosen as a leader, so let's just keep going. & # 39;
In the constitution of the party the leadership is not for renewal until after the next elections.
Dublin Fingal TD Brendan Ryan was another party member who gave his support to Mr. Howlin yesterday when he contacted the Irish Independent.
He said: "I absolutely support Brendan Howlin, I am completely twisted with him [Mr Kelly] and I told him that ".
Ryan said that "regular members of the Labor Party" were hard at work in his constituency and talked to people to add to the number of seats at the next local elections.
"And then we get down from that work on the floor and listen to his kind of things that come through the media.
"It is so frustrating, it kills people."
Meanwhile, Mr. Howlin insisted he would not resign as leader and accused Kelly of undermining the party's work.
"It surprises me that he said what he said, it is very unhelpful, but now the focus of the whole group is to rebuild the party and let our candidates choose," he said.
It is understood that Mr Kelly and Mr Howlin spoke on the phone yesterday and that no decision was taken on Mr Kelly's plunder.
The former Environment Minister launched an unsuccessful bid to become a leader after Joan Burton resigned after a bad result in the 2016 general election.
He lost to Mr. Howlin who was voted by party membership.
However, he has made no secret of his active ambition to take over, and last year Mr. Howlin gave six months to change the fortune of the party during an interview on live television.
Labor has struggled to achieve some traction on fundamental issues affecting the state and the electorate, and the low, stagnant mood reflects this.
Parties say they have difficulty finding suitable candidates to participate in the general and local elections.
The problem is most acute in areas that were once Labor-strongholds in parts of Kerry and Cork.
A few weeks ago, 14 Labor Councilors sought a meeting with Mr. Howlin to discuss his future and "the need for change". Despite the rumble, the clear consensus among Oireachtas members is that there is no vacancy for the party leadership.
Senator Kevin Humphreys told the Irish Independent: "This does not help the Labor Party – we are talking about an internal struggle when we have to talk about important problems the country is facing and how Labor can come up with policies to deal with them. "
Former communications minister Alex White described Mr Kelly's efforts as "commendable". However, he added: "The problem is that Alan ambitions seem to mix for himself with ambition for the party, it's as if Alan is talking about Alan."
Party support
Joan Burton: "As a former leader, I stay here."
Willie Penrose: "Disappointed in Alan Kelly." Aodhán Ó Riordáin: No reaction.
Sean Sherlock: no answer, but understood as unsupportive to the attempted coup.
Jan O & # 39; Sullivan: annoyed by Alan Kelly's actions; supports Brendan Howlin.
Brendan Ryan: irritated by Alan Kelly's actions and behind Brendan Howlin. Kevin Humphries: "I support Brendan Howlin."
Ged Nash: "I support Brendan Howlin."
Irish Independent
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