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b'After a catastrophic performance in the 2016 general election, the Labour party must rebuild from its roots and reconnect with working class voters, according to its leader Brendan Howlin.The Wexford TD was speaking to this week\\u2019s Inside Politics podcast and said his party is currently working on a review of its constitution, for which there have been \\u201chundreds of submissions\\u201d.Deputy Howlin said membership of the Labour party has increased by 1,200 in recent months, thirty new area representatives have been appointed and the process of selecting candidates to contest the next general election will get underway in the coming weeks. When asked if new leadership at both Fine Gael and Sinn F\\xe9in in the next general election would mean it was time for a change at the Labour helm, deputy Howlin said he was still \\u201cup for the task\\u201d. He said the aim is to double the party\\u2019s seats, but he acknowledged there would not be a \\u201cbounce back\\u201d this time round.Deputy Howlin also criticised the current government for \\u201ckicking issues a year down the road\\u201d with a view to there being a general election before they would have to be dealt with, and said the D\\xe1il is \\u201clike a university debating society\\u201d that does not get anything done.Asked whether he believed the Taoiseach should go to the White House on St. Patrick\\u2019s Day, deputy Howlin said he should not but if he does, Enda Kenny must make it clear both in private and in public that Ireland does not support President Trump\\u2019s policies.Also on the podcast, Irish Times political correspondent Fiach Kelly talked about the stories circulating around the D\\xe1il this week, including the debate over pre-clearance at Shannon Airport, Brexit and British Prime Minister Theresa May\\u2019s visit.

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