Is the Poolbeg incinerator plan actually too small? After the exit of the Greens, the Minister for the Environment is now Éamon Ó Cuív. Within a few weeks we will have another minister in place. What will happen to the issue of the proposed Poolbeg incinerator is anyone’s guess.  Sandy Hazel reports.

Most election candidates are saying publicly that the incinerator is a bad plan, but they are in campaign mode and possibly telling the electorate only what it wants to hear. A recent readers’ poll by the Irish Times had 60-40 in favour of the incinerator being built.

Why did the Greens pull out of government? And will we see them there again any time soon? By Colin Murphy.

The bank guarantee represented the most spectacular single transfer of wealth ever in the history of this country, from society at large to a financial elite. The elite being depositors of more than €100,000 (depositors up to €100,000 had been guaranteed previously) and bondholders who had lent money to the banks. Even if the banks had not collapsed subsequently, it was still a huge transfer of wealth because of the insurance it gave the big depositors and bondholders.

Health tends to come high up on voters' priority lists but it's definitely not top this time. Of course, the focus is on jobs, economy, and the bank bailout. And while there is lots of rhetoric on health, we have yet to see much of the detail from political parties and candidates.

This is different to previous occasions when health caused and influenced elections. Compare it to the 1987, when the Fianna Fáil slogan 'health cuts hurt the old, the sick and the handicapped'. In 1989, a health issue – the compensation for people infected with haemophilia through infected blood products caused the Fianna Fáil government to fall and resulted in them going into coalition for first time with PDs.

A coalition of trade unions and community sector organisations marked the cutting of the National Minimum Wage with a protest outside Leinster House today entitled 'Ireland's Day of Shame'. By Alison Spillane

Speaking at the ceremony, hotel worker Bernie Casey described the move as a 'disgrace', and said that taking €40 a week out of the household budget [of tens of thousands of families] was shameful. "What chance have we of living in decency and providing for our families on €7.65 an hour?", she asked.

The Green Party salvaged some political standing on Thursday in forcing Brian Cowen to backtrack on a proposed Cabinet reshuffle and also set a date of 11 March for the general election. But by resigning from government this afternoon but stating their intention to support the Finance Bill from opposition benches, the Greens have cast further uncertainty on the date for an election. They also place the Dail in a Constitutional quandary and may have nullified whatever modest gains they made politically. By Malachy Browne

This afternoon's announcement to resign from government followed a long meeting of senior Green Party members earlier today to discuss the party position following the resignation of Brian Cowen as president and leader of Fianna Fail yesterday. John Gormley and Eamon Ryan announced the resignation of their ministerial posts bringing the number of ministers to a constitutional minimum of seven. However, the party will support the passing into law of the Finance Bill from Opposition benches.

This Government has lost the support of 80 per cent of the people, the vast majority of these want Fianna Fáil and the Greens out of office ASAP.

Yet this Government is about to make decisions on budgets for four years hence that will have drastic consequences for millions of our citizens. We, the people, have no role in this. Sometime in the next 20 months we will have the option of voting in a general election to determine which party or parties should form the next government.

But even then we will have no role in the decisions that will vitally affect our future, unless you think that replacing Fianna Fáil and the Greens with Fine Gael and Labour makes any appreciable difference.

It is unfortunate for the country that we have a government that may be the worst ever - and that is saying something, writes Vincent Browne.

The scariest thing in Ireland at present is the sound of Eamon Ryan waffling on RTE’s Morning Ireland, avoiding every question asked of him, with that trademark condescending verbal smirk, pretending he and his Green colleagues have even a smidgin of understanding of what is going on.

Fifty people from across the country answered a letter in the Irish Times to attend the establishment of a new political party last night. By Vincent Ryan in Kilkenny.

The meeting was called by Leo Armstrong, a former member of both Fine Gael and the Green Party, and formerly involved in the Priorities Party. Provisionally the proposed new party was proposing to operate under the title of 'The Irish Independents Party' - although this was up for discussion.

A nervous Mary Coughlan drew severe criticism from the opposition in her first committee meeting as Minister for Education yesterday.  By Shane Creevy.

Coughlan confirmed that there are no plans to bring in student fees in the lifetime of the present government. However, one new piece of information was made abundantly clear; there will be no rise in the student registration fee for the forthcoming academic year.

Sometimes referred to as a student services charge, many of the Committee members noted their displeasure with the rise of the cost of the charge last year to €1,500, saying that it was "fees by the back door".

The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan appeared before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security yesterday, 24 March, to discuss a number of key issues in relation to energy and electricity needs.

Chairman of the Joint Committee, Seán Barrett, said in advance of the meeting, “Our recent report ‘Meeting Ireland’s Electricity Needs Post-2020’ highlighted the need for Ireland to exploit its available wind resource and concentrate research efforts on the development of ocean energy where it could derive competitive advantage and become a niche player”.

The Greens have been in therapy for a week now, and there is little evidence of their collective nervous breakdown abating.

Involuntary electro-convulsive treatment may be the only remedy, and Fianna Fáil is outside with the jumpstart paraphernalia.

(Mary McAleese has signed the consent order in the absence of the Greens’ capacity to make any informed decision themselves.)

(Picture: Most barristers can't run anything, aside from themselves)

The ‘rotating ministers’ plan seems quite crazy and, coming from the Greens, the presumption is that the plan is just that: crazy. But for normal politics, it might be quite a good idea. Let me explain.

Topic: The Green Party ministerial swap deal, the banking crisis

He had to go, but not for some silly and inconsequential letter – he and others colluded to harm public welfare.

Trevor Sargent deserved to be driven from office and from public life.

He, in collusion with others, has done great harm to the public welfare. He has joined with others in mortgaging the country’s future and the welfare of citizens.

He, in association with others, supported measures that are palpably unjust and has condoned such conduct by false claims to be acting in the public interest.

Statement by Trevor Sargent TD
 
"A Ceann Chomhairle, I thank you for the opportunity to explain to the House the circumstances of the clinic enquiry I received in June 2008 relating to an assault in September 2007 which were partially reported in the media this afternoon.

Green Party junior minister Trevor Sargent has resigned his junior ministerial post following allegations that he attempted to influence legislative proceedings in favour of one of his constituents.

The resignation will come as a further blow to the government, following the recent resignation of former Minister of Defence Willie O'Dea.

The Willie O’Dea controversy underlines the infantile nature of our politics.

For the first time in years, a minister has been forced from office because of an absence of contrition over a sordid smear he perpetrated against a political opponent.

There were questions about perjury underlying that smear, but the available evidence suggested that there had been no perjury.

This essentially was a matter of style and decorum, of ‘letting down politics’ and of ‘damaging the political system’.

“Resigning his position in Cabinet must have been very difficult for Willie O’Dea and a very trying event for his family. However, Willie O'Dea's resignation was an inevitable consequence of his swearing of a false affidavit before the High Court." 

“The refusal of the Taoiseach and his colleagues in government to demand any accountability for this behaviour was the reason that I tabled a motion of no confidence in Deputy O'Dea on Tuesday night."

"Yesterday afternoon I met Willie O’Dea and he assured me that an article in today’s Limerick Leader would vindicate him. The article published today does not do that. In fact it does the opposite.

 "At the very conclusion of yesterday’s Dail debate Mr O’Dea said his original actions in the matter were based on information given to him by An Garda Siochana. We were very concerned by this behaviour by a member of Government.

Statement by an Taoiseach  Brian Cowen on the resignation of Willie O'Dea

The Taoiseach wishes to announce that Mr Willie O’Dea TD has this evening tendered his resignation as Minister for Defence and the President has accepted it.

In tendering his resignation, Mr O’Dea said: “I have come to the regrettable conclusion that my continuing in office will only serve to distract from the important and vital work of Government in addressing the serious challenges that the country continues to face at this time.”

Green Party compliance has allowed Fianna Fáil to get away with doing whatever it likes.

Willie O'Dea has nothing to fear over that perjury matter. If Fianna Fáil were in partnership with, say, the late, unlamented PDs or the Labour Party, maybe even Sinn Féin, yes, problems.

But since Fianna Fáil is in government on its own, pas de problème. Nobody will be asking for heads, not even for an apology. If Willie doesn’t want to explain himself, that’s okay too.

But the Green Party are in government with Fianna Fáil, I hear you say. Are they? What’s the evidence? They are in office all right, but in government?

Deirdra de Burca resigned from the Green Party this morning. In a letter to party leader John Gormley, Senator de Burca said that she could no longer support the party because it had "abandoned [its] political values... and become no more than an extension of the Fianna Fail party". De Burca said that the party leadership was unwilling to captitalise on Fianna Fail's reliance on Green Party support in the Dail.

The resignation is the latest in a list of former Green Party representatives who have become disillusioned with party principles since its entry into Government. Edward Horgan, former MEP Patricia McKenna, Bronwen Maher, Chris O’Leary and Betty Doran have all resigned as Greens since the 2007 election. 

The following are letters of invitation to party leaders to take part in interviews with Vincent Browne on TV3’s Tonight programme.

The interruptions of Labour TD Emmet Stagg in the Dail earlier today riled Green Party TD Paul Gogarty into the "unparliamentary" outburst: "Fuck you Deputy Stagg, Fuck you." Gogarty had been explaining during the Dáil debate on the social welfare cuts why he believed cuts to vulnerable people were necessary in Budget 2010.  He said that a third tax band for high earners may be introduced next year.

Hear the language below, and the remix.

The Green Party is different. It does not try to fool the electorate, as other parties do. It fools itself. They actually believe that the morsels they got in the revised programme for government was “transformational”, rather than just another piece of clever Fianna Fáil condescension. The delusional Greens believe they are principled green egalitarians, rather than the reality: they are a crowd of flaky middle-class dilettantes, amusing themselves with the fantasy of power and the delights of its trappings.

Topic: Greens and Programme for Government.
Participants: Fionan Sheehan, Harry McGee, Alan Ruddock, Sarah Carey and Sinead O’Driscoll.

The state is so corrupt .its impossible to put a start and a finish to it. Transparency and accountability is a joke. all or at least nearly all state. Public bodies are corrupt and rotten to the core .also they  are covered by their own P'R . And government P R lies. And spin .. I am in the Irish army .And the waste .manipulation and corrupt use of funds and resources by some is unreal .Also massive. And very widespread .. The army is an over budgeted gravy machine for about 40 per cent of its serving corps ..And a career machine for the big boy's. No shame for them. Joe.. Kildare serving soldier .

Why are government taking hard stand and cutting social welfare, why dont they take the easy stand and cut their own 1. pay and 2.expenses! Hannah

The Greens made a big fuss about the reintroduction of third level fees but there was not even a whimper from them when the Department of Agriculture phased out the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme earlier this year. At least the Greens have cornered the badger vote for the next election. Joe, Belmullet.

Shouldn't we do what the UK has done and appoint someone to examine all TD's expenses with a view to making them pay it back. John Fair Castlebar

Must the minister for health (Mary Harney) go next over expenses.  Mike Shiels

I've just started college at 29 years of age doing a course i love and have wanted to do for years. If fees come in, I’ll have to withdraw from the course. How is that fair? Just because i can't afford fees, that shouldn't stop me from making a better life for myself. I'm not getting money from anywhere apart from the grant  and it's already a big struggle. And i HAVE looked for part time work, but can't find any. I was only part time in my last job which finished up in august. What am i meant to do if they tell me to pay fees? Annie, Dundalk

Enda Kenny for Ceann Comhairle. Daithi, Mhaigh Eo

If you had your way you would beggar everyone with a bit of ambition and "get up and go". Sounds like in your book its a sin to be any way successful. Who will pay the taxes when you could have driven most people to the dole office. John in Dublin .

Vincent needs to get real on welfare, the central bank exposed the fact that between 2001 & 06, a sustained period of FULL employment, welfare rates doubled. The country therefore rewarded lazy social leeches, when it should have substantially cut their rate. We should still do so immediately , and increase rates for those who have worked and will work. Stephen Kearon , Ballinaclash , Co Wicklow

Why doesn’t the government take child benefit of the doctors and nurses and judges not the poor Bridget

Child benefit is a lifeline for the majority of families in Ireland parents are worried leave child benefit alone from Teresa in Dublin .

If Gormley could not stop the incinerator going ahead in his constituency what hopes are there for no third level fees.

The proposal to give the graduates work is to save the middle classes the embarrassment of having their children collect the dole. Discrimination. Dolores

Michael McDowell was right about the Greens. They are a bunch of muesli eating tree huggers. They will be gone after the next election. Last gasp of a dying party.

I think the government is a joke, they keep kicking the people on the bottom while they keep filling their own pockets. Give them the same as a single person on the dole and let them see how hard it is to live on.
 
Did u honestly think that the greens were going to get off the gravy train... The whole of the Dáil and senate are so devoid of reality that the current recession is heading to a full blown recession and none of them are doing 1 thing to stop it...from Mick in Tullamore...

There is no economic analysis in the Programme. Its like some wish list a group of transition year students wrote with no budget. Green capitalism at its most naive. Pat in Donegal

Surely the biggest achievement of the greens is to get the GPO turned into the abbey - theatre of the absurd brought to life and given a post code Michael Dublin

If middle and senior administrators in the public and civil service were given a proper pay cut, to bring their salaries in line with their equivalent administrative positions in the private sector, there would be ample savings generated to preserve essential frontline services in the public interest. It is typical tactic of the public service mandarins, tacitly supported by the trade unions, to axe low-paid frontline public service jobs, which generate relatively low savings, so as to bring public pressure to bear on a weak Government to reverse necessary cutbacks. From Barry Sheehan, Cork

Who will pay compensation to fur farmers and how much will it cost also what will happen Deer Herd in the Ward area now that ward union dont need it. Why do the Greens want to effect major change to rural Ireland such as keeping pets hunting ban by stealth etc. Longford viewer. K

Irish society better served by having Greens in government...Of course to do that they have to compromise to get some concessions but if FF were in power by themselves Irish society would be worse served. Greens shouldn’t suffer at next election because they had the courage to compromise to get some of their own agenda implemented ..The other option they had was to sit on the sidelines with no influence on government policy. Pat, Portlaoise

I thought the Greens were a new dawn for Irish Politics but how wrong was I. They are like the rest, power, photo shoots and the smell of the £ and morals go out the window. Nick, Galway .

Fianna Fail....naturally, don't want to 'lose' a seat. There is a very safe one in Limerick . If only for the "craic" and to liven up Leinster House. I want to start a........"Willie for C.C." campaign.

Let the "show" begin...... Tom McLoughlin, Baile na mBrabhach, Inverin, Co. Galway .

the teachers union biased the green party conference and abandoned the special needs children for whom they passionately marched for in November on the streets of this country. D Murphy
 

I suggest re-naming the Green Party to The Progressive Demi-Greens.  As their electoral lifespan is now guaranteed to be as terminal as that of the Progressive Democrats in the previous coalition. But at least several rodents are being saved under the Green Party agenda which will bring down their price.  So thankfully we should all be able to afford Mink & Hare for the dinner table at last. God knows we can afford little else.!! Paul O'Neill, Newcastle, Co. Wicklow

Texts and emails to tonight with Vincent Browne on Wednesday, 7 October, 2009. Participants: Sam Smyth, Vincent P Martin of the Green Party, Pat Fitzgerald, also of the Green Party, Marie Louise O’Donnell and Lynda O’Shea Farren.

Subject: the Greens and participation in government and the newspapers’ coverage of the John O’Donoghue controversy.

I’m sick 2 death of listening 2 d likes of Sam Smyth attaching d public sector while his employer lives a privileged as a tax exile and doesn’t contribute a single euro 2 our economy why isn’t this channelled by anyone. Anon.

We should have a campaign and we all should get out and march that no one in Ireland can earn more then 100000. That should sort out our politicians and Senators. Lucy Waterford.

These are the promises made by the Green Party at the 2007 election:

Housing - Ensure the delivery of 10,000 social and affordable housing units a year until the housing waiting lists are cleared.

Health - Provide an additional 4000 beds to cut A&E queues. Introduce medical cards for children under 6.

Child Care - Replace the Early Childcare Supplement with a higher Refundable Parenting Tax Credit available as a cash payment or used to reduce income tax bills.

The deferral of resignation until next week is incomprehensible, unless it is in the expectation (hope?) the government and the Dáil will fall before then and he (John O’Donoghue) will go into the election as sitting Ceann Comhairle with a guaranteed seat in the next Dáil. And the chances of that happening are not entirely remote.

Fianna Fail has just 72 guaranteed votes in the Dáil at present. The three Fianna Fail TDs without the whip would be expected to vote in favour of the government in the event of a no-confidence motion. And there are four Independents, including two ex PDs, who can be relied upon. That is a total of 79. But to get to 84 votes plus they need the 6 Green TDs and were the Greens to defect after this coming weekend…..

_{Musical Seats in Dublin}

While the constituency revision affords the best politician of the last Dáil, Joe Higgins, a chance to return in Dublin West next time (it has got an extra seat), another of the Dáil's best TDs, Ciaran Cuffe, is facing a challenge in Dun Laoghaire, which has lost a seat. Either he goes or Barry Andrews of Fianna Fail goes.

Ends 

The taming of the Greens, replacing principle with maturity, has been supported by the media. By Chekov Feeney.

The Greens have traditionally been placed somewhere on a spectrum between a dangerous subversive threat and a harmless joke by the media.

The entry of the Green Party into government provides an opportunity to inject fresh thinking into the heart of government. I hope that opportunity can be realised. It is important that environmental and sustainability questions are not seen as marginal matters. Instead, ecological and social sustainability must be recognised as key economic questions. The "business as usual" approach is simply no longer viable in the medium-term because of the need to confront peak oil and climate change. The rationale for a radical re-orientation of our economy is outlined in many recent reports such as that of Sir Nicholas Stern in the UK who makes it clear that "tackling climate change is the pro-growth strategy for the long-term."

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQljurGpo00&NR=1] 

On 5 May, John Gormley TD released a press statement about the Progressive Democrats threatening to pull out of government. Asking the question, "If the PDs pull the plug, who exactly can they go into Government with?" he then answers the question with "the Green Party won't touch those opportunists with a barge pole". This I presumed at the time meant that his party would not go into government with the PDs. 

The RTÉ exit poll showed over 80 per cent were not put off Fianna Fáil by ‘Bertiegate'. By Vincent Browne  

In the recent election, Labour played a crucial role in reviving Fine Gael, from the near oblivion of 2002, while Labour's own vote dropped marginally and its seats tally decreased by one.

A small group of protesters gathered outside the Mansion House today to voice their opinions on the programme for government agreed with Fianna Fail following 10 days of negotiations. Hundreds of Green Party members entering the Mansion House to vote on the programme were met by shouts of "No Shannon, Save Tara!" from groups opposed to the programme and "Vote Yes!" from those in support of the proposed coalition.

Meanwhile, the programme for government backtracks on Green promises on Shannon. 

VoteTube.org remind us of the broken promises from Election 2002.

Read a summary of the broken promises by Village by clicking here here

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByjQT8sKck8&eurl=]

The Green Party had no women in the last Dail, they are running 11 female candidates out of 39 in the election.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvtUeSjzYL0] 

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3Iy4tcqFNs] 

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxOIjC1jW0g]

(Click on image to enlarge)

The alternative government of Fine Gael, Labour and the Greens is not without credibility as the above suggested cabinet illustrates. It would be possible to have four women in the cabinet and three members relatively young (Simon Coveney, Olwyn Enright and Mairead McGuinness). There would also be a wealth of experience with Ruairi Quinn, Brendan Howlin, Michael Noonan, Richard Bruton and Enda Kenny himself having served in senior ministries.

If he survives the election campaign, the chances are Bertie Ahern will be Taoiseach again. This is a substantial “if” at the time of writing. But his party will lose many seats – on these predictions 10 seats. However, Fine Gael won't win sufficient seats to be able to form a government with Labour and the Greens. The next government will be Fianna Fáil and Labour.

The predictions assume Fianna Fáil will lose seats in Cork South Central and Cork South West. Also in Dublin North East (maybe Michael Woods), Dublin North West (Noel Ahern or Pat Carey), and Dublin South Central (Michael Mulcahy). Further losses in Louth (Seamus Kirk) and Tipperary North (maybe Michael Smith).

But it assumes they will gain a seat in Kerry South (from Jackie Healy Rea) and they retain doubtful seats in Cork North Central, Cork North West, Dublin Central (Bertie Ahern's constituency), Dublin North, Dublin North Central, Dun Laoghaire and Laois Offaly.

So if everything were to go wrong for Fianna Fáil, they would be at 63 seats, an unlikely outcome, unless Bertie Ahern fails to dig himself out of the payments controversy.

The predictions show Sinn Féin at just seven seats but that assumes Martin Ferris loses to Labour in Kerry North and Mary Lou McDonald could take the second Fianna Fáil seat in Dublin Central.

The Greens will make three gains according to the predictions (Mary White in Carlow-Kilkenny, Niall O'Brollachain in Galway West and Deirdre de Burca in Wicklow). The PDs will lose everyone except Michael McDowell, Mary Harney and Liz O'Donnell but the latter is by no means sure. Predictions for the smaller parties are particularly hazardous because the opinion polls are entirely unreliable about their support strength.

These predictions assume that Independents will retain doubtful seats in Cavan-Monaghan, Clare, Galway East, Mayo (Beverly Flynn) and that Joe Higgins and Clare Daly take seats for the Socialist party.

Overall predictions: Fianna Fáil 71; Fine Gael 44; Labour 22; Greens 9; Sinn Féin 7; PDs 3; Others 10.

• Best candidate: Our subjective assessment.

• Weakest link: The most marginal candidate.

• In the long grass: The candidate most likely to surprise.

Q & A with Wicklow Green Party candidate Deirdre de Burca

Q & A with Galway West Green party candidate Niall O Brolchain

Q & A with Dun Laoghaire Green party candidate Ciaran Cuffe

Q & A with Dublin South Green Party candidate Eamon Ryan

Click here to read more on Bertie Ahern

Click here to read more on Enda Kenny

Click here to read more on Pat Rabbitte 

Click here to read more on Michael McDowell 

Click here to read more on Gerry Adams

Click here to read more on Trevor Sargent

Politics is no more now than a game show. Personality and style with an agenda stacked against fairness and democracy. By Vincent Browne