The Green Party ... first 18 months in power

Gandalf23

I have been a lifelong Green supporter, and I supported/canvassed for the Green Party in the last election. I was always a vehement advocate of green policies and I was delighted they finally got power after the last election.

I have since changed my mind. I am now totally disillusioned with the Greens.



This is my assessment of the Greens first 18 months in power. This does NOT include their farcical performance in support of the last budget ... this all comes from BEFORE the budget!

The Green Party in their first 18 months in Government with Fianna Fail support;
- hospital Co-Location
- extra Holidays for the Dail
- additional Junior Ministries
- the Poolbeg Incinerator
- the Destruction of Tara
- the Corrib gas pipeline
- Local Gov reform (but only AFTER the next Local elections!!!!!)
- the removal of Shannon airport routes
- The European Reform Treaty
- the proposed salary increases for Ministers (remember those and Bertie the hapenny place???)
- the original route of the M3 motorway
- the continued use of Shannon by US troops
These are ALL u-turns from their policies before the last election, and most are DIRECTLY OPPOSED to what they said in their election manifesto.


And as for grants for "green" policies that Eamon Ryan is always on about ... how have they fared since the Greens have come to power?
- The grant for a wood pellet boiler system has been cut by 1200 euro.
- The grant for a vertical heat pump has been cut by 3000 euro.
- The grant for a horizontal heat pump has been cut by 1800 euro.
- The grant for an air source heat pump has been cut by 2000 euro.
- The grant for flat plate solar collectors has been cut? by 50 euro/sqm.


All this as well as constantly underwriting the shoddy ethics and incompetence of FF.


Not to mention managing the impressive task of doing a u-turn on almost everything they stood for in opposition, and what they explicitly promised before the last general election.


It gives me no pleasure to say this, but good riddance to the Green Party. Gormley and co have managed to distroy the Greens for a generation in Irish politics.

All they have done will not be easily forgotten, and they will not be easily forgiven.

spadder

+1. I voted for the gimps too. Never,never again.

FrankGrimes

Gave Greens a vote aswell and I'm quite taken aback at just how little integrity they have shown in government, spineless from day one. Classic example of a party being more interested in being in power than standing up for what they, and their grass roots, stand for.

If they had the guts to make a stand, bring down this government I would then be more inclined to vote for them next time round as I believe in a lot of what they used to stand for and if I could also believe that they do, I would back them. I'm sure others would too. Unfortunately, their leadership seems to hold the view that they have to hold onto power as long as they have it at all costs - shows to me that they know once they're out they'll now stay out.

Darragh29

I'd be Green aware insofar as I think we should be driving renewable energy now, we should be seeing electric vehicles by now on the roads, not in 2020.

But any party that can stand beside FF in government should be put up against a wall and shot, end of story. FF is to the future of our country what Garry Glitter is to the safe running of a creche, EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

If these c*nts had any honour, they would pull out of government and call an election. The people who have brought us into this problem simply cannot be the same people who lead us out of it...

Darragh29

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Gave Greens a vote aswell and I'm quite taken aback at just how little integrity they have shown in government, spineless from day one. Classic example of a party being more interested in being in power than standing up for what they, and their grass roots, stand for.

If they had the guts to make a stand, bring down this government I would then be more inclined to vote for them next time round as I believe in a lot of what they used to stand for and if I could also believe that they do, I would back them. I'm sure others would too. Unfortunately, their leadership seems to hold the view that they have to hold onto power as long as they have it at all costs - shows to me that they know once they're out they'll now stay out.

+1. The longer this governent is in power, the longer we are all fu*ked. We need a clean sheet fresh start approach.

spadder

Like all of you, I feel betrayed by the turncoats. It's clear that their grass root support has withered and died.

Is there anyone on the boards that would consider voting for them again? If so why?
Are there any green party lurkers reading that would like to comment?
Please do.

Why is this government still in power? All confidence has been lost.
As Darragh said, if they don't address the vat issue quickly, we are fu*ked.

Pride Fighter

Government is about compromise, they will never get all of their policies implemented.
They have done ok IMO.
I'd never vote for them as they are not in favour of Nuclear power, unlike most Green parties throughout the world. We need Nuclear as part of our solution to 95% reliance on imported fossil fuels, 1 nuclear power plant could provide over half the energy needs of the state. Nuclear is now safe, gone are the days of Chernobyl.

Gandalf23

Pride Fighter wrote: »

They have done ok IMO.

Could you be more specific?

jmayo

Happily admit I was never a GP party supporter/voter since don't trust anyone that doesn't like vehicles of one kind or another. Also can't take a party seriously that thinks farming can be saved by everyone going organic.

But if I was a GP party supporter or member I would be very peeved that they affectively renaged on lots of their core policies after the last election.
They stated they would not enter power with FF and now they appear to just sit and condone everything that is bad and ineffective with this government.

Power corrupts really seems to apply to them.
They are in love with the notion that they are in position of power, all you have to do is listen to the smug condescending interviews given by Cuffe, Ryan and Gormless since they got in.
It is just a notion since FF really have the reins of power and they know the GP is scared sh**less now to actually plug the plug, since they know they would decimated at election.
Only positive thing I would say is some of them will be unemployed after the next election.

kevmy

Look the Greens were always spineless.

The mistake they made was going into power with FF when FF didn't need them. Personally I say if you are a smaller party there is no reason to go in with FF at all but especially when they don't need you.

Greens did very badly at the negotiating table with FF after the last election and now they are feeling the classic FF squeeze, just like the PD's did and Lab before that.

The Green Party in their first 18 months in Government with Fianna Fail support;
- hospital Co-Location
- extra Holidays for the Dail
- additional Junior Ministries
- the Poolbeg Incinerator
- the Destruction of Tara
- the Corrib gas pipeline
- Local Gov reform (but only AFTER the next Local elections!!!!!)
- the removal of Shannon airport routes
- The European Reform Treaty
- the proposed salary increases for Ministers (remember those and Bertie the hapenny place???)
- the original route of the M3 motorway
- the continued use of Shannon by US troops
These are ALL u-turns from their policies before the last election, and most are DIRECTLY OPPOSED to what they said in their election manifesto.

In fairness of the ones above only the ones highlighted were goals they could deem gettable/realistic once in government.

They don't have enough power or influence to get some of the others and more have gone too far down the road to be reversed. Stuff like the holidays and salaries were small stuff they could have stood against with popular support. Local Gov reform is mainly down to Gormley's department and could have been pushed much harder.

The thing is they didn't stand on any issue or even have any little 'wins' to appease their core support.

I'm not a big fan of them but they won't be the next PD's just yet because the issue the still mainly stand for is not resolved.
But they'll lose seats because they won't get 2nd, 3rd, 4th preferences of Lab and FG like they did the last election. It's very hard to get people elected with only 5-10% 1st preferences and no transfers

turgon

Pride Fighter wrote: »

Government is about compromise, they will never get all of their policies implemented..

Sure thing, but what about Dan Boyle supporting comments about Rody Molloy?? Not giving a damn about Bertie?? Theyve just made themselves invisable tbh.

I would agree with all the other comments above. Couldnt vote last time, but if gotten the chance I would have.

doingmybit

The greens once in government seems to be more interested in making our life more s***. Introducing the light bulb ban, the tax on parking in urban areas, the motor tax increases in larger cars, feck the people who have large families they can squeeze into a mini, taxing the flights out of this country, wanting to put a fix on petrol prices so they can't drop below 1.30 a litre but can go up from that price,But when cobh is been poisoned by the old irish steel plant, incinerators been built by the dozen, Harney getting her hair done for 400 euro, taking the medical cards off the elderly, increasing our private health insurance through a levy to pay for VHI, stealth taxes every where. Ahhhhhhh, i feel better for them been in government now using this low energy light bulb i'am typing under :mad:

mike65

As someone who was expecting the Greens to be rendered an irrelevance in government I'm hardly surprised, except by the speed that its happened. I thought they might get at least one BIG idea woven into the agenda, something they can point to next time and say we did that and its a basic change for the better.

Mike

bmaxi

I don't know why people have been surprised at the spinelessness of the Greens. That was clearly demonstrated when Sargent resigned the leadership "on point of principle", only to take a junior ministry on point of, "it pays lots of dosh and I get a nice pension after a ridiculously short time." The sickening part of it is, people voted for them because they thought they had principles, the sad part is that those genuine people who have supported the Green Party over its formative years will see it obliterated at the first opportunity the public get. They should have learned the lesson of the P.Ds, people weren't expecting too much change of them because, for the most part, they came from the F.F. stable but they too have been destroyed by F.F. More was expected of the Greens and they have failed to deliver. "Et Tu Brutae"

Mr. Incognito

I was a green party member.

I have not renewed my membership and will not do so again.

They should have pulled out of government long long ago.

Their portfolio's are not worth their political annilation.

What exactly went on in the negotiations?? They have achieved nothing.

Bren1609

Dont forget education. That was one of the GP most important mandates during the election.

markpb

I voted GP too in the last election and I'm ambivalent at best. I think/hope they went into power thinking it would be better to share a little power than no power at all and were being pragmatic about it. Now that they're there, I think they're realising just how little power they share. They're never even the minority member, they share that position with a group of independants. Whatever power they did have will have been stripped away by FF, citing the "totally unexpected" downturn in the economy.

If there was an election tomorrow, I'm not sure I'd vote green but I'm not sure who else I'd vote for. They're a disappointing bunch

Jack Sheehan

Sad indeed to see them sell themselves and get nothing out of their time in power. If you'd asked me a year ago who I supported it would have been the greens no question.

I'll be able to vote next election (presuming cowen doesn't accidently kill several of his backbenchers causing an election before may) and I probably wont vote for them.

Biggins

Voted green the last time - will NOT be doing so EVER again.

A lot of my more educated friends have told me that they will be not voting for the greens either.
In fact besides Fianna Fail, the greens are next in line that they WON'T be voting for.

The next local/national election is going to be real fun!

spadder

Biggins wrote: »

The next local/national election is going to be real fun!

Yeah, looking forward to it, on yer bike Gormley ye Langer and take Harney with you.

ShooterSF

Never been fond of the greens as they just seemed to be the type to shove their ridiculous ideas down our throats and have.

Delighted that they've put people off voting for them again.

gandalf

Like an awful lot of other voters I know I would have given the greens a 2nd or 3rd preference in my vote. This for me and most of the others will never happen again given their spineless capitulation to FF in government. The ease at which the Green ministers are towing the line is quite spectacular and totally hypocritical. I think the party faithful must have a sense of betrayal at the people at the helm of the organisation.

Then again isn't this what FF do best, bring a party close to them and damage them as they did with Labour or wipe them out of existence as they did with the PD's. It will be interesting to see what kind of pasting the Greens get in next years Local & European Elections.

r3nu4l

Pride Fighter wrote: »

Government is about compromise, they will never get all of their policies implemented.

Compromise is fine but the Greens have been the ones doing ALL the compromising.

Het-Field

The Green Party are the most disgraceful political entity in Ireland.

The proffered themselves as a party of principle and transparency. They attacked Michael McDowell (one of Ireland's finest Ministers) over his handling of the Bertie affair, before they turned 360o and were willing to defend Bertie. Subsequently when Fiona O Malley and Mary Harney asked him to come clean, the Green's followed suit.

The have ignored the economy, and have tried to deflect any responsibility away from themselves. They distance themselves from the budget. They have allowed for savage cuts in education, have not involved themselves in the 3rd Level Fees issue, allowed sharp increases in Income Tax (a strong PD force would never have allowed that), and VAT. They sit idely by a government who are forcing Irish people to go North for their Christmas Shopping, and in the process consider us unpatriotic. They have also been anxious to place carbon taxes on everyting in sight, place huge expense at the feet of private employers to force people to ride bikes to work.

They did nothing to effect the passage of The Lisbon Treaty (even though Mr Cynical John Gormley would say otherwise). In fact the likes of Patricia McKenna, who for all intents and purposes is a Green Party acitivist, did far more to hinder the passage of the treaty, then a Government Party did to pass it.

They consider Dierdre De Burca to be a serious candidate for the EU elections in Dublin, and they have been selecting candidates for the locals, who have not been in the organisation a wet week.

Every time I see Gormley standing by the Government, I get annoyed. The Progressive Democrats were much closer to Fianna Fail, yet it took many many years before the PDs became difficult to distinguish from Fianna Fail. It took the Green no time at all.

The Greens sold us a pup at the last election. In 2012 GET THESE WASTERS OUT