NOW IS THE TIME TO TAKE POWER, NOT SHY AWAY FROM IT

THERE has been enough adrenaline pumped through the political system without further fuelling anxieties. Even wars of nerves can have casualties, so Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s warning of a political crisis if the proposed coalition government deal is not approved is salutary.

The people of our country have been staring fear in the face for months, stripped of all the comforts of normality. Now is a time for certainty and going forward without hesitancy.

There is no longer room for ambivalence among members of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party. The programme is to be put to the membership of all three parties, with ballot results expected within 10 days.

“If the deal doesn’t go through, well then we do not have a new government and that precipitates a political crisis,” Mr Varadkar said yesterday.

Rejection at this point would be a dereliction. Leadership and statecraft are about a whole lot more than yielding to fads or indulging momentary moods. The Greens should recognise their hour has arrived, and grab the chance to become a transformative force in politics.

It’s true, there was incredulity when deputy leader

Catherine Martin made known she was challenging Eamon Ryan to head the party just as government talks began.

It’s also evident her endorsement of a deal she helped negotiate was less than full-blooded.

The party did not get all it required but she was satisfied it was the “best achievable”.

But, critically, Ms Martin recognised the country needs stability and political certainty “at a time when the national health emergency continues to cause loss, untold heartbreak and suffering”.

But another member of her party, Saoirse McHugh, said: “It [the deal] will be a very hard sell for Green Party members.”

She feared her party could be in government but without power. There is no question the party will have power: as to whether it gets the recognition it might hope for must be a matter for another day.

The pandemic has presented a bewildering series of problems. In such times, politicians should deem it a privilege to serve. The Greens have nothing to fear – a trap is after all only a trap when you don’t know about it so when you do, it merely becomes a challenge to be met.

We are past entertaining any delusions we have choices other than to confront what is bearing down on us.

According to the Fiscal Advisory Council, it could take the economy three and a half years to return to pre-crisis levels. A massive stimulus package has been called for to accelerate the recovery, while the Central Bank has warned the scale of the economic shock is “unprecedented”. Borrowers and banks will be put under intense pressure and that bodes ill for all, as well we know.

Central Bank governor Gabriel Makhlouf said governments are facing “fantastic levels of uncertainty”. All responsible public representatives must surely see this is a time to take power, not shy away from it.

Borrowers and banks will be under intense pressure and that bodes ill for all