GREENS LETTER CALL TO ‘SAY NO’
MICHEAL ‘UP TO CHALLENGE’
FOUR prominent Green Party members have sent an open letter to others in the party urging them to reject the Programme for Government.
General election candidates Saoirse Mchugh, Sean Mccabe, Julie O’donoghue and Tate Donnelly have written to members in the Midlands, north-east, west and north-west.
They say as candidates in rural constituencies who campaigned on the strength of the Greens’ manifesto they feel they “cannot support” the document.
They add: “The Programme for Government does not offer the type of assurance necessary to give us confidence that the next Government will take effective, fair and enduring climate action while also addressing the crises we face in housing, health, homelessness and agriculture.
“We are especially concerned that the measures in the programme will have a disproportionate, negative impact on young people in Ireland.
“It is particularly disappointing to see the term Green New Deal.
“A true Green New Deal recognises action to combat climate change will not be successful unless it simultaneously ushers in social and economic reforms that will distribute opportunity more fairly and tackle inequality.
“At its core is an understanding that adequate housing, a decent healthcare system, economic security and workers’ rights all constitute the building blocks for the transition our society must make to a zero-carbon future.”
Its co-authors blast the economic vision which “commits to annual deficit cuts and balanced budgets at a time of huge uncertainty where deficit spending may well be necessary and cuts are almost certainly going to hit upon the most vulnerable the hardest”.