Party’s Green shoots baulk at any push for seats in next cabinet
THE Green Party is split on the notion of forming a colaition government. Leader Eamon Ryan is pushing for a national government, including Sinn Féin.
It is undestood, however, he is amenable to a more traditional Coalition as long as he is made Tánaiste. Younger TDs, however, are prepared to sit it out on the opposition benches, according to sources.
A series of erratic public performances by Mr Ryan has diluted his authority amongst a party of mostly new TDs.
One source noted: ‘There is a generational divide between Ryan, who is the old regime, and an entirely different generation of TDs.
‘Ryan is mad for government; he would be in in a heartbeat. He had to be dragged out of the last one. But the newbies won’t let him. The emphatic majority are passionate in their support of a national government.’
The source said Mr Ryan had been ‘gravely damaged by those debacles about carsharing, wolves and then the tin-hat “we will fight them on the beaches with lettuces”. He is not in control of his party. His performances are a bit like dad dancing’.
One source warned that Mr Ryan looked out of his depth.
‘It is one thing to lead a party of two and a couple of councillors,’ they said. ‘He has a somewhat different challenge now.’
One senior internal observer noted: ‘He totally overestimated the preparedness of the new TDs to jump into government. Figures like Neasa Hourigan, Roderic O’Gorman and Patrick Costello are outraged at the notion of dividing up cabinet seats while people are dying.’
The real sign of Mr Ryan’s declining authority is the growing preference amongst his TDs to go into opposition if the option of a national government is not taken up.
One senior source said: ‘There is too much reverential obedience around. The Greens could go into patriotic opposition with a guarantee not to bring any government down.’
They added: ‘The Greens could do stability from the opposition benches. This thing of “go into government for fear of immediate and terrible consequences” is a myth’.
They noted: ‘Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have more than enough options outside of us. There are Labour, Grealish, Lowry, Harkin and all those independents. They wouldn’t be prised out of government for a decade.’
‘There is a need for an opposition. We need to raise issues like how GPs are being sacrificed currently,’ the source said.
‘They have even had to go to Woodie’s and buy their own masks.’