Greens need to ‘realise there’s more to politics than seeds’
They seem fixated with south-facing windows: TD
‘Take mandate seriously’
THE Green Party needs to realise there is more to politics than standing up in the Dáil and talking about planting seeds, a TD said yesterday.
Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae accused the Greens of not taking government formation seriously and said there is more to politics than talking about south-facing windowsills.
Last week Green Party leader Eamon Ryan drew criticism for his Dáil plea to leave hardware and garden stores open during the current crisis ‘so that if there is a supply crisis in food in a few months’ time and when this gets really hard, we will have our salads ready to go,’ he said.
‘The Green Party would want to start acting a little bit more serious,’ Mr Healy-Rae said. ‘They’d want to realise that politics and putting together a government is a serious operation and it is not about a fella standing up in the Dáil talking about planting seeds on south-facing windows.’
The task of putting together a government hit a major barrier yesterday as the Green Party ruled themselves out of talks during the Covid-19 emergency and were continuing to put together a framework for a national unity government.
Mr Healy-Rae, who has met with representatives from the negotiating teams of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin, in a bid to be part of the next government accused the Green Party of neglecting their mandate.
‘They’ve won a lot of seats and they’d want to start taking that mandate seriously… are they willing in participating in a government or do they just want to talk about planting seeds?’ the Kerry TD asked.
The Green Party did not reply to a request for comment last night.
Negotiating teams from Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil stepped up talks aimed at forming a government yesterday, with the meeting described as ‘positive’ by one TD who was present.
The Irish Daily Mail has learned that the main bolts of a deal between the two parties was agreed a number of weeks ago, however, it was derailed when the Green Party walked away from the negotiating process.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will seek two sets of proposals from Independent groupings as part of government formation talks, one set for during the Covid-19 crisis and one set for post-crisis.
Talks with any of the Independents are at embryonic stages, with them expected to be ramped up once a deal is finalised between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
The Labour Party will have a parliamentary party meeting today to assess the political landscape.
Outgoing leader Brendan Howlin had stated that the party would go into opposition to rebuild. However, with a new leader due to be elected in the coming days the position is expected to change.
One Labour source told the Irish
Daily Mail that: ‘There’s no point in us making any significant decision until we see what happens in the talks between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, but I personally wouldn’t do anything to stop a government being formed.’
The Regional Independent Grouping has prepared a ‘contingency plan’ should it be called upon to enter into government formation talks, which has a strong emphasis on ‘regional development outside of Dublin’, according to a member.
As of last night they had yet to be contacted by either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael about talks.
The grouping consists of Denis Naughten, who is the group’s ‘convener’, Verona Murphy, Cathal Berry, Peter Fitzpatrick, Michael Lowry, Seán Canney, Matt Shanahan, Noel Grealish and Aontú TD Peadar Tóbín.
While emergency legislation is due to be rushed through the Oireachtas today and tomorrow, Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl has warned that it will not be possible to pass further legislation after Sunday due to the need to form a new Seanad after Friday’s elections.
‘From midnight next Sunday March 29, 2020, the Houses of the Oireachtas will not be able to pass legislation. Given the profound implications of this, I am sure that the Taoiseach, party and group leaders will want to address this serious legislative incapacity at the earliest possible opportunity,’ he said in an email to Fianna Fáil TDs on Tuesday night.
Fianna Fáil (37) and Fine Gael (35) have a combined seat total of 72 leaving them eight shy of a majority. The most likely scenario now is that Labour, which has six seats, and a number of independent TDs will form the next government.
craig.hughes@dailymail.ie