Greens - cant help themselves??

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Betsy Og

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While I'm interested in green issues and playing my part, I cant seem to generate any allegience to the Green Party who, all in all, have pretty much dirtied their bib by their current term in office.

Anti-rural, out of touch, incinerator in own back yard, hobby projects at a time of national crisis, political naievety, commercial vehicles annoyance.

Will they survive long enough to get a bit smarter? Have they blackened (pardon the pun) the green agenda in Ireland?
 
Unfortunately, I think they have done damage to the green agenda. They just come across as impractical and out of touch and very single minded. It's a pity because I think we do need Green representation in the Dáil, but not as a significant part of Government.
 
liaconn said:
Unfortunately, I think they have done damage to the green agenda. They just come across as impractical and out of touch and very single minded. It's a pity because I think we do need Green representation in the Dáil, but not as a significant part of Government.
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I would agree. The incinerator issue has done great damage..
 
According to a piece in today's Irish Times ..

.. John Gormley has, over 10 years, claimed travel expenses totalling €143,000 tax-free, for cycling from Sandymount to Leinster House.

The official response is that all he has claimed is what he is entitled to. Two of the days, for which he has claim travel expenses for attendance, are Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.

Can any of them be confident of being TDs in the nest Dail ?
 
Personally, outside of Dublin, I'm not sure how big an issue the incinerator is. However in rural Ireland, there certainly is a perception of the Greens being anti rural and believing that the countryside is something nice for townies to look at and not for people to live and work in. I'd be astonished if Mary White even came close to getting re-elected. At best in the next election, they'll end up as a rump Dublin only party with no national relevance, at worst (for the Greens), they'll be obliterated.

I do thinks it's a pity, I actually had more time for the Greens once they had cleared out the Patricia McKenna brigade and got a bit more realistic. I also have time for some of their TDs as individuals but Gormley just seems to live on a little planet of his own making
 
YOBR said:
I would agree. The incinerator issue has done great damage..
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It's a burning issue....(sorry).

I think the Greens in Government have been shown to be politically naive and totally out of their depth.

When you think about it, it's pretty easy to be a Green (Kermit's opposite opinion notwithstanding). All you have to do is be a bit "right on" and rail against absolutely anything that might be regarded as anti-society. The hard part, of course, is when you're in a position to address these issues and it's essentially put up to you to do something about it.

In their time in Government, the Greens have sought to claim a few "landmark" victories which give the illusion of effectiveness whilst still supporting the FFers in pretty much everything else. This has suited FF, of course, as they can simply point the finger at the Greens, shrug their shoulders and claim they had no choice.

A better strategy for the Greens might have been to ensure that all Government policy had some (but not complete) regard for the green agenda. While this wouldn't have produced any headline results, it might have at least provided a solid basis on which to develop the green agenda in the long term.

As it is, they just look like a bunch of lily-livered, tree-hugging innocents who don't know what they're at. They will be turfed out at the next possible opportunity and will ultimately be responsible for having set the real green agenda in this country back by years.
 
I would estimate that the greens in Government has set the green agenda in Ireland back by at least a generation. As Sarah Carey pointed out in her article in today's Irish Times, the imposition of another levy on electricity bills will wipe out savings made by individuals through better usage. The possible of introduction of a water tax could be a flat rate charge with no metering designed to reduce consumption. Where's the incentive for people to change their behaviour? Compare the attitude of Gormley over the incinerator to his amazing u-turn over the M3/Tara issue. He's only concerned about his own seat at the end of the day. And for all the Greens' cribbing about jobs for the boys when their in opposition, it appears the Green ministers have as many advisors and political staff as those who went before them. And even with the same amount of people advising them, they still can't spin a positive story, even in silly season.
 
Mpsox said:
Gormley just seems to live on a little planet of his own making
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+1. I believe that they have damaged the Green agenda. At this stage, I associate them only with yet more taxes and charges on already hardpressed citizens.
 
Yorky said:
The general reason for the dislike of the Green Party is that people might have to change their behaviour because of their policies.

It's people who are resistant to change that are out-of-touch not the party.
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Your implication is that change is for the good. Not necessarily so. Its only worth investing in change if the outcome improves things.
 
I think they will be wiped out at the next election. The levy on electricity and the hike on commercial vehicals were probably just nails in their coffin. There aren't very many of htem at the end of the day. I'm quite sure my local guy will be a gonner, no loss at all and I voted for him last time.
 
lightswitch said:
I think they will be wiped out at the next election. The levy on electricity and the hike on commercial vehicals were probably just nails in their coffin.
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The incinerator in Ringsend will make sure Gormley hasn't a chance of getting a seat in the next election.
 
lightswitch said:
The levy on electricity and the hike on commercial vehicals were probably just nails in their coffin.
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The PSO levy was re-introduced by the energy regulator.

A large chuck of it goes to subsidise peat production and peat energy production.
 
Yorky said:
The general reason for the dislike of the Green Party is that people might have to change their behaviour because of their policies.

It's people who are resistant to change that are out-of-touch not the party.
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But water charges without metering doesnt reinforce the polluter pays principle - its just another tax.

Personal crusades against the North Ward Hunt, outlawing off-road biking in entire swathes of counties (surely 1 hill per mountain range would be reasonable to allow off-roading) - are they the anti pasttimes party or what?
 
Protocol said:
There was NO change to the motor tax regime at all.

It was an anti-Green party campaign by the newspapers.
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Not so - Their own press release identified the changes which made it illegal to do anything along non-commercial lines and to provide documentary evidence to support this to the Gardai. They have since backtracked.
 
they have done some good, on the little things. They are only exasperating people on the big ticket items with their dogmatic 'more money for energy use' stance
 
I think the problem with the Greens is that policies that might have been acceptable 3 years ago when they formed a goverment now look totally out of touch with the changed economic situation.
Having debates on stag hunting when there is 450,000 unemployed doesn't look good. And a recession is probably not the best time to introduce carbon and water taxes.
My impression is that they know they are going to be wiped out at next election and are determined to introduce as many of their policies as possible.
 
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