Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
INDEPENDENTS DO NOT provide stability to coalitions, Roderic O’Gorman has said as part of a drive for support for his Green Party.
O’Gorman said it was “looking likely” that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil would be returned to Government, but added that they would need support to make up a majority.
The Green leader said this could result in “right-wing independents” or “small populist parties” padding out the numbers.
He said it was clear to him that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil wanted a coalition partner “that represents the path of least resistance”, adding that the “Green Party fights hard”.
He added: “My sense is certainly the mood music from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael is that they’d like an easier life in the next government – and my concern is they use these small populist parties and right-wing independents.”
O’Gorman, who has been minister for integration in the coalition since 2020, argued that the Green Party could continue to provide stability to government at a time when economic shocks may be around the corner.
Donald Trump’s presidential election victory in the US has brought heightened concern that his administration’s proposals around corporation tax and tariffs would significantly impact Ireland’s economic model.
As the public makes up its mind before polls open on Friday, he said: “Our message to voters today is: ‘Don’t allow us to sleepwalk into a Conservative government in this country’.
“We know that the Green Party provided the direction of the last government on climate, on public transport, on support for families and children.”
He added: “The polls are really close right now, it’s looking likely that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will be returned to government – but they’ll need something extra there.
“And there is a very real possibility of right-wing independents or small populist parties propping up the next government.
“And just in the same way as the Green Party provided a progressive direction over the last four-and-a-half years, small parties, populist parties could provide a very negative, a very regressive direction going forward.”
In particular, he singled out independent candidate for Tipperary Mattie McGrath, who has clashed with government in the Dáil several times, and Peadar Tóibín, who founded the Aontú party after a split with Sinn Féin on abortion rights.
“We could have the very real possibility of the likes of Mattie McGrath as environment minister in the next number of years, rolling back on the key changes that the Green Party implemented,” he said.
“We could have had Peadar Tóibín as minister for health, rolling back the reproductive rights that women have won over the last five years.”
O’Gorman said a coalition relying on independents would be unstable, when compared with the Greens’ record in government.
“At a time when we may see economic turbulence, we may see the implications of the new government in the United States, that sort of instability is absolutely the wrong thing for Ireland right now,” he said.
A spokesman for McGrath said O’Gorman’s “crocodile tears could fill a swimming pool”, as he criticised the Greens’ record on immigration and fuel costs.
The spokesman added: “If in government, the Rural Independents would prioritise common sense, target waste reduction, and ensure that the voices of rural Ireland, working people, the voiceless and less well-off are front and centre in all decision-making.”
Tóibín has been contacted for comment.
You’re late sharing this clip – it’s been doing the rounds for a while – but it is rather wonderful!
Re the definitions of “sexism” & “misogyny,” I think she is absolutely right to keep the focus on behaviour rather than intention.
No one can know another’s intentions or subjective feelings, but words and actions are clearly visible & verifiable & therefore subject to fair judgment.
It is usually the ugly women that complain about sexism. You would not hear this sort of nonsense from Cheryl Cole or Rihanna – two stunners.
What modelling agency employs you Patrick?
He also called her a witch and a man’s bitch. Don’t get so offended on behalf of men while making another sexist side swipe at women. Sometimes it’s sexism.
I dunno, saw the pictures of rihanna a while ago, she looks bet down , must have been why crhis brown dumpe her
Ok Stephen we can ditch Rihanna as well and use Alessandra Ambrosio instead. Now I hope everybody is happy.
Plenty of overt sexists on the journal, i see
On that point Patrick why are all misogynistic men usually unattractive, bald and sexually frustrated?
sexist – Australian in the same sentence,im shocked and appalled,now tell that Sheila to put some more shrimps on the Barbie
Patrick’s a trolling misogynist, with the mental age of seventeen-year-old. Ignore him.
Correct.
Don’t feed the troll.
Oh dear where is all this going? Could ‘dear’ be termed sexist? It might not have been when I started the sentence but it might be now, or now, or now, or now.
Referring to a female colleague as ‘dear’ can be construed as sexist as well as patronising and overly familiar.
Mad, crazy idea – call the person by their name! Or just say “hello”, don’t add in the dears, birds, dahlings, loves, chicks, stags, foxes, badgers, leave the wildlife references at the door!
Patrick are you skeptical that sexism exists? i refer also to your comment below. If you are, you demonstrate either a worrying lack of ability to disseminate media output and general societal patterns, not to mention contact with articulate, self-aware women- or an equally worrying ignorance that these things exist.
Next time a female friend calls me “hon” I shall stand up to her for her blatant sexism!
I just can’t stand women who accuse us men of misogyny…
She looks a bit like and definitely sounds like an Aussie version of Clare Daly.
Ditch the witch!!
Sure she cant even put one foot in front of the other without falling over. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpUUt2QpacU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
It looks as if she was trying to walk like a man. Those guys should have linked her to prevent her falling. It is well known that men are better walkers than women. We are built to hunt and protect. Women are built to feed and tend. Nature takes care of its own.
It’s an old tradition to make fun of MS Gillard’s English. They also say she mispronounces the word Negotiate…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49zF8m7ys24
shoot the messenger if you dont agree with the misoginist..oops mysogenist…or messagenist.
have your say