THE GREEN PARTY faces a “difficult road ahead” to rebuild trust with voters who deserted the party in February’s general election – but is optimstic about its future, according to its new party Chairperson.
Writing for TheJournal.ie today, incoming Chairperson Roderic O’Gorman says that the party has learned from the impact of the general election result and is rebuilding for the future.
In the piece, O’Gorman says that the Greens can provide an alternative voice in the current Irish political climate:
“A range of political decisions taken by the new Government have highlighted the need for thinking outside of the usual norms of Irish politics”, he says.
“Prior to our entry into Government, the Green Party had a strong record in challenging the consensus on issues such as over-development and the ruinous taxation policies that were at the root of the recession in our country”.
O’Gorman, who lectures in law in a college in Dublin, criticises the government for retreating from its commitment to pass climate change legislation.
The new Chair says that the party will focus on three main areas over the next year – the constitutional convention aimed at reform of the political system, campaigning for full marriage equality, and arguing for social rights to be included in the Constitution.
He points out that the party is being reorganised on an “almost entirely voluntary basis due to our loss of funding”.
O’Gorman ran in the recent Dublin West by-election and almost tripled the number of first preference votes the party received in the same constituency in February’s general election.
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