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Green Party and Fianna Fail Agree Programme for Government
Read more about: Coalition, Fianna Fail, Government, Green Party, Irish Election
From the press office:
The Green Party concluded talks with Fianna Fáil this evening and agreed a draft programme for government that will be put before a special convention of party members tomorrow. Negotiation teams and party leaders reached agreement at approximately 8.30pm after a day of intensive talks and document drafting.The Party has invited all of its members to participate in a special convention in the Mansion House on Dawson Street, which will run from 1pm until after 9pm tomorrow (Wednesday, 13 June.)
The draft programme for government will be available to party members from 1pm. The meeting itself will start at 3pm with a presentation and questions and answers session. The debate will then commence at 6pm, and the vote is scheduled for 8.30pm. Results are expected soon after 9pm.
Over 1,000 party members will be eligible to vote by secret ballot. Over 500 party members are expected to attend and a majority of two thirds is needed for the motion to pass.
More logistical details will follow tomorrow morning.
Planning. Planning. Planning.
Everything else is window dressing.
Good. I’m glad that they have agreed a programme. Now I hope that the Green Party members ratify the programme at the convention tomorrow. This is the Greens big chance and they have to take it. I think that they will prove themselves very capable in government and they need to be there to get some of their policies implemented. I also believe that they will be good partners for FF. They may manage to stop the drift to the right that has occurred over time with FF and manage to pull them back towards the centre.
I read the GP manifesto and they have some very good policies. The majority of their economic policies were also sound. It is a party that obviously have grown and matured over the years. Now is their chance. If they are successful in government (which I expect them to be) and can get some policies implimented, the I don’t believe that they will suffer at the next election. And I believe that the government will last. They have agreed policy and the personalities seem to click. I am very impressed with Eamonn Ryan - articulate, pragmatic and down to earth. I have also being impressed with the Greens negotiating team, especially the confidentiality with which the talks were carried out.
I hope the programme gets passed by the convention tomorrow, and I believe that it will if it is recommended by the party leaders. The grenns are no longer just made up of ‘tree huggers’, they come from all walks of life and are, in the main I believe pragmatic. It is always better to be in than out. And I believe that we will benefit from having as part of our government.
Despite what many FF backbenchers say (and some ministers like O’Donohue) the Greens aren’t to be feared. I doubt that any of those people actually read there manifesto. They also need to know that a lot of the young FF voters gave preferences to the Greens, and it is these FFer’s that will have a major say in the future running of the party. And if they feel that they want or need the Greens then that is what will happen. And next election FF votes will transfer to them. The years of the rule of FF by the Haughey/Reynolds/Ahern gang is coming to a close. And I believe that (naively you may say) that you will see a FF transformation happen over the next 10 years. This will be of benefit to FF and also to whoever is in government with them. I am also expecting that if this government is successful it will be returned.
I have had a constant fear for a while that democracy will suffer in this country because it is hard to see past a FF led coalition for the foreseeable future. If this is the case then I think that it is essential that the Greens are in there with them to balance it out.
I would ask the membership of the Green party to ratify the programme of government tomorrow, and to take their place in government where they should be and where they will have the ability to effect change.
Go Greens go!