ANALYSIS: They may be out of power but their message will tinge future policies
OVER THE years, the Greens have gone from being a pressure group to a party of government and, if the polls are any indication, they are heading for pressure- group status once again.
The Greens were very unlucky indeed to find themselves in government when the bottom fell out of the economy. Yet they have left their mark on our political culture and, at some future time, the foibles of the electoral system may have them sitting around the cabinet table once again.
One can argue about their concrete achievements in the last coalition, but at least they ensured political issues will always have a Green environmental tinge for the future.
The relationship with Fianna Fáil seemed to go smoothly enough for the past 3½ years, but the end of the affair was rocky and has surely left some bruised feelings on both sides.
Having been centre stage for the high drama of the bank guarantee and the ensuing fiscal hurricane, it must difficult for the party to set out its stall once again as a minor player in a very competitive market.
But, in good times and bad, the Greens are a party of ideas and there is a sackful of them in their freshly minted manifesto, entitled Renewing Ireland, which was launched at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin yesterday.
As well as the usual Green issues, the 34-page document includes a large section on political reform. The party goes against the populist trend by advocating the retention of the Seanad, albeit with 50 members instead of the current 60.
Inevitably, the Greens want a new constitution and, like the Labour Party, they would establish a citizens’ assembly or convention to draw up such a document over a specific period.
The 40 members of this body would be elected from a single national constituency, whereas Labour wants a mix of 30 Oireachtas members, 30 lawyers and members of civil society lobby groups and 30 citizens chosen at random. It could be the talkshop from hell or it might actually generate the kind of revitalisation that is so badly needed.
Naturally, the manifesto includes plans to create Green sector jobs, using €500 million from the National Pension Reserve Fund to “retro-fit” 100,000 premises a year, making them more energy-efficient.
Raiding the fund is becoming a popular political pastime, although it was originally set up to help fund social welfare and pensions from 2025 onwards when the number of older people and the cost of providing for them are both due to rise dramatically.
If and when it gets back into government, the party will promote Ireland as a leading destination for “eco-tourism” and, while these environmentally conscious visitors are with us, it can enjoy the products of organic farming and explore the extra forests the Greens will have developed.
Although the last few months in government, not to mention the previous two years, must have been a nightmare because of the financial crisis, one wonders if the Greens would have been better staying the course a bit longer in order to get more legislation on the statute book – those regarding the Dublin mayoralty, climate change and political donations.
The manifesto boasts about the “publication” of the Climate Change Response Bill and sets it out along with a pledge that “as part of the next government” the Greens will “prioritise” its passage through the Oireachtas.
Sadly for them, the Greens are highly unlikely to be members of the next government, whatever about future ones, and it is questionable whether their early departure from the existing administration will benefit them when a vengeful electorate votes.
There is a fair amount of jargon in this document which will serve to confuse the ordinary voter, but one phrase that is explained is “peak oil”. This is the point at which the petrol pumps start to run dry because the maximum rate of production has been passed. The Greens argue that this provides Ireland with a chance to utilise our “bountiful natural resources” to develop alternative sources of energy and become an oil-free economy.
Like the early Christians, the Greens have not always received a friendly or understanding reception, but the message they propound is likely to be heard for a long time to come.
