ROW OVER PRESS CONFERENCE:GREEN PARTY leader John Gormley yesterday became involved in a public spat with Fine Gael and Labour over his exclusion from the press conference of the party leaders on Monday.
Mr Gormley complained that he hadn't been invited to the joint press conference held by Taoiseach Brian Cowen, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore.
"I wasn't allowed to go to the press conference yesterday because apparently Fine Gael and Labour didn't want me to be there," he said.
However, both Fine Gael and Labour last night rejected Mr Gormley's version of events. The two parties said the arrangements to hold a joint leaders' press conference had taken some 10 days to finalise and that Mr Gormley's attendance had first been mooted on Sunday evening, less than 24 hours before the event.
Mr Gormley, when asked who told him he could not attend, replied that it was "Fine Gael people".
"I think there's no room at all in a campaign like this for pettiness and for politicking. We all should be working together to secure a Yes vote," he said.
The Fine Gael spokesman said the press conference was the culmination of 10 days of trilateral contacts and that the approach was made too late for them to reopen negotiations.
He said Fine Gael was not going to get too exercised about Mr Gormley's comments. "It's welcome that in the last few days to see that the Green Party are becoming engaged with the issues," he said.
The Labour spokesman said both main opposition parties had indicated that it was too late to open the arrangements on Sunday night. However, he added that both Fine Gael and Labour were willing to hold a joint event yesterday with the Green Party and the PDs but that the Greens had rejected the offer. He also added that Eamon Gilmore would have been willing to participate.
The Greens spokesman in Government last night repeated Mr Gormley's criticism about the refusal.
