Sir, – The country is in the middle of a crisis. We haven’t had a government with a mandate for an unprecedented length of time. We don’t yet have a fully functioning legislature which can pass vital emergency legislation.
The Greens won an unprecedented 12 seats in the general election, and now they want to hold a leadership election, complete with hustings and debates and with ballots being posted on July 1st ("Green Party's Catherine Martin confirms she will stand against Eamon Ryan", News, June 6th).
There is absolutely no guarantee that we will have a new government by then, and who knows whether Covid-19 will have been suppressed sufficiently to allow the country to fully reopen.
So just what is the national priority here? I don’t know anyone who thinks that whether Catherine Martin or Eamon Ryan is the Green Party leader is a matter of national importance or urgency right now, and I had always thought that what marked the Greens out as different was their focus on policies, not personalities.
The Greens have just set themselves up as the fall guys if the government formation talks fail and another general election is required to resolve the impasse. How can anyone take them seriously after this? – Yours, etc,
FRANK SCHNITTGER,
Blessington,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – On the brink of taking part in government, where solidarity and confidence are paramount, the Green Party has decided to announce a challenge to the leadership of Eamon Ryan.
Who advises them? Roy Keane? – Yours, etc,
EUGENE TANNAM,
Firhouse,
Dublin 24.