The Green Party has “dealt with sniping every day” during its time in Government but has “still delivered” according to party leader Roderic O’Gorman.
Making his pitch to voters on the eve of the general election being called, Mr O’Gorman said the Greens “may have been the smallest party in this Government but we have had the largest impact in terms of policy.”
He said the party has delivered on climate and helped families by halving childcare costs.
“We know how to make change happen and on November 29th, we’ll seek to have that mandate renewed to ensure that whatever the make-up of the next government is there’s a strong Green Party presence at its very centre.”
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The Green Party has frequently been the target of criticism from backbenchers in their Coalition partners Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
At a Leinster House press conference on Thursday, it was put to Mr O’Gorman that his party will be fighting an uphill battle amid suggestions Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil would like to return to Government without the Greens.
“We’ve dealt with sniping every day across the last four-and-a-half years, and we’ve still delivered the key parts of our Programme for Government, the key parts of our manifesto, delivered climate action, delivered actions that help families all over the country,” Mr O’Gorman replied. “So we’re looking forward to this campaign.”
The party will unveil its manifesto next week.
The party’s director of elections, Senator Pauline O’Reilly, said the Greens are running candidates in all 43 constituencies, of whom 55 per cent are women.
Ms O’Reilly urged people to “find your Green” on the ballot paper. “Back us, because we know that there will be large parties back in government again,” she said. “Who do you want in there?”
She said she believes the people of Ireland “trust the Green Party”.
Mr O’Gorman acknowledged the polls suggest the two larger parties will be back in government. But he said a government with just Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, or one where they’re propped up by Independents, would be very different from the outgoing Coalition.
“We won’t see those sort of innovative policies in terms of climate, in terms of helping families, in terms of public transport,” he said. “We wouldn’t see them delivered in a government that the Green Party aren’t part of.”
He noted the press conference was happening on an “unseasonably mild morning in November”.
The Green Party deputy leader, Clare-based Senator Róisín Garvey, expanded on this saying: “It was 19 degrees in Dublin yesterday. It was 18 degrees in Co Clare. The debate over climate change is over. It is time to get real about this.
“And I’m not talking about India or China, I’m talking about ... Dundalk and Lahinch.”
She highlighted last year’s flooding in Midleton, Co Cork, and said: “if we don’t take this seriously we are in big trouble as a people.”
Ms Garvey said her party knows what needs to be done and “it is imperative we have strong Green voices” in government.
Mr O’Gorman said: “We’ve shown that we cut our emissions by 7 per cent last year. They’re at their lowest in 30 years.”
The Green Party leader, who was assaulted while he was canvassing in his Dublin West constituency last weekend, said he is worried about the safety of canvassers and politicians on the campaign trail.
A man has pleaded guilty to the assault on Mr O’Gorman at the District Court on Monday.
“One of the most important things about the Irish political system is the fact that in Ireland, politicians go out and talk to people and ask for votes one on one,” he said. “It’s so important that every candidate from every party and Independent feel safe in this election”.
He said the Garda will be working with political parties and others “to ensure there is safety so that we can have a vigorous debate and all of us can put forward our policy views”.
Mr O’Gorman, who is Minister for Children and Integration, has had to grapple with a crisis in asylum seeker accommodation amid an increase in people coming to Ireland during the war in Ukraine and arrivals from other countries seeking international protection.
He said the refugee accommodation system he inherited “wasn’t fit for purpose” when there were just 2,000 or 3,000 people arriving every year. “It’s certainly not fit for purpose when we’re seeing 16,000 to 20,000 people seeking international protection.”
The Green Party is proposing the creation of a new migration agency – an approach taken in other European countries – that would be a dedicated State organisation responsible for both the processing of international protection applicants and the sourcing of accommodation.
Mr O’Gorman also said he has “no doubt” far-right parties will try to capitalise on the immigration issue in the upcoming campaign.
“What I’ve certainly found on the doors is that its prevalence coming up has decreased over the last number of months, and I think a lot of that is due to the fact that we are able now to accommodate people much more quickly.”
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