Election will be fought on Green issues
Green Party Chairman John Gormley has predicted that the next general election will be fought on green issues. The TD for Dublin South East who heads the Green Party’s Electoral Task Force said that in previous elections the economy was the dominant issue, but this is no longer the case. “The feedback our candidates are getting from voters indicates that Election 2007 will be a test of each party’s green credentials,” he said.
“In previous elections, the focus was on unemployment, high taxes and the North. This time, the electorate is more concerned about rising electricity, gas and petrol prices, Ireland’s over-dependence on oil, traffic chaos, and social issues like childcare and anti-social behaviour. This is traditional green territory, which is why we see a movement in our direction by the other parties,” he said.
“Fianna Fáil’s recent interest in green issues comes as no surprise. Two years ago, when health and social welfare issues were prominent, the Taoiseach made the implausible claim that he was a socialist. Last year, when many people were concerned about quality of life issues, Fianna Fáil hired the Harvard sociologist Robert Putnam to make it look as though they cared about the depletion of Irish community life. This year, during their ‘think-in’ they will focus on Ireland’s vulnerable energy sector, even though they showed little interest in this huge problem since taking office,” he said.
Deputy Gormley added: “If the government parties were genuinely interested in our looming energy crisis, we would welcome it and offer our support. However, this latest conversion appears to be just another cynical electioneering ploy by Fianna Fáil; a list of promises to be made before the election that will be forgotten about after it.”
Deputy Gormley concluded: “One only has to look at how the Conservative politician David Cameron has tried desperately to re-brand himself to see that green issues have now become mainstream. Expect a few David Cameron clones in Ireland over the next few months.”