John Gormley

Statement by Green Party Chairman John Gormley TD:

“It now appears that Tánaiste Michael McDowell has pulled back from his headline grabbing statement in relation to the Poolbeg incinerator. Yesterday Mr. McDowell was quite emphatic when he said that the PDs would not agree in Government to finance the Poolbeg incinerator, effectively making this a pre-condition for Government.

“Today at a press conference he stated that the incinerator would have to be consistent with Government policy. As usual, this clarification will not get the same publicity as his previous statement. The fact is that Dick Roche has agreed that the Poolbeg plant is consistent with Government policy and Michael McDowell has had ample opportunity to stop this incinerator while sitting at the cabinet table.

“The Green Party put down a private members’ bill on the issue and the PDs voted it down. Michael McDowell at the last election implied that stopping the incinerator was a condition for Government. He’s trying to perform the same trick again. On this occasion, the voters in Dublin South East have wised up to his posturing.”

Green Party Chairman and Dublin South East TD John Gormley has accused Michael McDowell of opportunism on the issue of the proposed incinerator at Poolbeg.

Deputy Gormley said: “This latest election promise is a pathetic last gasp effort to regain credibility on the issue. People should see through this election gimmick. Stopping the incinerator was a central plank of Michael McDowell’s election campaign in 2002. He told voters that he would be best placed of all the candidates to stop the project as he would be sitting at the cabinet table and could change government policy. Once elected however, Minister McDowell forgot about that promise

“The record shows that the government voted down a Green Party motion to stop the incinerator. We have been very clear that in government this incinerator will not go ahead.

“I believe that the planning case against this incinerator is unanswerable. The site selection process was flawed, the traffic impact would be disastrous and, most importantly, there is no need for this massive facility. However, in the past we have seen cases where the An Bord Pleanála’s inspector recommended against the project on planning grounds, only to have this decision overturned by the Bord on the basis of ‘government policy’. This is what happened with the incinerator at Ringaskiddy, and more recently with the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road stadium.

“A recent independent report on waste management in Ireland found that our reliance on incineration is in fact a major impediment to meeting our targets under the EU Landfill Directive. This report, by leading European environmental consultants Eunomia, found that alternatives to incineration could be put in place more quickly and at less cost. We urgently need a change in Government policy, otherwise we will be lumbered with a collection of massive incinerators, which, in the words of Dr Dominic Hogg, the author of the Eunomia report, will ‘crowd out recycling options’.

Dublin City Council has released this computer-generated view of the proposed incinerator at Poolbeg as part of their planning application to An Bord Pleanála:

People in the Ringsend and Irishtown are shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Alan Young on the weekend. I was only speaking to his sister, Paula, on Friday morning. She and her entire family have my deepest sympathy at this very difficult time.

Below are edited extracts from the debate on the proposed Poolbeg incinerator in the Dáil on Thursday February 22nd. The full debate is available on the Oireachtas web site.

Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the Government’s position on incineration and, in particular, the proposed incinerator for the Poolbeg peninsula; the status of the procurement process; if, in his view, Dublin City Council can proceed with the incinerator, which up until now has been supported by the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. (more…)

– Gormley disappointed by FG/Labour’s NIMBY attitude

Green Party Chairman John Gormley TD today welcomed the decision of Fingal County Council to support the campaign against the proposed incinerator at Poolbeg in Dublin. Deputy Gormley however expressed dismay that the motion was not backed by Fine Gael and Labour Councillors. Cllr Joe Corr, the Green Party Cathaoirleach of Fingal Council, was forced to use his casting vote to ensure that the motion was passed at last night’s monthly meeting of the Council.

“This vote demonstrates that only the Green Party is fully united against the proposed incinerator,” said Deputy Gormley. “Fine Gael and Labour on Fingal County Council appear to have fallen for the Government’s ‘divide and conquer’ strategy. They seem to believe that it’s acceptable to put an incinerator in the heart of Dublin Bay as long as it’s not in their own back yard. This NIMBY attitude puts them in the same bracket as the FF/PD representatives in Dublin South East, who make a lot of noise about opposing the incinerator locally, while doing nothing to change Government policy, which backs the incinerator.

“The incinerator is a problem for the entire Dublin region, and the Green Party is fully united on this issue. We have a consistent policy which focuses on the alternatives to incineration, and we will oppose any municipal incinerator whether it be in Dublin City, Fingal, or anywhere else in the region. We need to build a Dublin-wide campaign against the incinerator, and the Labour and Fine Gael representatives in Dublin South East need to convince their colleagues elsewhere in Dublin to get on board,” concluded Deputy Gormley.

A brief video of John Gormley speaking about the issue of the proposed incinerator at Poolbeg.

Statement by Green Party Chairman and TD for Dublin South East John Gormley:

“The PD plan for a Manhattan-style skyline on the Poolbeg Peninsula is unrealistic. It ignores a number of crucial factors. (more…)

The smell was bad again this morning. I have not checked yet to see if Dublin City Council have it registered officially. I doubt it somehow.

The new website, floodmap.ie, launched by Tom Parlon looks interesting. On Morning Ireland he said people should not have built on the floodplains in the past 15 years. It’s a bit late for that now. He should have a chat with his Fianna Fáil partners and their developer patrons about that matter.

I had a meeting with Eamon Ryan and Ciarán Cuffe about our housing policy. We’re planning a launch soon.

We managed to get in a substantial submission on the EIS for the Poolbeg incinerator today - ‘we’ because a lot of credit has to go to my assistant, Ryan Meade, who spent a considerable amount of time and energy on it. You can read it below.

It’s been a busy day between the submission and continuing fallout from the Bertie issue. Trevor’s going on Questions and Answers this evening and Eamon Ryan and I had a briefing session with him this afternoon to prepare him. Bertie could survive tomorrow but, realistically, for how long? I remember when Ray Burke came before the Dáil and gave a ‘full account’ of his activities. Afterwards he claimed a line had been drawn in the sand, and Mary Harney even expressed her full confidence in him. Well, we know what happened there. Bertie has been damaged undoubtedly, but the real losers are the PDs. Far from keeping an eye on the lads, they have become indistinguishable from them.

I hope that at the very least there will be renewed focus now on the way politics is funded in this country. Parties are still under an obligation to big business and wealthy individuals who sponsor parties and candidates. ‘No favours sought or given’ has become a meaningless cliché. The Green Party proposes putting stricter limits on donations, banning corporate donations, limiting spending between and at elections, having a register of lobbyists.