John Gormley

– Dáil must now investigate Ireland’s role in torture flights;
Shannon effectively now a US military airport

Green Party Chairman and Foreign Affairs spokesperson John Gormley TD welcomed the European Parliament’s adoption today of a report that strongly condemns the Irish Government for failing to inspect planes used in the illegal detention and transportation of terror suspects. Deputy Gormley said the Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern was wildly off the mark in attempting to counter attack the accusations of Ireland’s complicity with the CIA in human rights abuses.

“The European Parliament’s adoption of the renditions report makes the holding of a Dáil inquiry on the issue imperative,” said Deputy Gormley. “The report confirms that planes involved in renditions used Shannon airport to refuel. This undoubtedly constitutes complicity in human rights abuses and is therefore a breach of international law.

“There is no way Dermot Ahern is going to spin his way out of this. The Government’s reliance on diplomatic assurances from the US instead of active inspections is a farce. I hope the Taoiseach has learned a lesson that looking ‘the great’ George Bush in the eye and asking ‘to be sure, to be sure’ does not match up to his obligations to protect human rights and the neutrality of the country.

“The Government would clearly prefer if a Dáil inquiry did not take place, especially in the run-up to a general election. Such an inquiry would likely reveal that Irish neutrality is a sham, that the Government deliberately turned a blind eye to human rights abuses, and that Shannon airport is now, for all intents and purposes, a US military airport,” concluded Deputy Gormley.

– 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.

Green Party Chairman and health spokesperson, John Gormley TD, accused Mary Harney today of gross negligence and called on her to explain fully why she did not act on the advice given by he HIA to close the loophole which permits the Quinn group to forego risk equalisation payments for the next three years.

“We now know that the HIA alerted May Harney to this loophole before BUPA left the market, yet instead of introducing emergency legislation immediately she stalled until January by which time it was too late. Her failure to act represents a startling dereliction of duty and is reminiscent of Micheal Martin’s behaviour which led to the nursing home charges debacle. Incompetence, resulting in revenue losses to the state, has been the hallmark of this government.

“The Green Party will be raising the issue in the Dáil this week. The question we will ask is how could the Minister, who claims she is favour of community rating, could undermine any chance of risk equalisation by ignoring the experts. This government has shown in he past that it can rush through legislation when it suits them. This is potentially Mary Harney’s most serious crisis to date.”

– Minister resorting to misinformation to restore his party’s sagging reputation

The Green Party has accused Michael McDowell of looking through the wrong end of the telescope when it comes to the environment and the economy, and deliberately misrepresenting the party’s position on taxation.

Reacting to comments made by a clearly rattled Tánaiste on the Pat Kenny radio show today, Green Party Chairman John Gormley TD said: “Michael McDowell needs to catch up with the rest of the world in realising that protecting the environment is a prerequisite for a functioning economy. The Stern Report is the latest illustration that economists now accept that preventing environmental damage is less costly than repairing it, and that ignoring climate change and other environmental problems is a sure path to economic disaster. The latest poll results show that the Irish people are also accepting this message, and that they will punish the Progressive Democrats if they continue in this mode of denial.

“As the PDs have been part of a government with an appalling environmental record for the past decade, it may be too late for a convincing road-to-Damascus type conversion, but it must be of some concern to the party that their leader lags behind even George Bush on this issue.

“Minister McDowell should concentrate on getting his own house in order before attacking the Green Party. He must now realise that his unequivocal support for the Taoiseach during the payments crisis has undermined public confidence in the role of the PDs,” concluded Deputy Gormley.

Green Party Finance spokesperson Dan Boyle TD added: “During his radio interview the Tánaiste stated on three occasions that the Green Party favours an increase in the rate of Corporation Tax. It seems that the Tánaiste is now resorting to misinformation to restore his and his party’s sagging reputation. Minister McDowell should be aware that the Green Party at its National Convention last year approved the ‘Taxing Smarter’ policy document, which I wrote, and which clearly states that at the forthcoming General Election the party will be campaigning on a platform of NOT changing the rate of Corporation Tax or the rates of PAYE taxation.”

Following a vote today in the European Parliament on a report studying illegal CIA activities in Europe, Green Party Foreign Affairs spokesperson John Gormley TD said: “The verdict is out: Ireland has co-operated with the CIA in its programme of extra-judicial detention, transport and torture of suspects who were previously residing in fellow EU member states. Multiple flights involved in the transfer of detainees to locations where they were tortured used facilities at Irish airports. This is a grievous breach of human rights and a major breach of our neutrality. The Government’s role in this scandalous affair deserves a full Dáil inquiry – a recommendation that the European Parliament’s report endorsed today. The Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern failed to answer all of the committee’s questions when he travelled to Brussels last year. He is now attempting to deflect criticism by labelling the report but he, and his cabinet colleagues, have serious questions to answer about their failure to prevent abuses of human rights and breaches of international law.

“The Government’s response to the likelihood that the CIA was using facilities at Shannon airport for rendition flights was pitiful and reprehensible. Bertie Ahern’s “to be sure to be sure” clarification was a total farce and betrayed his awe of the “great” President Bush. This gombeen act was designed to ensure that he did not rock the boat in terms of trade relations, and was an insult to the people whose human rights abuses Ireland cooperated in.”

Harney misled the public in calculated and callous way

Speaking following the leaking of a HSE document today Green Party Health spokesperson John Gormley TD said: “Mary Harney’s denials in relation to the internal HSE documents, which clearly show that the National Cancer Strategy cannot be delivered, ring very hollow. She has deceived the public in a calculated and callous way.

“When the strategy was published, the Irish Cancer Society expressed its reservations and it’s plain that many in the HSE now know that it amounted to a lot of political spin. Not only can it not be delivered on time but the budget is totally unrealistic. Cancer rates are due to increase by a staggering 90 per cent in the next 15 years.

“This fact alone means that the budget for the strategy will have to be increased significantly if it is to address the serious deficits in the service. It’s time for Mary Harney to come clean on this issue.”

Green Party Foreign Affairs spokesperson John Gormley TD today called on the Taoiseach to use his visit to the Middle East to condemn human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia and the build-up of US military assets in the Gulf area which, it is feared, could be a precursor to a new American war against Iran. (more…)

– Government must reconsider the options

The Green Party has claimed that the Taoiseach’s remarks in Riyadh regarding the location of the new children’s hospitals have left the Minister for Health in a difficult position. Party Health spokesperson John Gormley TD has renewed his call on the government to go back to the drawing board on the issue. (more…)

– Services for the mentally ill shameful, says Gormley

Statement by Green Party Health spokesperson John Gormley TD:

“The Mental Health Commission’s report on the Central Mental Hospital in Dublin is a shocking indictment of this Government’s indifference to mental illness. It confirms that some of the most vulnerable people in our society have been shunted into an institution and forgotten about.

“The report’s findings contrast sharply with the glossy, Celtic Tiger image that the Government tries to portray of this country in the run up to the election. The sad fact is that services for the mentally ill are shameful. While some wealthy people are doing well, there are many sections of our society who continue to suffer.

“The Government cannot shirk its responsibilities on this issue. I sincerely hope that the report’s recommendations will be fully and quickly implemented. I will ask that the Dáil debates this report when it resumes,” concluded Deputy Gormley.

Statement by John Gormley TD, Green Party Chairman and spokesperson on foreign affairs

“The US air strikes in Somalia against rebels in a civil war confirm that the Bush administration has learnt nothing from the Iraq debacle. These air strikes - in which a four-year-old was killed - are a breach of international law and a clear indication that Mr. Bush is still fully committed to his own doctrine of pre-emption.

“His so-called ‘War on Terror’ has been entirely counterproductive and sown the seeds of further terrorism for generations to come. It will widen the gap between Islam and the West and destabilise this part of Africa in the same way that the entire Middle East has been destabilised by the occupation of Iraq.

“Also, just as in Iraq, the politics of oil is at play here with the US trying to safeguard access to the Red Sea for its oil tankers. I call on our Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern to condemn this attack. It seems that the Minister Ahern is completely in thrall to the Bush Administration and that any semblance of an independent Irish foreign policy is gone.”