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LAST UPDATE | 11 Jun 2024
MINISTER FOR THE Environment Eamon Ryan has hit out against what he deemed “inappropriate” and “wrong” attacks on his party from members of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
The three parties have to date maintained a collegial working relationship while in coalition together, but in recent weeks the Greens have faced attacks from some of their coalition colleagues during the rough and tumble of the local and European elections campaigns.
Speaking to RTÉ Prime Time last night, Ryan said he doesn’t think it is good when coalition colleagues attack each other with “accusations that aren’t true”.
Ryan was referring to Fine Gael Senator and MEP candidate Regina Doherty which included her accusing the Green Party of being “arrogant” and “autocratic”.
Doherty pledged to be a “watchdog” in the EU for the Greens and accused the party of dividing Dublin city with cycle lanes “like East and West Berlin”.
Ryan said last night: “We are not autocratic, we are democratic.”
He added: “We work well in coalition, we are not out there lambasting our colleagues or doing personal attacks on government colleagues. I think that is totally inappropriate and wrong.”
Taoiseach Simon Harris was asked to respond to Ryan’s comments about Fine Gael targeting the Greens by reporters today.
“I don’t think it should ever happen, quite frankly,” Harris said. “I mean, it’s entirely appropriate for different political parties to express political views during an election.”
“I think everybody should always present those views in a civil and respectful way. But there are three distinct parties in the coalition. And they have every right to operate as distinct portions and have electoral campaign.But I think that should always happen in a civil way.
Harris insisted that “This coalition government is working very well together”.
“I’m working very well with the Tánaiste and Minister Ryan, and I want to get on with the work.”
The Green Party has also faced attacks from within the Fianna Fáil ranks, with senator and MEP candidate Lisa Chambers calling earlier in the campaign for her party to cut ties with the Greens.
“The climate-change agenda, as it currently stands, is confining our regions to a ‘green straitjacket’, preventing us from capitalising on the incredible resources we have,” Chambers said at the time.
Ryan said yesterday that he has spoken to Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tánaiste Micheál Martin about the targeting of the Greens by some of their parties’ ranks.
He refused to detail the contents of the conversations but said “they heard what [he] said and I don’t think it will happen again.”
Ryan said you can’t control what people say and that people in his own party have also said things he regrets, but he said that differs to this sort of “systemic attack for electoral gain”.
Tensions between the Green Party and Fine Gael had already emerged at the end of May when the Taoiseach said he was keeping “an open mind” about the possibility of outsourcing the processing of asylum claims to non-EU countries.
That comment prompted pushback from Green Party Minister for Integration Roderick O’Gorman, who said the focus should be on strengthening Ireland’s existing asylum processes.
Green MEP Ciarán Cuffe was not so reluctant to hit back at Harris’ remarks though, saying, “The shameful Tory Rwanda policy has no place in Ireland. We need humane & effective migration policies. Seriously concerning comments by An Taoiseach.”
Cuffe was referring to the UK’s Rwanda policy which is designed to send asylum seekers to the central African country with no prospect of returning to the UK.
The plan is similar to that proposed by the European People’s Party in the EU Parliament, of which Fine Gael is a part, but differs in that people would be allowed to return to Europe if their claims are successful.
"We're not out there lambasting...or doing personal attacks on government colleagues..."
— RTÉ Prime Time (@RTE_PrimeTime) June 10, 2024
Green Party leader @EamonRyan tells @SarahAMcInerney attacks from coalition colleagues during the election campaign were unacceptable and wrong.#Elections2024 | @rtenews| #rtept pic.twitter.com/Umg9ML9Ji2
With reporting from David Mac Redmond
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I genuinely hope she sues and wins. Who do the corporations think they are, using an individuals death to make money. If she didnt agree, leave her husbands story out of the whole thing. There were plenty of other stories to tell.
@DaMoons: really? Why would someone be entitled to compensation for this? Prime example of compensation nation we have become.
@DaMoons: Its not her story, it’s everyone’s story. HBO and Sky were perfectly entitled to use it.
@DaMoons: sue sue sue what about work work work and help our nation grow…..
@popeye Doyle: sky made plenty of money on this if they use her story she is entitled to a share. nothing to do with irelands compo culture
She doesn’t have to consent, its a matter of public record. Some of the character’s stories were taken from contemporaneous accounts and tribunal records, others in the show were an amalgam of various people connected with the story. Take as a random example, the story of Francis and Hannah Sheehy Skeffington. A private tragedy in a relationship, but also one tied up in significant historical events. Their perspective in the story is important, but it doesn’t mean every time they are referenced that their heirs get a few quid.
@Rochey77: she didnt commit a crime its not public record. name her pay her simples.
@Phil Quinn: So you reckon that committing a crime is the only way to get on public record?
@Rochey77: depicting her sad vigil at her husbands bedside and loss of her baby are deeply personal moments which are not public property and never should be. If HBO used those moments to enhance a public interest story with or without her consent then she is entitled to a share of profits made.
Do you need permission to report historical facts???
@Mairtin Antaine O Conaill: It’s a drama though
@Perlum Sprite: it’s hardly a comedy to be fair. Most documentaries are dramas
Fantastic series regardless.
Ah now she wants her money, just a lot more no doubt.
“I told them that nobody pays money for nothing, and hung up. Of course I thought it was fake, some sort of fraud.”
It wasn’t. Shouldn’t have hung up. Case closed.
Bish
@Jamie: bosh
@John: boom
@Vin: Pow
I really enjoyed the series, I want more of it, but nowhere else for them to go with it
By the way it was a brilliant series do
Russians / former USSR are currently trying to build a case to blame France, USA, Canada and UK for Chernobyl and other Soviet era technology cock ups, using the Directorate T, traitor, Vladimir Vetrov and his action for the french during the cold war as the reason for the meltdown.
Obviously looking to sell her story for more now with the success of the show.
Shes just brought more attention to herself now so she’ll have lots of offers. I smell a movie deal.
have your say