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A CORK COUNTY Council motion to wish Transport and Environment Minister Eamon Ryan well following his stepping down as Green Party leader has been defeated by 22 votes to 12, which some members have described as a worrying development in the tenor of political disagreements on the Council.
The motion to wish Ryan well was proposed at the end of a Council meeting earlier today by Fianna Fáil councillor Gillian Coughlan, many of whose party colleagues voted it down along with many Fine Gael members and independents.
Such motions almost never go to a vote and are accepted without objection, but Fine Gael’s Michael Hegarty called for the councillors who remained in the hall to have their say on the matter. Not all of the 55 members of the Council were in the room for the vote.
“It’s unheard of that an issuing of congratulations at Cork County Council would be challenged, not to mind a vote being called on it,” said Social Democrat councillor Liam Quaide, who told The Journal it “reflects badly” on the Council, making the body look “petty and retrograde”.
Gillian Coughlan told The Journal that her intention was to offer Ryan the best wishes of the Council because as minister he had dealt with Cork County Council directly.
“I just felt that it was just courtesy that we would wish him well,” she said.
“Minister Ryan has conducted himself with great principle as a politician, and that’s what I wanted to acknowledge really,” she said while adding that she brought the motion forward because there are no Green Party members of the Council.
She said that while she was sure there would be some reservations about the idea, she didn’t expect it to be voted down.
“It’s a signal, it’s a marker, for perhaps a more polarized political culture,” she said of the Council voting against it.
Fine Gael councillor Jack White was of a similar opinion to Coughlan, saying that it is common practice to make statements of goodwill to retiring senior politicians.
“I think it was particularly well placed in its intention because, in my opinion, he has been a fantastic minister, who has operated with conviction and courage despite an awful lot of vitriol and abuse,” White said. “I think history will look upon him very kindly.
He also agrees that the vote does not paint the Council in a very positive light.
“Even that it went to a vote is extraordinary,” he said.
“I think it sends a very worrying message about the type of views and kind of narrow mindedness that could come [in this Council term].
“We hear an awful lot of dramatised opinions about how rural Ireland is being decimated. I’ve yet to see rural Ireland being decimated. I need to be fair. What is being decimated is our climate.”
White added that he has never heard that tone struck before in previous Council meetings.
“Normally, there’s more a tone of collegiality and togetherness on something so innocent as wishing somebody well on their retirement.”
There is some disagreement among councillors who spoke to The Journal today about whether the motion was a Vote of Congratulations or a motion wishing Ryan well put to the Council during the Any Other Business stage of the meeting. Coughlan, who proposed it, said it was the latter.
Either way, Danny Collins of Independent Ireland, who spoke against the motion, said he would be opposed to doing both.
“I have been condemning the man since he’s taken post as the minister,” Collins told The Journal. ” He’s done nothing but ruined the likes of rural Ireland.”
The main reason Collins gave for his opposition was Ryan’s policy when it comes to road building and maintenance.
“All he’s interested in is footpaths and walkways and airy fairy, funny kind of ideas that he comes up with,” he said.
Collins said Ryan had “snubbed” him when he was Mayor of Co Cork.
“The only thing positive that he has done was announcing he was stepping down.”
Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty – who proposed the vote – and the party’s leader on the Council, John Paul O’Shea, were asked for comment.
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That’s what’s wrong with politics today, whether you agreed with Ryan or not, he still served 17 years in the Dail. When a leader of a party resigns he should still be acknowledged his contribution to public life.
@Liam23: Maybe if he did anything positive for the people they might have better opinions of him
@Liam23: Like Charlie?
@Liam23: But, but he was asleep for half them 17 years liam. I’ll acknowledge that for sure.
They had to have a vote on whether to wish him well or not? You wonder why nothing ever gets done in this country.
I have very little time for politics in general, but I have even less time for this kind of pettiness. If this is reflective of the direction our political parties are taking, then it will also be reflected in my vote.
We have elected some thickos
@Tim Brennan: He’s not the worst either.
It was the farmers who ruined rural ireland, not the green party..
REPS 1 was the start of it with nature destroyed to make farms look pretty but not caring about biodiversity..many straws in between but the final 1 was the abolition of milk qouta plus the use of derogation to absolutely destroy rivers and lakes…
Diary farms look very green and tidy , but not many have space for nature.
Electric cars rollout were probably the biggest failure of his ..
I would be confident to say that he is a decent man and there won’t be a tribunal in the future to look Into any of his conduct..
The greens are trying to sell a message that is hard to implement in ireland while China and America and Australia still go full hog with oil
@hi from heaven: well first of the farmers were asked to expand rapidly in milk by government after the crash now let me think oh yes eamon was in government with ff
@hi from heaven: feel free to not support the farmers by not eating the food they produce. let us know how you get on.
@hi from heaven: Hello there. There should be a tribunal investigating his dubious behaviour relating to the Barryroe Oil and Gas field which led to the winding up of Barryroe Energy formerly Providence Resources. 13000 small shareholders of which I was one lost large sums of money because of a decision he took that will be challenged in the International courts and one which was deeemed as not exactly good practice by department officials. So Ireland now is facing huge energy needs due to a growing population. We are running out of gas at Corrib. We import more oil and gas than every from fields the other side of the planet. Renewables are not reliable as we see from the Irish energy generation stats where on most days they account for close to 10% of supply. We have a huge resources off the coast of cork that could have generated jobs, money and a lower carbon footprint source of oil and gas than what we import. However this indiviidual screwed the country and was aided by self centered politicians. So squeeky clean Eammo is not so clean !!
These people get paid to actually vote on this. What a waste of tax payers money. I’m sure there are more pressing matters to be voted on. Christ on a bike.
@Laura Halligan: not just Crist on a bike, Eamon too.
Well said, Danny Collins!!!
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: If Cllr Collins was that worried about the condition of the roads then he and his colleagues should have voted for an increase in property tax to pay for more maintenance of the roads.
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: Danny Collins sounds like a Healy Rae wanna be. Last thing this country needs
@The next small thing: Motor tax revenues far exceed what is spent on the roads.
@FoxyBoiiYT: having holidayed in Kerry recently I only wish there were many more Healy-Raes around the country like them. They work for locals and get stuff done, and it’s palpable in the the Kingdom.
Why did this even come up. Cork Co Co are there to deal with Cork issues. What has Eamon Ryan Stepping down as leader of the green party got to do with County Cork issues. Let the Green Party slap him on the back, let his local population who elected him buy him a thank you card, he was paid exceptionally well and given a big pension for his efforts, so would all the co cos in Ireland mind using their time to deal with their county issues, god knows they have plenty to do.
I’ve contacted three of these councillors recently seeking help with a fairly basic matter and not one of them even replied to me. Busy dealing with important matters like this…
Not a lover of ER or The Greens. But by god, that’s very petty. Grow up ye dopes
@Michael O’Brien: Why on Earth would a County Council feel it is in their remit to comment on a member of the Dail either way?
Is there something in the water in Cork or something. Between this and a relatively large number voting for far right goons….
Jaysus I’ve wished well to fellas and been glad to see the back of them.
Those who voted against should be ashamed. But I guess that’s too much to ask.
I kinda get it, he wasn’t overly thought well of by many for his actions, it’s definitely a significant sign of things to come if/when we go to vote
Halls pictorial weekly springs to mind.
Three cheers for the minister for cycle lanes and window boxes.
Great to see how productive they all are with their ‘motions’
Well done to all the Cork County Councillors who voted to reject the proposal. Eamonn Ryan has done absolutely nothing for the middle class of Ireland, what will happen his numerous advisors, let me guess they will get a big payoff out of tax payers money. It’s a shame Cork City Council didn’t have the same back bone to block Dan Boyle becoming the city Lord Mayor, big party pack still alive and kicking.
His actions , while in government, have caused chaos and misery to the majority of citizens in this country. Let him rot.
Anyone that gets into bed with ffg ends up losing out.
You reap what you sow.
Why should they be hypocrits.
Accountability is what is required in this country.
We regularly hear about how coarsened political discourse has become in the US due to the nastiness and petty-mindedness of Trumpism. Something similar is now happening in Ireland. Civility, courtesy, and good manners are all fading fast. Very sad.
what was there to vote about ..the man was a clown from day one
Changing times.
Ryan v Collins – no contest!
So, the ‘tenor of the council’ reflects the tenor of the electorate, that’s how I read it.
Hello there. There should be a tribunal investigating his dubious behaviour relating to the Barryroe Oil and Gas field which led to the winding up of Barryroe Energy formerly Providence Resources. 13000 small shareholders of which I was one lost large sums of money because of a decision he took that will be challenged in the International courts and one which was deeemed as not exactly good practice by department officials. So Ireland now is facing huge energy needs due to a growing population. We are running out of gas at Corrib. We import more oil and gas than every from fields the other side of the planet. Renewables are not reliable as we see from the Irish energy generation stats where on most days they account for close to 10% of supply. We have a huge resources off the coast of cork that could have generated jobs, money and a lower carbon footprint source of oil and gas than what we import. However this indivual and screwed the country and was aided by self centered politicians
CCC have every right not to wish him well by democratic vote,he was always a disaster even in previous government where he lost his seat,higher taxes on everything was his solution to the country’s problems,held up vital infrastructure projects like the Cork Limerick motorway for years,he won’t be any loss that’s for sure.
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