Green insider says coalition debate is splitting the party

Political Correspondent

The Green Party “won’t be around much longer” as the party is said to be “totally split” over the prospect of entering government with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

Some TDs are said to be considering becoming Independents, according to a senior party source.

The party held a third day of “tense” discussions yesterday over a letter sent by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on the Green Party’s priorities for government, after agreement to enter formal government formation talks could not be reached on Wednesday or Thursday.

Approval to enter the talks would need the support of eight TDs, only “around six or seven” support it, according to the source.

One person who witnessed it said the meeting involved “swearing and incredibly tense discussion”.

A senior source within the party now alleges that party leader Eamon Ryan told the group he had secured agreement from Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar for a 7% emissions reduction, and had been in contact with an “associate in Leinster House”, who would craft a letter on behalf of the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael leaders to present to the 12 Green TDs, in which the guarantee would be made.

“They couldn’t reach a two-thirds majority on Thursday, and today there was no motion, and no vote was held because they knew it wouldn’t go through,” a source said.

“The party is going to split, to be perfectly honest with you, Eamon Ryan is going to focus on the 7% target, and believes if he can get a statement on that it’ll persuade the rest of the team.

“It’s very, very sad, and sad the party is not going to be around for much longer.

“I don’t know if people understand, I don’t think it’s been clear how divided the party is, how much the party has broken down. I don’t know how it will play out.

“I suspect people will wait. I don’t think in the next 24 hours it will happen, but I’m certain that some TDs are considering becoming Independent TDs.”

Reports of Mr Ryan’s insistence on his party entering government have been rife for months, and he has allegedly admitted to leaking about the talks to the press, but suggested he “misspoke” when talking to journalists.

The 7% emissions target, the party’s only red line for entering talks, was not agreed to in Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s reply, and later dismissed by Simon Coveney in the Irish Examiner, who said he would rather risk another election than “decimate rural Ireland”.

The Green parliamentary party is said to be divided into cliques, taking sides on the argument, and differences of opinion appeared “very quick”.