Kitty Scully hears the buzz around bees at the GIY AGM in Waterford.

WHITEWASH. Greenwash. Hogwash. Whatever kind of wash you’re having yourself, our Taoiseach has been spewing it at the UN climate summit in New York.

Former presidents, ministers, and judicial office holders cost the taxpayer €15.6m in pension and severance payments last year, according to figures released yesterday.

I don’t suppose it occurred to Barry Walsh (Nov 22) that the very least we should expect from an elected representative is the ability to say ‘no’ if offered inducements from developers wanting to influence planning decisions, and to make their efforts to do so public.

Onions and shallots drying in the sun in the garden of Trevor Sargent, County Dublin.

For those of us who are interested in food as its potential for our own health and the health of the nation, one person always stood out, former Minister for Food and Horticulture, Trevor Sargent.

For Darina Allen it’s the pond at the end of her garden, for Donal Skehan and Trevor Sargent it’s their vegetable plots, and for Peter Kelly it’s his polythene tunnel. Ahead of Bloom, Áilín Quinlan peeks over the fence into the gardens and personal oases of four well-known Irish faces.

Judge Alan Mahon’s verdict on corruption in Irish politics could not be more damning — it was deep rooted, rampant, and permeated every level.

Judge Alan Mahon’s verdict on corruption in politics couldn’t be more damning – it was deep rooted, rampant and permeated every level.

JOHN GORMLEY hadanticipated the arrival of the IMF to Ireland but his Green colleagues ignored his warnings because they believed he was too pessimistic by nature.

I REFER to Maurice Fitzgerald’s letter in today’s (August 4) Irish Examiner.

POLITICAL parties failed in a number of attempts to reach agreement on a code of conduct for TDs and senators making representations on behalf of criminals being sentenced in court.

A man has been jailed for four months for an assault which was at the centre of a dispute that triggered the resignation of former Junior Minister Trevor Sargent.

Former minister Eamon Ryan is among three candidates vying for leadership of the Green Party who will learn their fate on Friday.

A man convicted of an assault at the centre of a dispute, which triggered the resignation of former Junior Minister Trevor Sargent, is to appeal the severity of the sentence he received, a court has heard.

THE Green Party chairman Dan Boyle has said there must be an opportunity for a new generation to steer the movement following John Gormley’s decision to step aside.

Green Party Chairman Dan Boyle says he can understand why John Gormley no longer wants to be the leader of the party.

AN online poll of Irish people forced to emigrate in the economic crisis has heaped further humiliation on Fianna Fáil. The emigrants poll, it emerged, would have returned just two of the party’s TDs to the Dáil.

FIANNA Fáil has been all but wiped out in Dublin, reduced to just one TD in the city as a swathe of ministers were toppled.

IT was, in the words of the Greens’ Ciarán Cuffe in 2007, akin to “a deal with the devil”.

The Greens have claimed their dramatic collapse into political oblivion is the price to pay for a "deal with the devil".

There are 70 seats filled so far.

The Green Party's Trevor Sargent has been eliminated in Dublin North on the fifth count.

Trevor Sargent says he does not regret "for one minute" going into government with Fianna Fáil.

The Green party leader John Gormley has said Fine Gael and Labour are "home and dry" to be the two largest parties after the election tomorrow.

FIANNA FÁIL in its final days in government changed the country’s policy on genetically- modified organisms and voted at EU level to allow untested GM into animal feed.

Political parties begin a final push to secure votes as two new opinion polls put Fine Gael on course to lead the next Government.

TRAIPSING through a sea of organic and eye-catching produce untainted by genetic modification, John Gormley yesterday visited what could be seen as the spiritual home of the Greens.

EUROPEAN Union talks on accepting a 0.1% level of genetically modified (GM) material in animal feed are expected to resume on February 22.

The General Election campaign steps up today with political parties canvassing for support around the country.

Here is a timeline of some the major events in the life of the Fianna Fáil-Green coalition:

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen has continued to express bitterness towards his coalition partners after he was denied the chance to promote six Fianna Fáil TDs to the Cabinet.

Embattled Taoiseach Brian Cowen defied his critics today and said he will lead his party into the March General Election and beyond.

Micheál Martin, who unsuccessfully challenged Taoiseach Brian Cowen's leadership of Fianna Fáil, has now urged his party representatives to rethink Mr Cowen's leadership.

THE Green Party bit its lip for a very long time before it stood up to Fianna Fáil for a final time and issued the ultimatum — ignore us and we will vote you down.

THE Taoiseach faces a bitter Dáil showdown today over his dealings with disgraced Anglo chief Seán FitzPatrick as questions over the credibility of Brian Cowen’s version of events grew along with demands for a Garda intervention into the affair.

THE Green Party believes all priority legislation, including the crucial Finance Bill, can be wrapped up in six weeks to facilitate a prompt election.

A new appeal date has been set for a man convicted of an assault at the centre of a dispute, which triggered the resignation of former Junior Minister Trevor Sargent.

THE Garda Ombudsman Commission has said it is considering allegations that corrupt gardaí protected public figures with drug habits, such as Gerry Ryan.

WHILE your article on GM crops (Examiner Farming, September 30) identifies several issues with Trevor Sargent’s scaremongering on genetically modified (GM) crops, it fails to inform readers that the report cited by Mr Sargent was co-authored by the founder of Genetic ID, a private US company that tests for the presence of GM products.

A GARDA suspected of leaking documents that led to the downfall of junior minister Trevor Sargent will not face criminal charges.

A man's appeal of an assault conviction at the centre of a dispute, which triggered the resignation of former Junior Minister Trevor Sargent, was described today as “a matter of some delicacy” and adjourned until October.