Last Supper photo opportunity not the wisest move for Greens

THE Greens have suddenly become the sulky, surly teenagers of Irish politics.

We all fondly remember them when they were so innocent and young, caring about the world and hugging trees, they couldn’t do anything wrong in opposition and everybody loved them.

Then, the hormones of power kicked in and things changed. They started hanging around with the wrong crowd (Fianna Fáil), they were caught stealing form the purses of the old ladies they were meant to be looking after (snatching back the medical card), then they started to realise nobody liked them anymore and blamed it all on their new friends (demanding Brian Cowen tinkers with the programme for government after just two years).

And now they have completed the transformation into Little Ireland’s Vicky Pollard by issuing the most cringeing “Yeah, but no, but yeah, but no...” excuse to try and cover a wonderfully stupid PR faux-pas.

In a glimpse of the touching naivity we used to adore them for, the party struggling in national government and about to be wiped out in local government, decided to hold a photo-op slap bang in front of a huge mural of the Last Supper.

With their political obituary already written amid all the accusations from critics that they have betrayed their principles for 30 pieces of silver and two Cabinet seats, it was perhaps not the wisest move.

But, as only the Greens can, they decided to make it so much worse by issuing a bizarre “explanation”.

“Just to prevent any easy jibes – if you’re going to include references to the Last Supper, we chose the location specially as we are confident of a resurrection. We’ll rise again in three days time and confound predictions!”

Yeah right, and Judas was just looking out for his best bud Jesus when he gave him the kiss-off in the garden of Gethsemane.

At least the excuse proves the Greens still have a sense of humour – gallows humour.

And does not the comparing of themselves to the plight of Our Blessed Lord on the cross not fall foul of puritan in chief Dermot Ahern’s new Medieval blasphemy laws?

The veggie fanatics do seem to have a very hazy grasp of Biblical story arc. Surely they can only get resurrection after the crucifixion by voters, not before?

The desperate attempted damage limitation move was all very reminiscent of the Greens’ Christmas party a few years ago when then leader Trevor Sargent appeared to have had a little too much organic wine and delivered a speech that could only be described as unusual.

Yet, it only became a news story after the Greens decided to ring the press alerting them to it and telling them that it wasn’t a news story.

Amateur Hour at the Greens was followed by Fine Gael getting in on the teenage dirt bag act as well.

In the closest Ireland has yet got to American-style attack politics, Fine Gael hit on the wheeze of putting up a fake Fianna Fáil election poster yesterday.

The sneering Blueshirts gleefully pointed out that at least you could actually see the FF logo on their spoof poster – unlike the ones being put up by real soldiers of destiny, or Cowen’s Cowards as they are known.

Future Fine Gael leadership contender George Lee was of course on hand to do the honours and unveil the poster. Despite some tetchy outbursts since hitting the campaign trail, the Irish Examiner bravely approached the would-be Dáil diva and asked: “The slogan on the spoof poster – ‘Fianna Fáil: Unfair, job-killing tax hikes’, was that taken from one of your supposedly impartial RTÉ news scripts the week before you revealed you were standing for Fine Gael?”

Mr Lee was not amused and issued a dramatic “Ha!Ha!” before turning on his heels. Come on Georgieboy, what’s happened to your sense of humour – you used to be a right laugh on the news.