Corporate donations a coalition ‘pull-out’ issue

BANNING corporate donations to political parties will be a key demand of the Greens’ support for Fianna Fáil and a “pulling out of Government issue”.

Delegates at the party conference voted strongly in favour of introducing legislation which would prevent builders or bankers, for example, from giving any money to political parties.

Their ballot also set a deadline of next January for the Greens to secure this demand from Fianna Fáil, who delegates said will “do anything to prevent this”.

The weekend vote has set the party’s Government members up with an exit strategy for pulling out of the coalition down the line.

Some members claimed they were told by the party leadership they had agreement from Fianna Fáil on the issue but they rowed back on it in the revised Programme for Government.

Dublin member David Geary said: “If the Government is serious there is no need to waste any more time. Let us ban corporate donations well before the next election.

“If Fianna Fáil don’t want to do this then let us make it clear to them that we do not want to be in Government with them.”

Dublin Mid-West TD Paul Gogarty said it was a pulling out of Government issue. “I have to say I disagree with some of the points put forward suggesting our esteemed colleagues in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are somehow corrupted by this process. In fact I think we have some of the best politicians money can buy in this country.”