Widening rift in Green Party over controversial Ceta deal

Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan was criticised for not condemning bullying within the party in an open letter to members.

At least two formal complaints have been made to the Green Party headquarters over an op-ed article by a party senator in the Irish Examiner.

Pauline O'Reilly penned the piece on the controversial Ceta trade deal — a trade agreement between Canada and the European Union — in the newspaper on Friday, in response to a piece arguing against the deal by Sinn Féin's Mairead Farrell.

Ms O'Reilly wrote that the deal is "not well understood by many" and that: "To vote against our government partners is to risk gains in other areas that they would then vote against. This is a bitter pill to swallow, but they also have bitter pills to swallow."

The piece caused intense rancour within the Green Party membership and at least two formal complaints have been made to the party headquarters over the content and tone of the article.

In one message, seen by the Irish Examiner, a member said: "For Senator O'Reilly to continue to speak down to party members and party allies like this, many of whom have immense expertise on trade agreements and Ceta specifically while demonstrating her own ignorance on the topic is offensive, damaging and deeply uncollegial."

The party has been plagued with internal divisions since they entered government and have lost four councillors and are potentially poised to lose two TDs if the Ceta vote in its current form goes ahead this year.

Both Neasa Hourigan and Patrick Costello have stated that they will not vote for the deal, which environmental campaigners say will limit the government's ability to tackle the climate emergency. It's understood, most within the party believe if the pair do not vote with the government, they will be suspended by the party.

Over the weekend, an open letter to all members called on the party to pull together and slammed Eamon Ryan for not condemning bullying within the party.

Dominick Donnelly, a member of the party since 1997, a former Green Party councillor and previous long time member of the party's Executive Council, said the party must demand Oireachtas committee scrutiny on Ceta "at the very least" and warned that the party had to "fundamentally change the culture of how we behave in Government."

"We need to be a party which is welcoming to all, no matter what shade of green they are," the letter reads.

"We are currently not that. This requires way more than mere words. There are currently people in our party who are actively trying to drive others with whom they disagree out of the party. They are not being condemned by our party leader for so doing, and that is a very sad state of affairs.

"If you haven’t witnessed it you are lucky, but those who have been on the receiving end have certainly been made to feel unwelcome by some in our party. 

"You just need to look at the statements made by some of our councillors and others who have left in the past few months to see that we have become a toxic party where true and open debate is being discouraged and stifled by some. 

"Those who are actively trying to drive others out of the party need to stop, and stop now, and any such actions have to be loudly condemned by the party leadership."

The Green Party has been contacted for comment.