Green Party must deal with its 'image problem', says Hackett

Junior minister Pippa Hackett said that she has heard criticism of the Green Party being too 'Dublin-centric' and that it was coming from 'ordinary, everyday people'. Picture: Conor Ó Mearáin/Collins

The Green Party needs to deal with its image problem, leadership candidate Pippa Hackett has said.

The junior minister said that she has heard criticism of the party being too “Dublin-centric” and that it was coming from “ordinary, everyday people”

“We have created an image problem and I think anyone watching who thinks otherwise is deluded,” she said.

Her comments came during the party’s final leadership hustings on Sunday, as she and Minister Roderic O’Gorman answered questions from party delegates.

Ms Hackett said there has been a “negative narrative” about the Green Party for years, even before the party went into Government.

“There was a hope before we went into government because we said we were going to do all these wonderful things — which we have done — but people haven’t felt connected with it.

The perception out there is very negative of the Greens. Unless we do something a little bit more proactive about trying to regain public trust in us and build that relevance to people’s lives, we’re not going to be able to dispel that.

Mr O’Gorman said that he believed that the party would have always been targeted once it got into government.

“The reason we are being targeted by so many people is we’re being effective. We’re making changes that are impacting, that are standing up to various interests that haven’t been challenged before.

“Ryanair wouldn’t be spending time so much tweeting about us, tweeting about Eamon [Ryan] if we weren’t seen as a threat to their particular interests.

“The far-right wouldn’t spend so much time targeting us if we weren’t delivering policies that were effective and run counter to the particular vision, that very regressive vision of Ireland that they want to create.”

Mr O’Gorman said that the party should do more to understand why it faces a “perception challenge” and advocated for more use of data, polling, and focus groups to understand where any negativity comes from.

I think we have to do a better job about talking about what the Green Party has done to make life easier for people, whether it's cutting childcare costs, whether it's cutting public transport costs.

“Those key changes need to be understood by the electorate and part of that is changing what we’re communicating about."

Ms Hackett told delegates that she believed climate action needed to be socially just, saying that the Green Party has done poorly in bringing along communities with the party.

“That is a fundamental principle of the Greens that you have to bring communities with you,” Ms Hackett said. “In all honesty, we’ve done that in certain pockets of communities, but I don’t think we have done that very well in the last four years.”

She added that now policies and targets have been established, the party should return to communities and ensure they are supported.

Both candidates were asked why they were the best person to lead the party, with Mr O’Gorman citing his experience in a “difficult department” and having worked across all levels of the party.

Meanwhile, Ms Hackett also cited her experience at Cabinet, alongside her experience outside the party as an academic, organic farmer and a mother.

Green Party members will be able to vote online between Thursday 4 July and Sunday 7 July. The new party leader will formally be announced on Monday, 8 July.