Roderic O’Gorman makes pitch for Greens to be returned to Government
Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman: 'We may have been the smallest party in this Government, but we’ve had the largest impact in terms of policy.'
Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman has pitched for his party to return to government after the next general election, saying the party has had an outsized impact on policy over the last four years.
Launching the Green Party’s election campaign in Leinster House, Mr O’Gorman said his party had delivered in Government over the past four and a half years, despite being the smallest party in the coalition.
“We may have been the smallest party in this Government, but we’ve had the largest impact in terms of policy,” Mr O’Gorman said, highlighting cuts to childcare and public transport costs as key wins for the party.
He admitted the current polls show Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are likely to be returned to government, cautioning against having the two parties together, propped up by independents.
“I think it would be a very different government to the one we just had over the last four and a half years. We won’t see those innovative policies in terms of climate, in terms of helping families, in terms of public transport,” Mr O’Gorman said.
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The Children’s Minister admitted the Greens had dealt with sniping from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael every day in Government, but this did not stop the delivery of their priorities.
Questioned on how his party wanted to deal with immigration, the Green Party leader said he wanted to see a new migration agency established to deal with the issue.
“This is the approach adopted in almost every single European country, that there’s a dedicated state organisation responsible for both the processing of international protection applicants and the sourcing of accommodation as well,” Mr O’Gorman said.
He said there would be a higher level of migration into Ireland over the years ahead, while saying the system inherited by him was not fit for purpose when there were only 2,000 people a year seeking international protection.
Pressed if the Greens would promise to dismantle direct provision, as they did in 2020, Mr O’Gorman said his priority would be implementing the accommodation strategy published earlier this year.
On housing, Mr O’Gorman said the continued development of cost-rental housing was a priority for him.
“In terms of distinguishing ourselves from other parties, we want the LDA [Land Development Agency] to keep going, to build more cost rental so more people can enjoy rents that is cheaper because you’re stripping out the landlords' profits,” he said.
The Green Party leader took aim at Sinn Féin, which has pledged to abolish the LDA, saying his party were distinct from that and wants the LDA to deliver “affordable homes around the country".
Mr O’Gorman said he planned to lead the Green Party in the next Dáil, saying he wanted to grow its number of seats, after being asked if he would step down if the party lost TDs.
Meanwhile, his party’s deputy leader Róisín Garvey said it was important that Ireland deals with the local changes posed by climate change, highlighting the severe flooding that struck Midleton last year.
Ms Garvey said that, despite a Donald Trump presidency likely to row back on climate measures, Ireland needed to “get real” about realities on the ground.
“We need to be able to grow food. We need to be able to feed our animals. We need to give people choices outside fossil fuel dependency,” she said.
However, Mr O’Gorman cut in, saying while Ireland could make change on climate here, Irish people cannot do it alone.
“That’s why we’ve made public transport cheaper by cutting it by 20% for everybody and 50% for young adults. That’s why there are more local link services all over rural and regional Ireland,” Mr O’Gorman added.
“We’re really conscious that we’re asking the Irish people to make that effort. Government has to step in and support them. The Greens ensured that happened over the last four and a half years.
“[If] we’re not in the next government, I don’t see that happening going forward.”
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