Special report: Greens gripped by internal strife since election 2020

23/07/2020 Eamon Ryan and Catherine Martin it was was announced that Eamon Ryan was re-elected leader of the Green Party for another term and Catherine Martin is Deputy Leader at a press conference at Brooks Hotel Drury Street Dublin this evening.. Stephen Collins /Collins Photos Dublin

The internal disputes and differences of opinion, including a leadership battle in the middle of government formation talks, portrayed the party as unstable and unreliable, writes Daniel McConnell.

The Greens started in government at war with themselves and 12 months on since the general election they are still at war with themselves.

“It ain’t easy being green,” as the old saying goes but the Green Party’s second stint in government here has proved no less divisive than the first, which ended in the party’s total obliteration from the national political stage in 2011.

Also in this special report:

• Sinn Féin was the big winner and surge can continue
• Labour fails to reap reward of hard graft
• 10 TDs making a name for themselves in this Dáil

The joy of winning 12 Dáil seats would be tempered by the internal rancour at the prospects of going into government with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

Since 2016, leader Eamon Ryan and Catherine Martin were the only two Greens TDs in the Dáil and no one much cared of any potential internal wrangling within the party. However, the new influx TDs, including the likes of Neasa Hourigan, Francis Noel Duffy and Patrick Costello, has spiced things up, as they made it clear they disagreed with much of what Mr Ryan espoused.

Along with Ms Martin, the deputy leader, they opposed going into government and voiced alarm at the compromises they were being asked to make.

In the middle of all of that was the insistence of Ms Martin to challenge Mr Ryan for the party leadership when a government was yet to be formed and during a global pandemic.

In early June, as government formation talks were drawing to a close, she was seeking the leadership after careful consideration and “whilst it goes without saying that the timing of this election is less than ideal, the circumstances are beyond our control”.

All of the internal noise served to portray the party as unstable and unreliable.

Ultimately, the decision to approve a programme for government was put to the grassroots and the wider membership and they voted 76% in favour of backing the deal — above the two-thirds majority required.

Mr Ryan, despite all the internal squabbling, had just received a clear mandate to enter government and on June 27, he, Ms Martin, Roderic O’Gorman, and Senator Pippa Hackett took their places at the Cabinet table.

Mr Ryan, shortly thereafter, saw off the challenge of Ms Martin in the leadership contest.

Just ahead of the summer break, the party was in flux after one of their TDs voted against a Government bill while one of their ministers of state abstained.

Neasa Hourigan of the Green Party, centre, is elected at the RDS. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Ms Hourigan voted against four amendments and then voted against the bill in its entirety. Minister of state Joe O’Brien supported the Government on the amendments but abstained on the overall bill.

Ms Hourigan and Mr O’Brien were sanctioned by having their speaking rights withdrawn for two months, but this happened when the Dáil was not sitting and rendered the punishment meaningless.

However, the summer recess was not a week over when fresh trouble arose.

As my colleague Aoife Moore reported at the time, two icebergs, in the form of the Climate Bill and the mother and baby homes legislation, threatened to take the whole ship down.

A spate of resignations followed, including that of high-profile Cork councillor Lorna Bogue. She resigned over the Government’s handling of the sealing of the mother and baby home records for 30 years.

The bill was strongly criticised by survivor groups and opposition parties alike, and the Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman came in for particular criticism.

The outspoken Ms Bogue had previously been critical of the programme for government, as well as the Green Party’s handling of the Shannon LNG project.

Lorna Bogue with Green Party leader Eamon Ryan. Bogue resigned over the handling of the sealing of mother and baby home records. Picture:  Dan Linehan

Tensions were running high within the party, with internal Whatsapp groups becoming hostile places for those who sought to disagree. These groups are often the site of rows and what many members called “toxicity” within the party.

Screenshots seen by the Irish Examiner show a beleaguered party chair, Hazel Chu attempting to force some form of civility onto her fellow members.

“Can I ask that people be kind in their comments,” she wrote.

“I’ve heard some individuals saying ‘we have record numbers, what’s a few drop-offs’ or ‘they weren’t a team player’. Whether someone agrees with someone or not there is zero reason to be disrespectful. We need to question why someone is leaving and it’s not something to be celebrated,” Chu pleaded.

Before Christmas, the Government was forced to postpone a vote on passing the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta) between the EU and Canada because of internal unrest within the Greens.

In opposition, the party had been staunchly opposed to the deal, particularly a clause which it claimed would give large corporations the right to challenge governments if policies undermined their ability to make profits. Eamon Ryan was vocal in his opposition.

Now in Government, Mr Ryan is now backing the deal’s passage as are his supporters but some including Ms Hourigan remain opposed.

With the deal due to be voted upon this month, the prospect of Hourigan being lost remains a live one and she will join the ever-increasing ranks of ex-Greens.

The Greens, shaky as ever, remain the weakest link in the coalition and the most likely to fall first.