Greens facing a sting in the tail

GREEN party members will be aware of the fable of the scorpion and the frog.

The hapless and trusting frog is stung to death helping the scorpion cross a river. The moral being scorpions cannot escape their nature no matter what promises they provide.

Green party negotiators are, no doubt, being suitably reassured by their government counterparts as the clock winds down to this weekend’s special convention.

The “river”€ of property failure will be stemmed by NAMA. The undercurrent of chronic unemployment will be mastered by emigration (the island is too small for us all; a great FF value).

The rapids of union anger can be controlled by the lads in ICTU; they will soak up the anger and then march the troops back down the hill.

The whirlpool of public fury can be dissipated by choreographed internecine feuding between public and private sector. All reason and logic would lend one to believe that the crossing can be successfully negotiated. But what is that nagging feeling at the back of the collective Green mind? Something is tugging at the hem of the Green tweed cloak. Yes that’s it — the soul of the party is fighting its way forward.

Yes, it’s all coming back, the memory of that infamous dark night when Trevor Sergeant was beaten up by some scorpions in the Dublin City Council chamber for asking if anybody else had been offered money for their vote.

Green friends, the broadest river we have ever faced as a nation undoubtedly needs crossing. The path across can only be made by those of a noble nature.

Please, go to the country and seek a mandate for the onerous journey ahead. Future generations will thank you, but scorpions will never understand you.

Declan Doyle

Knockmannon

Lisdowney

Kilkenny