Roderic O’Gorman facing mammoth in-tray ahead of challenging election for Green Party
'I have a very large department and there are many challenges in it, and I have met every single one of those challenges,” said new Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman. Picture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
Roderic O’Gorman already had a lot on his plate, but that has now multiplied in his new role.
The new Green Party leader was confirmed early on Monday in a James Joyce room in Bewley's Café on Grafton Street that was packed with party members and journalists.
His margin of victory over his rival, Pippa Hackett, was narrow. He took home 52% of the vote compared to Ms Hackett’s 48%. It echoed the result of the last leadership election when Eamon Ryan narrowly defeated Catherine Martin.
The Dublin West TD is just the fourth person to lead the Green Party in Ireland and is now facing up to the biggest battle the party has seen since it was eviscerated in 2011.
As he takes over from Eamon Ryan, Mr O’Gorman will have a mammoth in-tray, as he must now juggle rebuilding the party ahead of a general election while managing his own colossal department.
Mr O’Gorman admitted himself that his large department is “challenging”, but downplayed the prospect that it was too much for him.
“I have a very large department and there are many challenges in it, and I have met every single one of those challenges,” Mr O’Gorman insisted.
One of the first big decisions that will come up is the future funding of RTÉ.
Catherine Martin has been a long-time advocate for direct exchequer funding for the national broadcaster, following recommendations from the Future of Media Commission.
However, both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been cool on the idea, with concerns raised about the taxpayer directly footing all the funding for RTÉ.
Mr O’Gorman says he plans to back his minister, having described direct exchequer funding as the “best way” of providing RTÉ with certainty into the future.
With both Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tánaiste Micheál Martin wary about the prospect of direct exchequer funding, Mr O’Gorman is already pitched into an almost unwinnable battle.
Additionally, the new Green Party leader faces a tough fight to return as many TDs to the Dáil at the next general election.
The party received a shellacking in the recent local and European elections, with just over half of their seats on councils lost, alongside both of their MEPs.
Mr O’Gorman has already admitted the next election will be a challenge, saying the Greens would lose seats if they were to focus solely on their existing core vote.
But he does have a plan to correct their current trajectory, telling party members there needs to be a focus on day-to-day issues faced by voters.
The new leader wants to do this by communicating better how the Green Party has performed in Government, highlighting his own achievements in cutting childcare costs.
While Mr O’Gorman says he wants to win in every part of Ireland, undoubtedly his biggest hurdle is trying to garner green votes in more rural areas.
This is where the Green Party saw its biggest decline at the local elections, where the narrative has turned against the party as Independent TDs paint it as the bogeymen who want to cull cattle and take away cars.
The new leader has pledged to fight back against these kinds of attacks, saying he will “never be afraid” to call it out.
Time is against him as the clock continues to count down towards the general election. His mammoth task begins now.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
