Vote Green, get Fianna Fáil … again – Ward

Once more, it appears that a vote for the Green Party is a vote for Fianna Fáil, according to Fine Gael Councillor in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown, Barry Ward.

Councillor Ward was speaking in relation to a spate of Green Party/Fianna Fáil voting pacts in the wake of the recent Local Elections.

“A decade on from the worst economic catastrophe our country has ever experienced, I am dismayed to see the Green Party once again putting Fianna Fáil back into positions of power, where Fine Gael representation increased at the expense of Fianna Fáil.

“As a result of Green Party/ Fianna Fáil deals, the Dublin local authority areas will have three Fianna Fáil mayors out of four, including on our own council of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown.

“It looks like the same thing is happening on Westmeath Council and on other Councils around the county also.

“On the eve of voting, the Green Party’s line was Vote Green, Get Green. It turns out what they meant was Vote Green, Get Fianna Fáil.

“Unfortunately, the last time the Green Party supported Fianna Fáil in these kinds of deals it resulted in the election of Bertie Ahern first and then Brian Cowen as Taoiseach.

“Together Fianna Fáil and the Greens oversaw the collapse of the economy and the loss of our economic sovereignty with the arrival of the Troika on our shores. 330,000 people lost their jobs and over 300,000 people emigrated. Many of these young people who were forced to leave are only now in a position to return due to our strengthened economy.

“Even on the environment, their approach was scattergun and ill-thought out during their time in Government. No climate legislation was passed by the Oireachtas, while their flagship policy was to incentivise the purchase of new diesel cars – something they now acknowledge was a mistake.

“Fine Gael Minister Richard Bruton is about to publish his comprehensive all of Government Climate Plan after many months of work. This all came about after the Fine Gael Government tasked the Citizens Assembly with the important issue of climate change and went on to establish the all-party Oireachtas Committee which made recommendations to Government.

“These recommendations are ambitious and the Fine Gael government has a plan to deliver on them to tackle climate disruption.

“After these local elections, people should be aware that a vote for the Green Party is as good as a vote for Fianna Fáil yet again.”