Greens’ Ryan tells packed Convention we need to “keep going Green”

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan declared his commitment to “keep going green” in front of a record number of delegates at the Green Party Convention in the RDS today (April 20). The Convention was focused on preparing the party and its 112 local and three European election candidates for the elections on June 7th.

Throughout the day, Green Party members told more than 600 delegates about how the party is using its role in government to get its policies implemented. Minister Caterine Martin spoke about how the Green Party prioritised supporting our arts and culture in government;

“The Green Party is a party that values the arts. Over the last four years, I have also been committed to the highest possible levels of support for arts and culture. Funding for the culture programme has grown by over 90%. Funding for the Arts Council has grown by 68%. Funding for Screen Ireland has grown by 88%. Funding for Culture Ireland has grown by 65%. Funding for our National Cultural Institutions has grown by over 50%.”

Minister Eamon Ryan highlighted how the Green Party has been successful in putting its principles into practice;

“Every week, a thousand additional households are waking up in warmer homes with lower fuels bills, thanks to the retrofitting grants the Green Party introduced in Government. Next week, we’ll launch a system of low-cost loans so that the grant funding is within everyone’s reach. 

“We scrapped VAT on solar panels and abolished the need to get planning permission before putting them on our roofs. The result? Solar panels are appearing on 100 new homes every day, allowing people to generate their own clean power. Good for the pocket and good for the planet.” 

The importance of protecting our democratic institutions in the face of rising extremism was an important theme of the conference and there was strong criticism for those who attempted to intimidate Roderic O’Gorman this week;

“The masked men who gathered outside his home last Thursday night do not represent our people or our national flag. They do a disservice to it. We surely cannot let such intimidation hold sway.”

The Convention also focused on the importance on having Green voices in Europe to keep the spotlight centred on climate action. Eamon Ryan told delegates;

“The Nature Restoration Law is now on hold and the European Council presidency has just produced a draft strategy for the next five years, which effectively seeks to abandon the European Green Deal. 

“We cannot let this happen. We cannot give up on climate change. We cannot let our natural world collapse. 

We are at a critical point in history. If you believe that climate action cannot be delayed, then send a Green MEP to the European parliament. They may have the casting vote which tilts things back in the right direction. This is the key question in the European election. Will the far right whose main goal is to stop the Green transition win the day?”