Good afternoon.
I want to thank so many of you for making the journey down to Kilkenny today to attend out National Convention. Since we met last year, our circumstances have changed considerably. Last May, we won 12 council seats in the Republic and a further 4 in Northern Ireland. We came within 1150 votes of winning an MEP seat and pulling off an incredible political upset. Those elections showed that the people still have an appetite for progressive politics and that when given the opportunity to vote for strong Green candidates, people will do so.
Our elected officials have been quick to start using their new positions to promote Green policies. We’re starting with some basic measures. Our team on Dublin City Council – Patrick Costello, Claire Byrne and Ciaran Cuffe – obtained restored funding for a cycling officer for the city. In South County Dublin, Cllr Francis Duffy has gotten the Development Plan changed to include rainwater harvesting systems in new housing developments. Just this week in Dun Laoghaire, Cllr Ossian Smyth highlighted the dangers from lead piping faced by many of his constituents.
Across the country, we used our new voice on county councils to pass co-ordinated motions calling for the Constitution to be amended to prohibit the privatization of public owned water supplies in the country. This brought the issue to national attention, and though the Government didn’t give way (as yet) the fact that they felt a need to introduce a commitment to a plebiscite in advance of any future privatization demonstrates that the Taoiseach felt that he needed to be seen to respond to our campaign.
Nationally, Eamon has kept the focus on the Government’s deeply flawed Climate Change Bill.
Successive reports from the IPCC continue to highlight the dangers that climate poses to the entire planet, and in particular, people living in impoverished areas like deserts and low lying coats. The Climate Change Bill – vital in preparing Ireland’s economy to make the change towards a low carbon future – has been universally criticized by NGOs as being ineffective due to the lack of targets contained within it.
Speaking as a newly elected councillor, I do have to admit to an experience of being frustrated by local government in this country. While being elected enables you to access the council staff, I feel that too often, councillors act simply as a democratic veneer on a system that is completely run by officials. And I know many of my colleagues feel that same. That’s why we remain committed to real and substantial local government reform. We must make Councils work for the people that elect them. There must be accountability of Council management to the elected councillors. And we in this Party remain committed to a directly elected mayor as providing a driving force with a democratic mandate for creating a sustainable greater Dublin area.
It was councillors from my own area – Fingal, who voted down the proposal for a Dublin mayor. A significant number of these were from FG and Lab. Now, this should be surprising, as the directly elected mayor was a proposal from a FG/Lab Government. But when you look at the reluctance of this Government to promote meaningful political reform, it’s not so surprising.
This Government set up the Constitutional Convention, with real fan-fare. It touted is a an innovative and inclusive method of creating debate and discussion about what Bunracht na hEireann should contain. Countless meetings, nine reports and dozens of individual recommendations for reform later, the Government has not yet put one of the proposals to the people, and has made it clear it only intends to put two such proposals to a public vote in its lifetime. This is a government with the largest Dail majority in the history of this state. There is no barrier to it putting these matters to a vote. The only conclusion is that there is no real commitment to institutional reform within FG or Lab. They feel the system is fine as it currently is ... just so long as they are controlling the system.
In the Green Party, we don’t believe the system is fine. We believe that the same flawed system that created the Celtic Tiger extravagances and the resulting crash can and will produce the same cycle again. We commit ourselves to push to for radical constitutional change and reform of political life, and any Greens elected in the next general election will prioritize this in the Dail.
On 22 May, the Irish people have the chance to complete the journey the Green Party started with the introduction of civil partnerships – achieving full civil marriage equality. We are pleased to welcome the Kilkenny branch of the Yes Equality campaign to our convention. This issue is one that is close to the hearts of many of us in the Green Party and one which we have a proud track record of advocating for.
As the polls currently stand, it’s looking good – but we know that polls, particularly in the early stages of a referendum campaign, can be far from accurate. It only way this campaign will be won is through a strong canvassing campaign across the country, bringing together civil society, politicians from all the political parties, the trade Union and student movement. I know that we as Greens will vigorous campaign for a Yes Vote.
Marriage is a right of Irish citizenship. Yet thousands of Irish men and women are denied access to this right because the person they love and to whom they want to commit their lives to, are of the same gender. Introducing marriage equality won’t end prejudice against the gay community. But a strong Yes vote in May will speak with a huge force. It will speak to the middle aged women who’s hidden who she is from her family for all of her life. It will speak to the teenager who’s struggleing to come to terms with his sexuality. A Yes vote will tell these and thousands more, this is Your Country, this is Your Constitution, and you and your relationship is as valued as any other.
We are here in Kilkenny this weekend to support Malcom Noonan. Malcolm represents the best of the Green Party. He’s a radical environmental campaigner. He works to bring communities together and involve them in the decisions that affect them. He’s prepared to stand up and be a voice, often a lone voice, for vulnerable and marginalised groups. But he also understands that a community needs a strong local economy, if it is to survive. The people of Kilkenny city recognise his abilities and have elected him to represent them in the council over the last ten years. Now Malcolm is making the case to represent all of Kilkenny and Carlow in the Dail. Tomorrow, we will campaign with Malcolm across the city.
ENDS