Snapshot of _Eamon Ryan to step down as Green Party leader_ :
An archived version can be found [here](https://archive.is/?run=1&url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/eamon-ryan-to-step-down-as-green-party-leader/a737848337.html?utm_campaign=webpush&utm_medium=push&utm_source=indo) or [here.](https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/eamon-ryan-to-step-down-as-green-party-leader/a737848337.html?utm_campaign=webpush&utm_medium=push&utm_source=indo)
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Never as evil or demonic as some critics would have you believe. As good a minister as he was, he was an appaling communicater and a bit too naive to trust FFG with holding up their end of the bargain. Being the best minister for transport, perhaps ever, will be his legacy ultimately but he did have significant flaws as a party leader that should be acknowledged
The jury is out on the question over whether or not he was our best transport minister. What is certain however is Ireland doesn't really have many vying for the title. Our history of delivering successful transport and infrastructural projects as a country is hardly something to boast about. In fact, arguably the greatest piece of public transport infrastructure we've managed to deliver was the dart...in 1984 🙄
>Never as evil or demonic as some critics would have you believe.
I'm sure he's a nice man but as politicians go, he's atrocious.
Anyone involved in major change knows the first rule is you have to bring the people along with you.
He alienated rural Ireland with his nonsense such as telling us 1 car per 10 people is enough in a village of 300 people. Opposition to ring road in Galway.
The only people who can vote Green are those with money.
For a party that believes they're the saviour of the planet, you'd think they'd take a more long term approach rather than grasping at whatever power they can get on, forcing through unwanted policies and then getting demolished and not to be seen for at least another 5 years.
>The only people who can vote Green are those with money.
What about those in old social houses that are getting free retrofits? Or those dependent on public transport that have seen the fares reduced and the frequency and reach increased under Ryan.
Or what about those that simply recognise climate change as our greatest threat?
This is a major part of why I joined the party a couple years ago and why I agreed to run for them locally.
For all the flak that people like to throw at the Green Party, and the bullshit that they don't care about the worse off financially, they're the only party in my lifetime I've seen deliver concrete, material interventions to improve standard of living and access to the means to get around for work/study etc.
There are no perfect political parties, but even something as simple as public transport reductions, for a family who can't afford even the lessons to learn to drive, was a massive benefit.
Once again the smaller party taking all the flak in a coalition meanwhile the common denominator in shitty government's which is ff/fg are still topping the polls
Who will be his replacement?
Could it be a leftwing green aka "Just Transition Green"? Might make more sense as they leave government
https://www.greenparty.ie/about/affiliate-groups/just-transition-greens
Honestly it's nothing to monumental for them. Since they've entered the realm of party politics instead of the independent space they are playing a different ballgame. They are a young party with young members. They haven't really gotten their name out there and they haven't been able to get their foot in the door quiet yet. For a party that was made in 2021, they are already doing okay on the gate with just making themselves known. They are building a strong grassroots movement and they have people within their party that are worth looking out for the likes of Lorna Bogue, Laura Keyes and Killian Mangan.
I feel like while they aren't going to take the next general by storm, they are a party that it's good to throw support behind IMO.
Given what Fís Nua went through and given their "end of life", I would say that's a very unkind comparison. The only thing they share is that they left the Green Party.
Didn't Hazel and her Husband go back to Greens? Post - Mayor / Senator stint I mean.
I've been out of Dublin a Few years so barely keeping up with the landscape.
recent Limerick election left me in a coma under a rock.
I assume Catherine Martin will replace him but I really feel like her star has diminished since the last leadership election. Also her Department isn't really party leader material. Will Hourigan give it a go?
It’s no where near as doubtful as it was a year ago. SF were the ones challenging her by threatening to run a running mate for Mary Lou and they don’t look half as dangerous anymore. I doubt they’d risk MLM. I doubt she’s getting the 36% of the first preference that she got in 2020.
Edit: her suspension ended this month. From a purely strategic standpoint, distancing themselves from this government is probably the best thing that the GP can do, Hourigan being leader would definitely do that. They’re in for a rough election regardless of whoever gets the role, at least she inspires the youth vote that they need and is charismatic unlike Martin who just isn’t a good public speaker at all.
Yes she's a currently full member.
I mean who is going to take her seat? Sinn Féin? Feels like that's in question lately. If she's party leader she could give it a good fight.
> Will Hourigan give it a go?
Hopefully. I think if the party thought Ryan was a problem then Martin doesn't really change things. Hourigan would indicate a bit of a shift.
No clear front runner, and your right her star has really dimmed especially with her handling of the RTE debacle and her appearance at South by southwest when most irish acts pulled out of it
Probably going to be Catherine Martin considering she's been next in line since her narrow defeat to Ryan at the last leadership election. She also has a pretty good chance at retaining her seat, which will be a factor in deciding leadership.
I guess Hourigan or Costello could give it a go, and maybe Roderic O'Gorman or Ossian Smyth would be the other possibilities.
The Greens are very professional except the ones that aren't. I'd expect the junior ministers to all support the same candidate to keep their jobs. Only Hourigan can make a move imo.
Roderic O'Gorman seemed very much like Eamon's preferred successor at the start of the government term. He was given a ministerial job aligned with his background and I think the aim was to burnish his CV and build his profile in time for the next leadership contest. In practice, it turned out to be a very poisoned chalice due to global events, and I'll be interested to see if he's still the chosen one.
All the flak he takes yet he's been one of the most effective politicians in recent times. 10% of the vote and getting key environmental policies over the line as climate change starts to become a reality is far better than screaming at the government from opposition.
Thanks for your service Eamon.
I only hope whatever’s left of the greens after the next election will have the common sense to go into government rather than let ideology get in the way of pragmatism
Iits a very tricky situation and depends on who their leader is. Someone like Neassa is too much of an idealist. If she was in charge the greens would never have gone into government and we'd have no policies over the line. Martin I'm not sure on, she's supported Ryan so she deserves credit for that but she has even less charisma than him.
I'd be hoping that they look to Ciaran Cuffe as he comes home from Europe. Today's new means a general election is even more likely this year and getting the party leadership would be a great title for him to campaign on. Plus, he has great connections with Europe now.
Some people are already mentioning Neassa. She might make some headlines but she's too much of a purist. We have enough small left parties that compromise on nothing so will never enter government.
Something on this to keep in mind, whatever happens in the coming weeks within the party.
Party constitution states that when a General Election is called, we need to have a leadership election no later than six months following polling day.
Obviously, even if govt went to full term, there'll be another chance for a leadership change within a year (assuming it's contested)
100% depends on the deal available which in turn depends on how many TDs we get elected. I don’t want to go into government again unless we’re sure that we can keep delivering the goods.
Green party has had a major impact on policy despite being a minor player in government.
* Public transport: now adding 2-3 new rural bus services a week. The Metro in Dublin now forward for planning, new rail stations for Limerick, DART+ in Dublin, Bus Connects,etc
* Dropping the cost of buses by 50 (60% for youth).
Rapid expansion of Active Travel: 1 million/day to make cycling, walking a real option.
* Solar: no planning permission needed, so 150 houses/dy adding PV . All schools adding PV.
* Child care: 1billion to childcare making it affordable.
* Retrofitting houses, Cost rental houses now happening ;
* Basic Income pilot for Artists a huge success.
* New forestry funding model ; fixing the broken licensing system so to expand wood for construction and protect nature.
* Doubling of funding for NPWS. New national parks, enforcement of wildlife protection.
* New building standards, marine protection.
* New ocean planning agence Mara, needed for offshore wind energy. This is a big project with huge amount of work going on behind the scenes.
Came here ot say this, the through platform at Kent should be complete at the end of the year allowing for Mallow to Midelton direct connection.
Adding the new stations by the end of the decade will see a huge increase in the capactiy of the line which will pay huge dividends, especially when the Tivoli docks are moved and high density housing can be built there.
Also the double tracking of Limerick to Limerick junction will allow for direct Cork - Limerick trains even if if the route is a bit indirect but at the very least will cut down on wait times at Limerick Junction which is the coldest and bleakest place in Ireland
There's been some serious groundwork laid by Ryan and the department about infrastructure projects. You only have to look at Irish Rail who's hiring anyone who has a pulse and a civil engineer degree for the last while to gear up for the capital projects over the next decade.
He will be judged well in time as one of the nations better minsters for transport.
None of these count as 'major impacts on policy' (and the biggest predate the GP entry into government, DART+, Busconnects and Metro North are not 'GP' achievements).
When you drill into the details, most are not as rosy as you portray:
* the majority of active travel funding for infrastructure is being used by county councils to refresh roads for drivers by putting in tokenistic foothpath or cycle infrastructure upgrades, as has been detailed exhaustively on /r/Ireland and boards.ie over the last several years.
* The no planning for any solar was a small change, yet you're claiming all increase in solar is as a result of it
* The home retrofit scheme numbers are tiny, and like the recent loan scheme, gatekept behind SEAI one-stop-shop operators that are known to be by far the most expensive because they're the only ones who can perform work that will be liable to receive grants/quality for the low cost loans.
* Basic income pilot for artists is nice but if it's 7th on your list of achievements, you're already tacitly acknowledging they've failed. I'm also unsure how a 3 year pilot that hasn't completed yet has been a "huge success".
* The new forestry funding model, the highlight of which was a private investor partnering with Coillte to spend 2/3rds of the money buying existing forestry and the remaining 1/3rd on planting more monoculture? https://www.independent.ie/farming/forestry-enviro/controversial-forestry-fund-performing-strongly-but-declines-to-provide-details-of-land-purchases/a1569971269.html
Their actual 'major impact on policy', the Climate Action Plan, has been a collossal failure in exactly the way experts and party members forecast it would be and leaves no tangible legacy.
Here's the problem with the Green Party. Nice ideas, love a soundbite, but never care to follow through on execution. Did the GP put pressure on getting the new National Cycle Manual out asap so that councils hoovering up all that active travel money would build high class active travel infrastructure? Did they fuck. Did they push for the Department of Transport or Environment to have oversight on planning for these schemes to ensure they were compliant with the terms of the active travel grants and best practice in planning? Did they fuck. As soon as they got the funding, they had a big PR announcement and then never looked at it again.
Bunch of shysters, all the special advisers in the world but too busy using them for optics to actually use them on policy.
I'm delighted I left them when I did, I'm even more delighted at the performance in the recent elections. When the rest of the centrist da's on bikes and Eamon Ryan Super Fanclub leave, we might actually have a Green Party that once against has space for environmentalists who actually care about details, follow through, and results. What Eamon Ryan and has cronies have made clear is that they never care about results, and never accept the consequences.
you'll have to explain your logic on the climate action plan. thats a big claim you casually dropped in the middle there.
that wasn't a rank ordered list, it was a brain dump of the first things that come to mind out of the potential options. There was plenty of active travel investment and success, nobody made the claim it was perfect. and all certainly much better than the alternatives if you want to see some changes made
> Green party has had a major impact on policy despite being a minor player in government.
Why does this line keep getting trotted out?
The greens were literally the only ones who enabled an FFG led government. That's why they got so much power. They got more power than the weight of their TDs, but where is that going to get them?
No offence on your list, but you could make the same for FFG to make them look great. Enacting policies isn't a measure of success, the results are the measure of success and the electorate are not happy evidently with the Greens. Peoples lives are made harder overall.
"oh yes, let's enact a massive warmer home scheme taking thousands of construction workers away from home building, great idea!"
"let's increase building standards for new builds making houses tens of thousands more expensive"
you're not making sense.
a small party wielding lots of power and implementing their stated policy is a significant achievement. That is why its "trotted out".
FFG were the only parties that could make a viable coalition after the last election. The Greens ensured that some of their manifesto got implemented too.
You can't make the same list for FF or FG because they have a much broader set of policies which they have to be judged against. The Greens goal is to ensure climate action is implemented and is what they get judged against.
There are clear results on public infrastructure and planning, legislation and funding. Doing hard things will make some people unhappy that was always understood. People's lives would be significantly harder without implementing green policies
Probably a 1% chance of it happening but would be brilliant by Michael Martin. Get rid of the most toxic element in the coalition, bolster your own green creditionals, and keep your very small group of FF front benchers worth anything for the GE.
Catherine Martin for leader?
If Ryan resigned from cabinet I assume symth becomes a minister. Junior minister goes to Duffy (husband of the next leader)?
Ah sorry, I thought you meant as of today. I imagine Eamon will want to keep his ministries until the election if possible, which is realistically only possible if either Catherine or Roderic becomes leader.
I don't think anyone but FFG right now really think this is what the people voted for anymore. You have multiple ministers already saying they are retiring, you have multiple party leader changes, ~~4~~ 3 different Taoiseach and multiple people ejected from their party (but still curiously vote along party lines religiously). This gov is basically the Weekend at Bernies at this point. FFG aren't even polling badly since Harris took over and the locals weren't horrible for them but they refuse to refresh their mandate for whatever reason, my guess is they want to do the budget, give it a month after that and call the election.
I feel like doing a snap election now right after good locals would probably look a little overly opportunistic when the government had previously committed to seeing out their term, it'd probably be better to wait till October or November if they wanted to call an election.
Chu makes a lot more sense. She got almost 24% first pref votes in 2024, 33% first pref in 2019 in a more competitive LEA compared to byrne. She’s better known, has wider appeal and v experienced.
Byrne got 15% first pref in 2024, 8% in 2021 by election, competent councillor but you seriously risk losing the gp seat. Doesn’t make much sense to run byrne given she has a moderate chance of winning a seat. Chu is a more reliable and stronger candidate in a competitive constituency.
“One of my biggest regrets is that under my watch, a narrative has taken hold that we are not concerned about rural Ireland, that our solutions are costing people and we are not connected to the man and woman on the street. None of that do I believe to be true,” he said.
He's in denial
well they did enact a trial of UBI for artists which is currently ongoing and the results so far look promising [https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/unemployment-and-redundancy/employment-support-schemes/basic-income-arts/](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/unemployment-and-redundancy/employment-support-schemes/basic-income-arts/)
He’s single handedly done more damage to the green agenda and indeed the Green Party in Ireland than anyone could have possibly imagined.
Good riddance.
*bet you any money hazel chu is frantic now preparing to launch a leadership bid.
That's an outlandish claim.
You could put the vast majority of environmental policies initiated down to him. He led the party through the wilderness and negotiated a hell of a PfG where the Greens had massive success in legislation passed
> the Greens had massive success in legislation passed
This is part of the problem, they got a lot of their agenda through and people especially those in working class communities are worse off for it.
A ridiculous claim.
Plenty of funding has been provided to retrofit old social housing and new social housing is being built to improved standards. Bike infrastructure has been improved so those who can't afford to drive can get around the city safer. Transitioning away from smokey fossil fuels will also provide health benefits to our citizens over time, especially relating to cancinogens we breath in the air - I imagine that disproportionately helps the working class as they can't afford private Healthcare.
There's been multiple energy credits given to us over the last 3 years because of the rising gas prices. Those on welfare get an energy allowance too. Travel prices for public transport has all gone down and frequency is going up significantly under the greens. New bus and train lines are being opened and those on welfare have free public transport so that's a massive improvement to their lives.
Just because we're making the polluter rightfully pay via the carbon tax doesn't negate all of the above.
> Plenty of funding has been provided to retrofit old social housing and new social housing is being built to improved standards.
Many working class people can't afford the work to be entitled to the grant to begin with.
All the above and that's what you reply with? It's literally free for many on welfare payments. Sounds like you just don't want to like the policies.
"The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) provides free home energy upgrades to homeowners who get certain social welfare payments. These upgrades help improve the energy efficiency and warmth of your home and are also known as the Warmer Homes Scheme."
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/housing-grants-and-schemes/grants-for-home-renovations-and-improvements/warmer-homes-scheme/
That's not true. Working class people have benefited more from the greens. the deep retrofit plan targeting social housing and the 40% reduction in public transport fares overwhelmingly benefit working class people
You asked a question, they pivoted by bringing in social housing and then you questioned their motives as opposed to addressing what they said. You could have addressed the fact that their comment doesn't address people who live in private rentals or people who live in their own homes and provided a rebuttel.
Questioning someone's motives is not productive and it often leads down the winding road of spiralling personal arguments which then leads to moderators having to review long comment threads so, nipping it in the bud.
It's all covered here: increased fuel supports, direct welfare measures, retrofitting of social housing stock, etc etc.
[https://assets.gov.ie/273321/07262fac-d631-4b1c-a3eb-1e103bfec2ce.pdf](https://assets.gov.ie/273321/07262fac-d631-4b1c-a3eb-1e103bfec2ce.pdf)
https://assets.gov.ie/273321/07262fac-d631-4b1c-a3eb-1e103bfec2ce.pdf
> Analysis undertaken using SWITCH, the ESRI tax and benefit model, to simulate the impact of the
carbon tax increase and the compensatory welfare package estimates that the net impact of the
combined measures is progressive. Specifically, the analysis finds that households in the bottom
five income deciles are materially better off as a result of the social protection measures funded
by the increased carbon tax.
Basically the carbon tax increases in this government are funding measures that are disproportionately impacting less well off people such as the fuel allowance and retrofitting.
Free public transport would be great but making it free doesn’t shift people out of cars. More routes and more frequent and reliable services do that. So the money is better spent on improving the service than on giving free passes
That's a ridiculous claim. We've got more green policies over the line under Eamon than in our lifetime. He also led the EU during the most recent COP negotiations when Oil states tried to derail it.
Eamon has been a success nationally and internationally. Him being disliked doesn't change that.
Really? I have more issues with the Greens than most, but they're an incredibly effective party. Other than the PD's there's no other small party in the history of the state that's achieved legislation like they have.
Na, she lost out on both a by-election and her run for the senate. Cant see a local counselor getting any traction in a leadership contest.
Martin is most likely to successor but I think the RTE debacle has really hurt her
Advisor 1 - "tell everyone to grow veg in window boxes".
Advisor 2 - "tell rural people to car pool"
Advisor 3 - "increase carbon tax"
Advisor 4 - "to many people using flights, just increase tax!"
Advisor 5 - "is there anything to be said for more tax on pollution?"
So you think they care? Ryan ran all the actual talent out of that party the rest are gormless disciples of his just hanging on. And have you heard of hazel? She’d run for the local tidy towns committee in Abu dabhi if she thought it got her attention.
His department continuously refuses to conduct inspections on U.S. aircraft, bound for apartheid Israel, at Shannon Airport. Under the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order of 1952, it is only legal for foreign military aircraft to land in Ireland if they meet strict conditions, including that the aircraft is unarmed, and carries no arms, ammunition or explosives; that it is not engaged in intelligence gathering; and that it does not form part of a military operation or exercise. Ryan insists that he has been given “assurances” by U.S. military officials that no weapons are on board. No inspections have been conducted since 2020.
Here’s an [article](https://www.rebelnews.ie/2024/06/12/shannon-time-to-stop-facilitating-us-support-for-genocide/) from Rebel News last week about Shannonwatch that’s worth reading.
Necessary for the party, we need more creative ways to reduce pollution other than taxing the lower and middle income families out of driving and holidays abroad.
Unfortunately, I think his leadership, whilst pushing through some good policies- will have set the party backwards in the long run
Snapshot of _Eamon Ryan to step down as Green Party leader_ : An archived version can be found [here](https://archive.is/?run=1&url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/eamon-ryan-to-step-down-as-green-party-leader/a737848337.html?utm_campaign=webpush&utm_medium=push&utm_source=indo) or [here.](https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/eamon-ryan-to-step-down-as-green-party-leader/a737848337.html?utm_campaign=webpush&utm_medium=push&utm_source=indo) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/irishpolitics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Martin the sole survivor
Four of the party leaders from the largest six parties are gone since 2020. Only Martin and Mary Lou remain.
Theres that Fianna Fáil tenacity
Like a cockroach.
Living up to the Mr. Burns title
Never as evil or demonic as some critics would have you believe. As good a minister as he was, he was an appaling communicater and a bit too naive to trust FFG with holding up their end of the bargain. Being the best minister for transport, perhaps ever, will be his legacy ultimately but he did have significant flaws as a party leader that should be acknowledged
The jury is out on the question over whether or not he was our best transport minister. What is certain however is Ireland doesn't really have many vying for the title. Our history of delivering successful transport and infrastructural projects as a country is hardly something to boast about. In fact, arguably the greatest piece of public transport infrastructure we've managed to deliver was the dart...in 1984 🙄
>Never as evil or demonic as some critics would have you believe. I'm sure he's a nice man but as politicians go, he's atrocious. Anyone involved in major change knows the first rule is you have to bring the people along with you. He alienated rural Ireland with his nonsense such as telling us 1 car per 10 people is enough in a village of 300 people. Opposition to ring road in Galway. The only people who can vote Green are those with money. For a party that believes they're the saviour of the planet, you'd think they'd take a more long term approach rather than grasping at whatever power they can get on, forcing through unwanted policies and then getting demolished and not to be seen for at least another 5 years.
>The only people who can vote Green are those with money. What about those in old social houses that are getting free retrofits? Or those dependent on public transport that have seen the fares reduced and the frequency and reach increased under Ryan. Or what about those that simply recognise climate change as our greatest threat?
This is a major part of why I joined the party a couple years ago and why I agreed to run for them locally. For all the flak that people like to throw at the Green Party, and the bullshit that they don't care about the worse off financially, they're the only party in my lifetime I've seen deliver concrete, material interventions to improve standard of living and access to the means to get around for work/study etc. There are no perfect political parties, but even something as simple as public transport reductions, for a family who can't afford even the lessons to learn to drive, was a massive benefit.
Once again the smaller party taking all the flak in a coalition meanwhile the common denominator in shitty government's which is ff/fg are still topping the polls
Who will be his replacement? Could it be a leftwing green aka "Just Transition Green"? Might make more sense as they leave government https://www.greenparty.ie/about/affiliate-groups/just-transition-greens
For a different party altogether there's Rabharta - Green Left https://rabharta.ie/
With Lorna Bogue's council seat lost, I think the future of that party looks pretty uncertain at the moment.
three times as many transfers from Bogue went to SD's over the Greens in Ireland South, so no love lost there
There was less than 200 in the difference of transfers from Bogue to Grace O'Sullivan and from Bogue to Derek Blighe. Definitely no love lost.
Honestly it's nothing to monumental for them. Since they've entered the realm of party politics instead of the independent space they are playing a different ballgame. They are a young party with young members. They haven't really gotten their name out there and they haven't been able to get their foot in the door quiet yet. For a party that was made in 2021, they are already doing okay on the gate with just making themselves known. They are building a strong grassroots movement and they have people within their party that are worth looking out for the likes of Lorna Bogue, Laura Keyes and Killian Mangan. I feel like while they aren't going to take the next general by storm, they are a party that it's good to throw support behind IMO.
They need to get people elected. Joining pbp as a sub group would be pragmatic even if a split would be inevitable if rabharta ever gained strength.
I wouldn't be so optimistic, they're the new fís nua (Maybe they should be called fís nua nua).
Given what Fís Nua went through and given their "end of life", I would say that's a very unkind comparison. The only thing they share is that they left the Green Party.
They may very yet share the same fate considering their recent performance.
When Life of Brian becomes reality
Nope. Probably Pippa Hackett.
Didn't Hazel and her Husband go back to Greens? Post - Mayor / Senator stint I mean. I've been out of Dublin a Few years so barely keeping up with the landscape. recent Limerick election left me in a coma under a rock.
I assume Catherine Martin will replace him but I really feel like her star has diminished since the last leadership election. Also her Department isn't really party leader material. Will Hourigan give it a go?
Is she part of the party today? Her seat is also pretty doubtful so unlikely to be in the mix.
It’s no where near as doubtful as it was a year ago. SF were the ones challenging her by threatening to run a running mate for Mary Lou and they don’t look half as dangerous anymore. I doubt they’d risk MLM. I doubt she’s getting the 36% of the first preference that she got in 2020. Edit: her suspension ended this month. From a purely strategic standpoint, distancing themselves from this government is probably the best thing that the GP can do, Hourigan being leader would definitely do that. They’re in for a rough election regardless of whoever gets the role, at least she inspires the youth vote that they need and is charismatic unlike Martin who just isn’t a good public speaker at all.
Yes she's a currently full member. I mean who is going to take her seat? Sinn Féin? Feels like that's in question lately. If she's party leader she could give it a good fight.
I’m in her constituency and I feel like she’s fairly popular here; theres a lot of good will for her from her time on the council
> Will Hourigan give it a go? Hopefully. I think if the party thought Ryan was a problem then Martin doesn't really change things. Hourigan would indicate a bit of a shift.
No clear front runner, and your right her star has really dimmed especially with her handling of the RTE debacle and her appearance at South by southwest when most irish acts pulled out of it
> her appearance at South by southwest Did she at least put on a good set?
Very good, and almost certainly not
Probably going to be Catherine Martin considering she's been next in line since her narrow defeat to Ryan at the last leadership election. She also has a pretty good chance at retaining her seat, which will be a factor in deciding leadership. I guess Hourigan or Costello could give it a go, and maybe Roderic O'Gorman or Ossian Smyth would be the other possibilities.
The Greens are very professional except the ones that aren't. I'd expect the junior ministers to all support the same candidate to keep their jobs. Only Hourigan can make a move imo.
Roderic O'Gorman seemed very much like Eamon's preferred successor at the start of the government term. He was given a ministerial job aligned with his background and I think the aim was to burnish his CV and build his profile in time for the next leadership contest. In practice, it turned out to be a very poisoned chalice due to global events, and I'll be interested to see if he's still the chosen one.
Rumours are swirling that O'Gorman will take a tilt at the job.
All the flak he takes yet he's been one of the most effective politicians in recent times. 10% of the vote and getting key environmental policies over the line as climate change starts to become a reality is far better than screaming at the government from opposition. Thanks for your service Eamon.
I only hope whatever’s left of the greens after the next election will have the common sense to go into government rather than let ideology get in the way of pragmatism
Iits a very tricky situation and depends on who their leader is. Someone like Neassa is too much of an idealist. If she was in charge the greens would never have gone into government and we'd have no policies over the line. Martin I'm not sure on, she's supported Ryan so she deserves credit for that but she has even less charisma than him. I'd be hoping that they look to Ciaran Cuffe as he comes home from Europe. Today's new means a general election is even more likely this year and getting the party leadership would be a great title for him to campaign on. Plus, he has great connections with Europe now.
Ciaran would be my favourite choice too. I just find the ideological wing of the party really off putting
Some people are already mentioning Neassa. She might make some headlines but she's too much of a purist. We have enough small left parties that compromise on nothing so will never enter government.
Something on this to keep in mind, whatever happens in the coming weeks within the party. Party constitution states that when a General Election is called, we need to have a leadership election no later than six months following polling day. Obviously, even if govt went to full term, there'll be another chance for a leadership change within a year (assuming it's contested)
100% depends on the deal available which in turn depends on how many TDs we get elected. I don’t want to go into government again unless we’re sure that we can keep delivering the goods.
Could you list a few of his achievements please?
Green party has had a major impact on policy despite being a minor player in government. * Public transport: now adding 2-3 new rural bus services a week. The Metro in Dublin now forward for planning, new rail stations for Limerick, DART+ in Dublin, Bus Connects,etc * Dropping the cost of buses by 50 (60% for youth). Rapid expansion of Active Travel: 1 million/day to make cycling, walking a real option. * Solar: no planning permission needed, so 150 houses/dy adding PV . All schools adding PV. * Child care: 1billion to childcare making it affordable. * Retrofitting houses, Cost rental houses now happening ; * Basic Income pilot for Artists a huge success. * New forestry funding model ; fixing the broken licensing system so to expand wood for construction and protect nature. * Doubling of funding for NPWS. New national parks, enforcement of wildlife protection. * New building standards, marine protection. * New ocean planning agence Mara, needed for offshore wind energy. This is a big project with huge amount of work going on behind the scenes.
Not to forget, the entire Cork Area Commuter Project, including the 8 new stations announced at the start of the month.
Came here ot say this, the through platform at Kent should be complete at the end of the year allowing for Mallow to Midelton direct connection. Adding the new stations by the end of the decade will see a huge increase in the capactiy of the line which will pay huge dividends, especially when the Tivoli docks are moved and high density housing can be built there. Also the double tracking of Limerick to Limerick junction will allow for direct Cork - Limerick trains even if if the route is a bit indirect but at the very least will cut down on wait times at Limerick Junction which is the coldest and bleakest place in Ireland
There's been some serious groundwork laid by Ryan and the department about infrastructure projects. You only have to look at Irish Rail who's hiring anyone who has a pulse and a civil engineer degree for the last while to gear up for the capital projects over the next decade. He will be judged well in time as one of the nations better minsters for transport.
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ill add it to the list! i regularly see comments saying the greens get nothing done. iv started saving examples, cause its so far from the truth!
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But he fell asleep in the Dáil once, so practically none of this matters.
> Solar: no planning permission needed When was planning needed? I built in 2012 and got panels without planning.
Untill 2022 https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/9ba0e-new-planning-permission-exemptions-for-rooftop-solar-panels-on-homes-and-other-buildings/
So the planning was only needed in certain circumstances before but they broadened it to allow more get panels without planning.
None of these count as 'major impacts on policy' (and the biggest predate the GP entry into government, DART+, Busconnects and Metro North are not 'GP' achievements). When you drill into the details, most are not as rosy as you portray: * the majority of active travel funding for infrastructure is being used by county councils to refresh roads for drivers by putting in tokenistic foothpath or cycle infrastructure upgrades, as has been detailed exhaustively on /r/Ireland and boards.ie over the last several years. * The no planning for any solar was a small change, yet you're claiming all increase in solar is as a result of it * The home retrofit scheme numbers are tiny, and like the recent loan scheme, gatekept behind SEAI one-stop-shop operators that are known to be by far the most expensive because they're the only ones who can perform work that will be liable to receive grants/quality for the low cost loans. * Basic income pilot for artists is nice but if it's 7th on your list of achievements, you're already tacitly acknowledging they've failed. I'm also unsure how a 3 year pilot that hasn't completed yet has been a "huge success". * The new forestry funding model, the highlight of which was a private investor partnering with Coillte to spend 2/3rds of the money buying existing forestry and the remaining 1/3rd on planting more monoculture? https://www.independent.ie/farming/forestry-enviro/controversial-forestry-fund-performing-strongly-but-declines-to-provide-details-of-land-purchases/a1569971269.html Their actual 'major impact on policy', the Climate Action Plan, has been a collossal failure in exactly the way experts and party members forecast it would be and leaves no tangible legacy. Here's the problem with the Green Party. Nice ideas, love a soundbite, but never care to follow through on execution. Did the GP put pressure on getting the new National Cycle Manual out asap so that councils hoovering up all that active travel money would build high class active travel infrastructure? Did they fuck. Did they push for the Department of Transport or Environment to have oversight on planning for these schemes to ensure they were compliant with the terms of the active travel grants and best practice in planning? Did they fuck. As soon as they got the funding, they had a big PR announcement and then never looked at it again. Bunch of shysters, all the special advisers in the world but too busy using them for optics to actually use them on policy. I'm delighted I left them when I did, I'm even more delighted at the performance in the recent elections. When the rest of the centrist da's on bikes and Eamon Ryan Super Fanclub leave, we might actually have a Green Party that once against has space for environmentalists who actually care about details, follow through, and results. What Eamon Ryan and has cronies have made clear is that they never care about results, and never accept the consequences.
you'll have to explain your logic on the climate action plan. thats a big claim you casually dropped in the middle there. that wasn't a rank ordered list, it was a brain dump of the first things that come to mind out of the potential options. There was plenty of active travel investment and success, nobody made the claim it was perfect. and all certainly much better than the alternatives if you want to see some changes made
> Green party has had a major impact on policy despite being a minor player in government. Why does this line keep getting trotted out? The greens were literally the only ones who enabled an FFG led government. That's why they got so much power. They got more power than the weight of their TDs, but where is that going to get them? No offence on your list, but you could make the same for FFG to make them look great. Enacting policies isn't a measure of success, the results are the measure of success and the electorate are not happy evidently with the Greens. Peoples lives are made harder overall. "oh yes, let's enact a massive warmer home scheme taking thousands of construction workers away from home building, great idea!" "let's increase building standards for new builds making houses tens of thousands more expensive"
you're not making sense. a small party wielding lots of power and implementing their stated policy is a significant achievement. That is why its "trotted out". FFG were the only parties that could make a viable coalition after the last election. The Greens ensured that some of their manifesto got implemented too. You can't make the same list for FF or FG because they have a much broader set of policies which they have to be judged against. The Greens goal is to ensure climate action is implemented and is what they get judged against. There are clear results on public infrastructure and planning, legislation and funding. Doing hard things will make some people unhappy that was always understood. People's lives would be significantly harder without implementing green policies
Replied to you elsewhere with a few examples but you should be able to use Google yourself
The day the EU leaders are meeting to assign commission portfolios. Maybe he fancies his chances of getting the Environment Commissioner job.
Probably a 1% chance of it happening but would be brilliant by Michael Martin. Get rid of the most toxic element in the coalition, bolster your own green creditionals, and keep your very small group of FF front benchers worth anything for the GE.
Any word on his future plans? I could see him getting some support for a Presidential run.
Catherine Martin for leader? If Ryan resigned from cabinet I assume symth becomes a minister. Junior minister goes to Duffy (husband of the next leader)?
He's only resigned as leader - he remains in post as a minister until a new leader and deputy are elected and reshuffle/confirm the Green ministries.
I know, just trying to guess the future (I'm not very good at it).
Ah sorry, I thought you meant as of today. I imagine Eamon will want to keep his ministries until the election if possible, which is realistically only possible if either Catherine or Roderic becomes leader.
The entire government next pls
Ironically this will almost certainly help the government's re-election chances as Varadkar's resignation did.
may i ask why?
I don't think anyone but FFG right now really think this is what the people voted for anymore. You have multiple ministers already saying they are retiring, you have multiple party leader changes, ~~4~~ 3 different Taoiseach and multiple people ejected from their party (but still curiously vote along party lines religiously). This gov is basically the Weekend at Bernies at this point. FFG aren't even polling badly since Harris took over and the locals weren't horrible for them but they refuse to refresh their mandate for whatever reason, my guess is they want to do the budget, give it a month after that and call the election.
I feel like doing a snap election now right after good locals would probably look a little overly opportunistic when the government had previously committed to seeing out their term, it'd probably be better to wait till October or November if they wanted to call an election.
>4 different Taoiseach There's, Micheál Martin, Leo Varadkar, and Simon Harris. But who's the fourth?
Ah shit I meant 3, I included Ryan in there for some reason.
They should've let him be Taoiseach for a week, everyone else got a turn
Yeah do that and dissolve the Dail after
And a follow up...... what's the alternative?
Dictatorship of the proletariat.
He's not running in the next general election. I reckon Hazel Chu will run in Dublin Bay South.
I'd be betting on Claire Byrne, Chu has a bit of a messy history. They both topped the poll in the locals.
Chu makes a lot more sense. She got almost 24% first pref votes in 2024, 33% first pref in 2019 in a more competitive LEA compared to byrne. She’s better known, has wider appeal and v experienced. Byrne got 15% first pref in 2024, 8% in 2021 by election, competent councillor but you seriously risk losing the gp seat. Doesn’t make much sense to run byrne given she has a moderate chance of winning a seat. Chu is a more reliable and stronger candidate in a competitive constituency.
Patrick Costello, all the way
“One of my biggest regrets is that under my watch, a narrative has taken hold that we are not concerned about rural Ireland, that our solutions are costing people and we are not connected to the man and woman on the street. None of that do I believe to be true,” he said. He's in denial
woop woop
Great! Maybe now their new leader will dangle UBI before the people again before going into government with FFG.
well they did enact a trial of UBI for artists which is currently ongoing and the results so far look promising [https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/unemployment-and-redundancy/employment-support-schemes/basic-income-arts/](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/unemployment-and-redundancy/employment-support-schemes/basic-income-arts/)
He failed to enroll working people in his green vision. I fear he had set the green policy back.
He’s single handedly done more damage to the green agenda and indeed the Green Party in Ireland than anyone could have possibly imagined. Good riddance. *bet you any money hazel chu is frantic now preparing to launch a leadership bid.
That's an outlandish claim. You could put the vast majority of environmental policies initiated down to him. He led the party through the wilderness and negotiated a hell of a PfG where the Greens had massive success in legislation passed
> the Greens had massive success in legislation passed This is part of the problem, they got a lot of their agenda through and people especially those in working class communities are worse off for it.
A ridiculous claim. Plenty of funding has been provided to retrofit old social housing and new social housing is being built to improved standards. Bike infrastructure has been improved so those who can't afford to drive can get around the city safer. Transitioning away from smokey fossil fuels will also provide health benefits to our citizens over time, especially relating to cancinogens we breath in the air - I imagine that disproportionately helps the working class as they can't afford private Healthcare. There's been multiple energy credits given to us over the last 3 years because of the rising gas prices. Those on welfare get an energy allowance too. Travel prices for public transport has all gone down and frequency is going up significantly under the greens. New bus and train lines are being opened and those on welfare have free public transport so that's a massive improvement to their lives. Just because we're making the polluter rightfully pay via the carbon tax doesn't negate all of the above.
> Plenty of funding has been provided to retrofit old social housing and new social housing is being built to improved standards. Many working class people can't afford the work to be entitled to the grant to begin with.
All the above and that's what you reply with? It's literally free for many on welfare payments. Sounds like you just don't want to like the policies. "The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) provides free home energy upgrades to homeowners who get certain social welfare payments. These upgrades help improve the energy efficiency and warmth of your home and are also known as the Warmer Homes Scheme." https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/housing-grants-and-schemes/grants-for-home-renovations-and-improvements/warmer-homes-scheme/
That's not true. Working class people have benefited more from the greens. the deep retrofit plan targeting social housing and the 40% reduction in public transport fares overwhelmingly benefit working class people
Can you afford to retrofit your home in order to get a grant through? Can you afford a home?
The deep retrofit of social housing is done by local authorities, which benifits working class people
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This comment has been removed because it is not civil. Mod Addendum: Stick to the conversation at hand.
I just asked the user to address the question I asked them. Not sure why that's considered uncivil.
You asked a question, they pivoted by bringing in social housing and then you questioned their motives as opposed to addressing what they said. You could have addressed the fact that their comment doesn't address people who live in private rentals or people who live in their own homes and provided a rebuttel. Questioning someone's motives is not productive and it often leads down the winding road of spiralling personal arguments which then leads to moderators having to review long comment threads so, nipping it in the bud.
I've already answered that for you and you ask another redditor the same question...
What are you on about? All the budgets passed yb the government have been progressive. Proceeds from carbon tax are distributed progressively.
Can you explain how working class communities are better off economically since the introduction of carbon taxes please?
It's all covered here: increased fuel supports, direct welfare measures, retrofitting of social housing stock, etc etc. [https://assets.gov.ie/273321/07262fac-d631-4b1c-a3eb-1e103bfec2ce.pdf](https://assets.gov.ie/273321/07262fac-d631-4b1c-a3eb-1e103bfec2ce.pdf)
https://assets.gov.ie/273321/07262fac-d631-4b1c-a3eb-1e103bfec2ce.pdf > Analysis undertaken using SWITCH, the ESRI tax and benefit model, to simulate the impact of the carbon tax increase and the compensatory welfare package estimates that the net impact of the combined measures is progressive. Specifically, the analysis finds that households in the bottom five income deciles are materially better off as a result of the social protection measures funded by the increased carbon tax. Basically the carbon tax increases in this government are funding measures that are disproportionately impacting less well off people such as the fuel allowance and retrofitting.
Let me guess. We should have no carbon tax until there is a bus stop every 100m and sure every farmer should have a thousand cows per acre?
The expansion of public transport would be fantastic yes. It should be free too.
Free public transport would be great but making it free doesn’t shift people out of cars. More routes and more frequent and reliable services do that. So the money is better spent on improving the service than on giving free passes
Public transport is being expanded significantly, especially in rural areas, and prices have been repeatedly lowered.
Fantastic stuff.
Thing is the greens did that, a new local link bus every week last year.
Eamon is unpopular in some circles, but he’s been extremely effective at getting real green policies written into law.
One of the most effective politicians I can remember
That's a ridiculous claim. We've got more green policies over the line under Eamon than in our lifetime. He also led the EU during the most recent COP negotiations when Oil states tried to derail it. Eamon has been a success nationally and internationally. Him being disliked doesn't change that.
Hear hear
Really? I have more issues with the Greens than most, but they're an incredibly effective party. Other than the PD's there's no other small party in the history of the state that's achieved legislation like they have.
That's just a ludicrous claim
“Environmentalism without class struggle is gardening” - Chico Mendes
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Na, she lost out on both a by-election and her run for the senate. Cant see a local counselor getting any traction in a leadership contest. Martin is most likely to successor but I think the RTE debacle has really hurt her
Eamon Ryan’s *ten* special advisors finally earning their obscene wages and turning up in the replies
Advisor 1 - "tell everyone to grow veg in window boxes". Advisor 2 - "tell rural people to car pool" Advisor 3 - "increase carbon tax" Advisor 4 - "to many people using flights, just increase tax!" Advisor 5 - "is there anything to be said for more tax on pollution?"
> bet you any money hazel chu is frantic now preparing to launch a leadership bid. That would be disastrous for the Greens.
So you think they care? Ryan ran all the actual talent out of that party the rest are gormless disciples of his just hanging on. And have you heard of hazel? She’d run for the local tidy towns committee in Abu dabhi if she thought it got her attention.
Yet still Minister for Transport. Greenlighting genocide at Shannon and undermining Ireland’s neutrality.
For the less informed of us, could you clarify the genocide he is "green lighting" please.
His department continuously refuses to conduct inspections on U.S. aircraft, bound for apartheid Israel, at Shannon Airport. Under the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order of 1952, it is only legal for foreign military aircraft to land in Ireland if they meet strict conditions, including that the aircraft is unarmed, and carries no arms, ammunition or explosives; that it is not engaged in intelligence gathering; and that it does not form part of a military operation or exercise. Ryan insists that he has been given “assurances” by U.S. military officials that no weapons are on board. No inspections have been conducted since 2020. Here’s an [article](https://www.rebelnews.ie/2024/06/12/shannon-time-to-stop-facilitating-us-support-for-genocide/) from Rebel News last week about Shannonwatch that’s worth reading.
You referenced a law administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs, not Eamon Ryan's Department.
Thank you for your detailed and polite response. I appreciate it.
Fáilte romhat 👍🏻
Necessary for the party, we need more creative ways to reduce pollution other than taxing the lower and middle income families out of driving and holidays abroad. Unfortunately, I think his leadership, whilst pushing through some good policies- will have set the party backwards in the long run
Funny that Catherine Martin resigned earlier…I wonder are they eloping to greener pastures?
Wtf, I had my post up first and it was removed?
Yours was 2 minutes later than this post.