Ireland general election: Roderic O'Gorman says Greens 'snipped at every day' by coalition partners
Roderic O'Gorman revealed that he only found out Taoiseach Simon Harris would announce the election date on RTÉ News 15 minutes before he did it.
Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman has said his party has grown used to being “sniped at every day” by its coalition partners.
He made the comments amid growing tensions between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens ahead of the general election.
He also revealed that he only found out Taoiseach Simon Harris would announce the election date on RTÉ News 15 minutes before he did it.
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It is widely believed that the two big parties will ditch the Greens after the election. Tensions reached a breaking point this week when Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael blocked a Green proposal to allocate money from the Climate Fund.
As he launched his party’s election campaign in Leinster House, Mr O’Gorman argued that his party had the “largest impacts in terms of policy”.
When the Irish Mirror asked Mr O'Gorman whether he was worried about Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael targeting his party, he said he was used to being targeted.
He said: “We've dealt with sniping every day across the last four-and-a-half-years and we've still delivered the key parts of the Programme for Government, the key parts of our manifesto, delivered climate action, delivered actions that help families all over the country.
“The polls as they stand now suggest the two major parties [Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael] will be back in the next government.
“I think if it's a government just made up of them, or maybe propped up with a few independents, I think it would be a very different government to the one we just had over the last four and a half years. We won't see those innovative policies in terms of climate, in terms of helping families, in terms of public transport.
“We wouldn't see them delivered in a government that the Green Party aren't part of.”
Minister O’Gorman was the first of the party leaders to say that he would like the general election to be held on November 29. He joked that he was “pleased the Taoiseach agreed”.
He then stated that Mr Harris’ Chief of Staff rang the Green Chief of Staff just 10 or 15 minutes before he went on RTÉ News to announce the election date.
When asked if he was annoyed by the short notice, Mr O’Gorman said there were “much bigger things to be focused on now.”
He also said that while he is concerned about the security of his candidates during the campaign, it is important for politicians to knock on doors as it stops them from “falling into a bubble.”
During the press conference, which focused on questions such as housing, immigration policies and the Greens' performance in government, deputy leader Roisin Garvey said that she would “love if the media would ask us more questions about things that are really important”, such as “nature, food production and protecting our towns and villages”.
When the Irish Mirror asked Mr O’Gorman about his leadership if the party performed poorly, Ms Garvey said, “Don’t mind her. She asks too many questions.”
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