TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has advised Fianna Fáil supporters to transfer to the Greens in the elections on June 5th, despite the fact that the Greens have refused to make the same recommendation to their own supporters.
Mr Cowen said that the two parties were working well in Government on a range of issues including the question of the smart economy, sustainable prosperity and how the green economy could be developed.
“So for me working with colleagues on a day to day basis I have no problem saying to Fianna Fáil supporters, after they support our candidates, to support those who are part of our Government and are working well with us,” Mr Cowen said.
He added that the Government had been taking tough decisions, as problems have arisen, and that it now had a plan approved by the European Commission.
Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan also insisted that the two parties were working very well together in Government. He said that in the past, the Progressive Democrats had taken a similar position to the Greens when they were in coalition with Fianna Fáil.
In the past 24 hours, Green Minister Eamon Ryan, and party chairman Senator Dan Boyle said they would not ask their supporters to transfer to Fianna Fáil.
Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore said the the only conclusion that could be drawn from the comments from Mr Ryan and Mr Boyle was the Greens were beginning to disengage from government .
“I cannot recall any occasion in our political history when a party in government has gone to such lengths to distance itself from its coalition partner. Not only have we had a succession of senior Green figures saying there was no need for Green voters to give further preferences to Fianna Fáil, the subliminal message being sent out is ‘don’t vote for Fianna Fáil’.
“On top of that we heard Dan Boyle on Morning Ireland this morning declining to answer when he was asked if he thought that this was a good Government,” said Mr Gilmore.
He said the message that the Green leadership was getting from canvassers was that Fianna Fáil was now, politically speaking, toxic and they were desperately trying to distance themselves from their Coalition partners.
“The Greens’ attempt to depict themselves as semi-detached from the Government is essentially an effort to con the public. The two Green Ministers are members of the Cabinet and have been participants in every significant decision that this Government has made, including two botched budgets and the disastrous bank guarantee scheme,” said Mr Gilmore.
He said that the local and European elections and two byelections on June 5th would mark the second anniversary of the election of the Government and that since then “the Green Party has commenced a process of disengagement”.