The Green Party chairman John Gormley yesterday mocked Fianna Fáil's plan to concentrate its forthcoming "think-in" on energy policy, saying this was a cynical electioneering ploy arising from a belated recognition of the importance of "green" issues.
Mr Gormley predicted the next election would be fought on "green" issues, saying voters were now "more concerned about rising electricity, gas and petrol prices, Ireland's over-dependence on oil, traffic chaos, and social issues like childcare and anti-social behaviour.
"This is traditional green territory, which is why we see a movement in our direction by the other parties," he said.
He said Fianna Fáil's "recent interest in green issues" therefore came as no surprise. "Two years ago, when health and social welfare issues were prominent, the Taoiseach made the implausible claim that he was a socialist.
"Last year, when many people were concerned about quality of life issues, Fianna Fáil hired the Harvard sociologist Robert Putnam to make it look as though they cared about the depletion of Irish community life. This year, during their 'think-in' they will focus on Ireland's vulnerable energy sector, even though they showed little interest in this huge problem since taking office."
Mr Gormley's comments follow Fianna Fáil's announcement last week that an Oxford academic and energy policy adviser to British prime minister Tony Blair will address the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party's annual "think-in" in Westport next month.
The invitation to economist Dieter Helm, considered to be one of Britain's leading experts on energy policy, is a signal that the party intends to position itself as being focused on the issue of how to supply energy sustainably into the future.
Mr Gormley, who heads his party's electoral taskforce, said that in previous elections the economy was the dominant issue, but that this was no longer the case. Past elections focused on unemployment, high taxes and Northern Ireland, he maintained.
"The feedback our candidates are getting from voters indicates that election 2007 will be a test of each party's green credentials," he said.
"If the Government parties were genuinely interested in our looming energy crisis, we would welcome it and offer our support," he added.
"However, this latest conversion appears to be just another cynical electioneering ploy by Fianna Fáil; a list of promises to be made before the election that will be forgotten about after it."
He noted how the British Conservative Party leader David Cameron had also "tried desperately to rebrand himself" having recognised that green issues have now become mainstream. "Expect a few David Cameron clones in Ireland over the next few months."