Join the Greens instead, new party is urged

Those involved in trying to establish a new political party should abandon the idea and join the Green Party where they would…

Those involved in trying to establish a new political party should abandon the idea and join the Green Party where they would be most welcome, the Green Party TD Mr Trevor Sargent said yesterday.

Mr Sargent said there had been informal contact with Mr Colm MacEochaidh, the Dublin barrister who is behind the new party, and he hoped to meet him shortly. The new party intends to run on a broad platform including anti-corruption.

Mr Sargent said that establishing a new political party was far more difficult than people imagined. "It is one thing to think about establishing a political party and another thing to actually do it," he said.

"The original founders of the PDs had already been immersed in the cut and thrust of politics previously. Those outside often feel they could do a much better job, then once they get involved in the bureaucracy of it and other pressures it can wear you down."

READ MORE

However, he said there was "no harm" in competition and it would "certainly spur on a lot of Greens". It would have a double effect of possibly taking votes from people who would be attracted by the novelty factor and others who felt the Green Party was "falling down".

He said Mr MacEochaidh was friendly with a number of people in the Green Party, having worked on many of the same campaigns in relation to planning issues and the environment.

He felt Mr MacEochaidh's "heart would be in a place very similar to where the Green Party's heart is".

"He said himself that he is interested in a party or a political movement. It sounds to me like any frustrated Green talking," Mr Sargent said.

Asked if he would like Mr Mac Eochaidh and his followers to join the Green Party, Mr Sargent said: "Certainly, yes. I think there is room for a kind of charter or integrity in politics, something which all people in public life should sign up to and be bound by," he said, adding that this was something which could be done by a movement operating from outside politics.