Eamon Ryan criticises gardaí over ‘fake policing’

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has described the latest scandal affecting An Garda Síochána as “fake policing”.

Mr Ryan said the huge exaggeration of the number of breath tests carried out by gardaí, as well as the wrongful issuing of some 14,500 summons, was a systemic problem for the force that went wider than the allegations surrounding Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe.

He also said that there was a case now for Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan to step aside, something that neither he nor his party had called for until now.

“It goes to the core of the whole culture. If there is a culture, this has been a widespread practice and not a blip on the computer. It is the widespread practice of fake policing,” he said.

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Mr Ryan was speaking to The Irish Times in advance of his leader’s address on Saturday evening at his party’s annual conference in Waterford.

Speaking at the conference on Saturday, the party’s deputy leader, Catherine Martin, excoriated the populism of other parties on the issue of water charges.

She said that, on tough decisions, “one must take it simply because it is right, not because it is popular.

“Regrettably, it seems that many parties lack the political courage or will to do what is right.”

She also said the party would continue to speak up for mental health.

“For too many years, mental health had continued to be the Cinderella of our health service.

“It can place mental health at the top of our political priorities.”

Environmental challenges

The Green Party is arguing at its national convention this weekend that its presence in the Irish political landscape is becoming increasingly vital to meet the huge environmental and political challenges ahead.

The party is also developing a long-term electoral strategy that aims to increase its number of councillors three-fold in the next local elections (to almost 40) and to double its number of TDs in the next Dáil from two to four.

The main topics of debate this weekend include rapid climate change, inequality, Brexit, the rise of the far-right in Europe, the migrant situation, and crises in housing and transport.

“All of these challenges have Green solutions and they are needed urgently if Ireland is to make the transition to a low-carbon economy in a fair and progressive way,” a party spokesman said.

The party conference opened on Friday night in Waterford with a guest lecture from Peter Wilcox, the former captain of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior.

He was in charge of the ship in 1985 when it was bombed by French secret agents while docked in New Zealand, resulting in the death of two people.

Green Party Senator Grace O’Sullivan was a crew member at the time, but was on shore leave when the bombing occurred.

Almost 200 members of the public bought tickets for Friday night’s talk.

Leader’s address

At least 400 members are expected over the course of the weekend, which culminates with the leader’s address by Dublin Bay South TD Eamon Ryan.

Mr Ryan is one of two Green Party TDs in the Dáil after the party made a partial recovery in last year’s general election. It lost all of its six seats in 2011.

The spokesman said another sign of the party’s recovery was that its membership had surged over the past 12 months, with a one-third increase in new members bringing its total membership to 1,500.

Its two Northern MLAs, Stephen Agnew and Clare Bailey, are attending the conference.

“The overall message that will be pressed is that . . . [the Green Party] is needed in Irish politics more than ever,” said the spokesman.

“The convention will be a rallying call to members and supporters to take inspiration from the election of a Green president in Austria in Alexander Van Der Bellen, and the performance of the Dutch Greens in their recent election, where they quadrupled their seats in parliament.

“The aim is to triple our number of councillors at the next local elections, and win four TD seats come the next general election cycle.”