HAVING BEEN in government two months ago, the Green Party now finds itself without any Dáil representation and excluded from State funding because of its abysmal performance in the general election. It is a dark place to be. But party activists should take heart from the recovery of both the Labour Party and Fine Gael in recent years. Given convincing policies, hard work and a strong leadership there is no reason why the party should not make an important contribution to Irish politics in the future.
It will not be a simple or painless recovery. Difficult issues are only now being considered in advance of the party’s annual conference in May. John Gormley has announced he will step down as party leader. But a blame game appears to be in full swing and he reproached former parliamentary colleagues for remaining too long in government with Fianna Fáil. As members considered the wreckage of their party at the weekend, such in-fighting amounted to a dangerous distraction.
It is easy to forget how new the party is to normal politics. It was founded as a campaigning organisation on “green” issues and operated a collective approach to decision-making. That changed 10 years ago when Trevor Sargent, its only TD, was elected as party leader and it became a mainstream political organisation. In the general election of 2002, the party’s Dáil representation increased to six.
There are echoes of what happened to the Labour Party in subsequent developments. Before the 2007 general election, Trevor Sargent campaigned to remove the Fianna Fáil/Progressive Democrats government from office and party supporters favoured an alliance with Fine Gael and the Labour Party. When the expected Dáil gains did not materialise and Fianna Fáil offered the party an opportunity to implement its policies, it entered government. That decision, which ran counter to the expectations of the electorate, brought the resignation of Mr Sargent as leader and opened up internal divisions.
From the outset, the party was on the back foot. The terms it negotiated for a government programme could only be described as a work in progress. Issues like the Shannon stopover, Tara and the M3 motorway and the Corrib gas field brought defections of established members. When the banking and construction sectors imploded and exchequer revenues crashed, so did the party’s prospects. It lost 13 of its 16 council seats in the 2009 local elections. In spite of that, Mr Gormley and his colleagues held on in government and introduced some important legislation on planning and energy matters.
It is easy – and extremely dangerous – to pronounce the end of a party. Support has fallen back to where it was 20 years ago. But, from there, the Green Party challenged the political establishment and became a significant influence. Those issues have not gone away. It may remain a niche party. But with energy, focus and a new leader it will hope to make its presence felt in the local elections of 2014.