The Green Party is “not going away” despite its recent electoral defeat, party leader Roderic O’Gorman has said.
He also expressed “worry” that the incoming Government looks like it is planning to “drop important hate speech legislation.”
Speaking ahead of the Green Party Annual Convention tomorrow, the party said it still has a “strong grassroots network and influence on councils” which it will use to “push the Green agenda.”
O’Gorman said that despite the party’s crushing result, they are “proud” of what they achieved in Government and that they are “not going away.”
“The policies we drove on climate, on transport, on family leave, and on the arts – that is a record we are proud to stand over,” he said.
“The election result hurt, no doubt about it, but we’re resilient, we’ve proved that before, and we’ll do it again. Our issues are not going away, and neither are we.”
He said that while the outgoing Government of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party dealt with “big issues”, including “Covid, public transport, the cost of childcare and providing safety for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine,” he said he was “worried” that the next Government would “take the easy way out” on such matters.
“So far, it looks like the next Government plans to ramp up road building, cut public transport, and drop important hate speech legislation,” he said.
“That is why the Green Party still has an important role to play in Irish politics and the rebuilding begins now.
“In 2011, we were wiped out with no seats and no State funding. That’s not where we are now. We’re in the Dáil, we’ll hopefully be in the Seanad, and we have strong Councillors around the country. So, we have strong foundations and will rebuild the Party from the ground up.”
Meanwhile, the party’s Deputy Leader Senator Roisin Garvey said that the party “must” regain elected representation.
“How many homes are warmers this winter because of the grants we secured for insulation and retrofitting?” she asked.
“How many more homes have solar and batteries posting their houses during electricity cuts? Thousands. We can be so proud of all we achieved as a small party in Government.”