My opening address to Green Party members at the second hustings, online, 30/06/24
Out of Touch, Preachy, Judgemental, Dublin Centric, Disconnected.
These are some of the words that I have heard repeatedly in recent months about the Green Party. And these are not the words from right or left-wing extremists, these are the words from ordinary everyday people - across this country.
“Sure, you couldn’t vote Green…” was another expression I heard frequently in the run up to the Local and European Elections.
Despite the excellent characteristics and commitment from candidates up and down the country, people couldn’t see beyond the logo and the name, and so, many of our election candidates didn’t stand a chance.
There’s a quote attributed to Albert Einstein that says: “we can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
We have created an image problem, and anyone watching online who thinks otherwise is deluded.
Simply dismissing these negative impressions with an eyeroll will not dispel them, it will only harden them.
We’ve hurt people by implying they lead bad lives – by burning turf, using their car, eating meat, taking a flight, by being a certain type of farmer. That has to stop. We have to get back to the people, and understand their specific worries and concerns.
Because if we don’t solve that fundamental problem, then we are not going to have a Party worth negotiating with, never mind what political groupings we may wish to join.
That is why I want to be your Leader, to rebuild those bridges, and I believe my lived experience will help me do just that. I want to work collectively to dispel that air of defeatism about our electoral prospects, and replace it with a sense of renewed hope, energy and momentum.
If we don’t heed our critics, if we don’t listen, then we cannot move the Party onto a stronger footing for the remainder of this decade and beyond.
Ní bheidh todhchaí againn ar an talamh seo muna théimid i ngleic le hathrú aeráide agus cailliúnt an nádúir.
Ní féidir linn neamhaird a thabhairt air a thuilleadh – agus sin an fáth go bhfuil mé ag seasamh mar cheannaire an Chomhaontais Ghlais.
Addressing Climate Change and Biodiversity loss is fundamental to our future here on Earth. None of us get to ignore that, and that is what motivates me to run as the leader of the Green Party.
But we will achieve little if we don’t bring communities with us.
At this period in time, I believe we need more focus on people, and less on policy. The policies are there, we’ve done extraordinary work to put them there, and now we have to make them work for people. Because not everyone is seeing or feeling their benefits.
The Government’s Framework for Women’s Health in Ireland uses three simple words to describe how it will achieve its aims…
Listen – Invest – Deliver.
The Green Party must do the same. Listen to communities – Invest in communities – Deliver for communities.
In parts of the country, people can’t see past turf. In other parts, it’s cycle lanes.
There are bridges to be built across the whole of this island.
I am as comfortable chatting to a farmer at the mart as I am with a woman going through the menopause.
Whether it’s at the start or the finish line of a 5k race in Dublin or in the Midlands, on in the GAA terraces for the Offaly under 20 hurlers’ incredible All Ireland win this summer; or in negotiations with Commissioners Timmermans and Sinkevicius over our Forestry Programme last year, I have the ability to connect, to listen, and to come up with practical solutions.
If we want people to make change in their lives, we need to be relatable, and the change needs to be easy and affordable.
Relatability is key for the Green Party in the future – because as I said the other day, there is no Green Transition without a Just Transition. If people feel unfairly targeted or blamed, then progress will be too slow, and it will be too late for us to turn the tide on climate change and nature loss.
We can’t wait five or ten years for the next Green wave to make us relevant again – we need to be relevant now, and I believe I am the person to do that.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go leir.