The Green Party would not rule out being part of a future Sinn Féin-led coalition but negotiating a sufficiently eco-friendly programme for Government could prove challenging, Eamon Ryan has said.
The Greens’ leader said his party wanted to serve in Government again and was open to talking to all parties.
While making clear that included Sinn Féin, Mr Ryan questioned whether that party could make the environmental commitments required to secure his party’s participation in a coalition.
Mr Ryan joined party colleagues in Cork on Saturday for the Greens’ annual convention.
The Greens joined Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in coalition government after securing 12 Dáil seats in the 2020 general election.
The party has seen its poll ratings fall in recent times, a trend Mr Ryan attributes to major world events, such as the Covid pandemic and war in Ukraine, diverting focus from global warming.
He said the Greens had suffered due to the temptation to “shoot the messenger” when it came to the challenges of climate change.
But he expressed confidence his party would fare well in next year’s local elections, as he insisted the Green tide would turn again.
During Saturday’s convention, Mr Ryan spoke of the “unprecedented” weather events of the last year and stressed the need for a collective and unified response.
“The weather systems have gone off the charts and that’s truly frightening,” he said.
He added that it was not a case of the Greens being opponents of motorists or farmers, as he dubbed the latter the “front-line heroes” of the transition toward a more sustainable future.
Speaking to reporters in Cork, Mr Ryan was asked whether his party would consider going back into government after the next general election and, if so, would it countenance Sinn Féin as a potential coalition partner.
“I think we should go into government because I think it’s not a time for sitting on the bench,” he said.
“It’s time for action this decade, particularly historically important that we make the change this decade.
“So, yes, I think we should be willing to work with all parties. That will be difficult programme for Government negotiations because to be honest Sinn Féin haven’t shown an interest in protecting the environment to the extent that we think is appropriate. But we’ll sit down with them and try and make that happen (if Sinn Féin are in a position to form a government).”
