David Healy Sells out
national |
environment |
news report 
Wednesday July 04, 2007 11:51
by sicklygreen - Ex Green Party
FF/Green Pact critic accepts Gormley post
Green Councillor David Healy, who opposed the FF/Green pact, has accepted a job with John Gormley
David Healy, the Green councillor who so vociferously opposed the Green deal to prop up the FF/PD government , has accepted a highly paid job as an advisor to future Green leader(and former FF member) John Gormley.
Mr. Healy stated the following on his blog entry for Thursday 14th June (davidhealy.com)
"A number of people have been asking me my views on the decision by party members to support the Greens going into government with FF and PDs.
I voted against. Unfortunately my name was not among those picked by lot to speak at our Convention. In conscience there is no way I could support a programme for government which will see a continuation of military use of Shannon Airport.
But even if I were to ignore my conscience, and the victims of war, the deal struck is a terrible one. No key Green demand has been met:
No end to corporate donations
No change to M3 through tara valley or to any of the road-building programme
No new public transport commitments
Hospital co-location to go ahead
What about climate change? The programme for government contains a 3% target for annual reduction of greenhouse gases. There is no earthly way that this will be met without a fundamental change in transport policy. And there is no change to transport policy. Presumably that's why its just a government target instead of the legally binding commitment NGOs have been looking for.
As to why a majority of those at the Convention voted for this, I don't know. I remain amazed."
It would appear that Mr Healy has undergone the same Road to Damascus conversion as Ciaran Cuffe etc.
I hope his constituents have a long memory when it comes to the local elections.
Comments (8 of 8)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8Healy is also a Councillor for howth ward. Will Healy be voting for FF candidates in the present Seanad general election? If he had the balls and the conscience he would spoil his votes or at the very least vote for the opposition candidates.
I'm not sure if this is a fair analysis of David Healy's motivation or principles.
And I don't know the man myself, nor can I account for his integrity one way or the other.
But you might remember 'The O'Rahilly' - Michael O'Rahilly, who fought with Pearse and the rest, and died a hero in the GPO, despite his opposition to the Easter Rising in 1916.
If David Healy thinks he can make a difference, I'd give him the chance.
HI Niall,
Having met and spoken to the 'man' in question a number of times, having studied his personal blog carefully, having seen him sign the PANA/iawm pledge re:Shannon, I must say I feel slightly less magnanimous than you in 'giving him a chance'!!
His boss Gormley was talking all kind of nonsense re:the Ringsend incinerator yesterday... in his very own constituency.....some change from within he is turning out to be!!
Rank-and-file Green Party members, particularly those who say they were against the FF/GP deal but did not go to the Mansion House shindig because "they didn't want to split the Party", as well as a huge number of people who voted for the Greens, do not seem to me to be that willing to give the heads a chance!!
On the other hand, you obviously have drawn some kind of line on the sand....would you amplify where that line stands and what would they have to do so that they can be criticised fully for having backflipped into power? Is it time - is it policies and their reversal - or is it some kinda of feeling that these are 'our kind of people' and we shouldn't be too hard on them? At least not now or not yet?
Fraternally
David is a solid battler for green and good causes including West Papua, Shell to Sea and many others. I think the Green coalition is a tough deal but look at the reality out there folks! There ain't no revolution coming in the morning. The best way to deal with David now is to let him know your concerns (and indeed all the Greens) and remind them of their promises on Shell etc.
despite what the whingers on this board keep moaning about, most people are willing to wait a couple of years before they decide if the greens are doing a good job in government or not. most Irish people dont give a damn about envirnmental or socialist issues anyway. Even though I would never join the greens. I might vote for them in future if they hold their nerve, work hard and dont flee from their responsibilities when this government hits a rocky patch at some stage over the next 4 years.
Mr. Ahern and the Soldiers of Destiny have been long standing advocates and supporters of the integration of Ireland into the military structures of the US and the EU in order to ensure all Ireland participation in the resource wars of the 21st century. Shannon Airport is now a de facto US military base and the Irish Army has been integrated into the Battle Groups of the EU. NATO has called for the Battle Groups to be sent to Afghanistan and Chancellor Merkel of Germany has called for the creation of a European Army. By entering into Government without insisting that the use of Shannon Airport be terminated, and a Protocol to exclude the participation of the Irish Army in the militarisation of the EU, the Green Party, including Mr Healy, has now decided to actively support Mr Ahern in his support for Imperialists wars.
The Irish Green Party is now a war party. Not every member of the Greens support the war and the number that do not will be seen in the results of their election for leader. This division within the Green PArty is not unique. When asked to sign the PANA/IAWM/NGOPA pledge, for example, its President Michael D. Higgins signed, but its party leader, Pat Rabbitte did not.
The war will go on and on for years and those of us who are opposed to this war should be confident that as Ahern drags Ireland deeper and deeper into the war by sending Irish troops in the EU Battle Groups to Afghanistan in 2008 then the Irish people who voted for the war parties like FF and FG as well as those which changed sides like the Greens will cease to do so. The next major test on the war will be the referendum on the EU Constitutional Treaty in 2008 and PANA is confident that faced with the choice between supporting deeper involvement in war or a commitment to peace, democracy and Irish Independence they will vote for peace by voting no to the EU Constitution Treaty Mark 2.
What a dissapointment the electorate as a whole, and the Greens in particular, must be to the extreme-left. We just arn't worthy of you.
Sorry for letting you down.
Oh, you're no disappointment to us Baruch - but the Iraqi people might be a little disappointed that the Greens have been so quick to forget about the small matter of half a million deaths. As they say, all politics is local, and if your locality is under brutal military occupation, it tends to weigh heavily on your mind. I apologise on their behalf for their inability to see past their petty local concerns and recognise the need for the Green Party to take its place in government so that it can ... well, em .... that is to say ... help me out here people, please?
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