SARGENT DENIES BETRAYAL ACCUSATION MINISTER HITS BACK AT DALY IN POST ELECTION SPAT by KEITH FALKINER Northside People 4 - 10 Jul 07 A WAR of
words has broken out in north county Dublin between two public Outgoing Green Party leader Trevor Sargent has strenuously denied accusations that he has betrayed his support for various Dublin North community campaigns by going into Government with Fianna Fáil. Cllr Clare Daly (SP) hit out at Deputy Sargent, the new Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food, and described the Green Party's participation in Government as an "absolute betrayal" of the aspirations of their supporters. Cllr Daly claimed it was possible that the Green Party could now abandon a number of pressing issues in Dublin North. Nowhere in the Programme for Government is there a halt being called to Thornton Hall prison; the regional sewerage treatment plant in Donabate; the Nevitt dump; for the ending of property management companies for houses and enhanced regulation for apartments; and the overturning of the Critical Infrastructure Bill which restricts the ability of communities to organise on such projects," Cllr Daly stated. "In the run-up to the general election, Trevor Sargent attended the oral hearings on the major parallel runway proposal for Dublin Airport and Terminal Two, allegedly standing shoulder to shoulder with the community. ''Yet the Programme for Government supports Terminal Two and makes no mention of abandoning the parallel runway," Cllr Daly argued. However, Minister Sargent told Northside People that far from betraying any of these causes, his party is now in a position to work to have them resolved to the benefit of local communities.He said that Cllr Daly and her party's stance does little more than create noise. "Cllr Daly's criticism does not take into account how Government works, bearing in mind that we now hold the office of the Department of the Environment and can work from a position of power on these issues," Minister Sargent stated. "We obviously had a difficult judgement call to make in going into Government with Fianna Fáil because we couldn't get everything we wished for, but we did make progress on a number of these issues." Minister Sargent conceded that he did not anticipate the Green Party would be going into Government with Fianna Fáil, but said that the electorate had other ideas. ''We have to remember that people are sovereign and that they decide by themselves who they will vote for, Minister Sargent said. "A large majority of people voted for Fianna Fáil and even in Dublin North two Fianna Fáil TDs were voted in. "I made my position clear that I would stand down as leader of the Green Party if we went into Government with Fianna Fáil and I have stood by that. "The Socialist Party were of the opinion that they would not go into Government with either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael and as the election results showed they suffered for taking that position," Minister Sargent added. Meanwhile, Mathew Harley, spokesman for United Portmarnock Residents Opposed to Another Runway (UPROAR), said it remained to be seen if the Green Party in Government could prove beneficial to groups like his. "Obviously we would have preferred if the Green Party had gone into Government as part of an alternative coalition, but half a loaf is better than no bread at all," Mr Harley stated. The UPROAR spokesman said he would be looking for the Green Party to strongly call for as multi-criteria analysis of projects such as the new runway. "Such analysis would take full account of the environmental impact of the runway," Mr Harley added. "The Green Party in Government should be obliged to live up to its commitments on such issues and exploit their new position to the maximum extent." |