Trevor Sargent Accused Taoiseach of misleading public
The Green Party leader, Trevor Sargent, has accused the Taoiseach of misleading the electorate about the true state of the economy. He was speaking at the Party annual conference, which also heard strong attacks on the build-up to war in Iraq.
The party's chairman, John Gormley, predicted that the party will be part of the next Government. But he ruled out any coalition deal involving Fianna Fáil or the Progressive Democrats.
Addressing the party's National Convention in Ennis, Deputy Gormley claimed that Fianna Fáil and the PDs had betrayed the electorate, and that it would be an act of unforgivable irresponsibility to put them back into Government.
He said that the Greens were a party that wanted to be in Government, and all they had to do was keep the faith and keep their seats.
War dominates conference
The possible war in Iraq has dominated the opening session of the convention in Ennis, with MEP Patrician McKenna telling delegates that a second UN resolution would only serve as a cloak for what she called warmongers.
The party is hoping that the meeting will help to build on last year's electoral success and lay the groundwork for successful campaigns in the European and local elections next year.
This is the first national gathering of the Green party since it's successful general election campaign nine months ago, which saw its number of TDs increase from two to six.
Buoyed by that performance, the party will be laying the groundwork for it's next electoral test, the European and local elections in the summer of next year.
With two MEPs, the Greens are the third largest Irish party in the European Parliament, and have every intention of staying that way, while the local elections will see whether last May's electoral breakthrough was a flash in the pan.
Ecology, economy and equality - convention theme
Among the motions up for debate are criticisms of the use of Shannon Airport by U.S. military aircraft and of the Government's spatial strategy, and possibly more contentious proposals to make the Green Party an all-Ireland organisation, and to support a boycott of Israeli goods until it pulls out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Tomorrow, the convention will break into workshops the address the nuts and bolts of next year's campaigns, with sessions for local election candidates and on policy development and presentation.
MEP McKenna on warMEP Patricia McKenna told the Green Party convention in Ennis that a second UN resolution would not make war on Iraq any more legitimate.
Ms McKenna travels to New York this afternoon for meetings with Kofi Annan and Hans Blix as part of a European Parliament delegation.
Ms Mc Kenna also called on the EU to stop accession talks with Turkey because of what she called its expansionist plans in Northern Iraq.
Party leader Trevor Sargent has claimed that bombing Iraq would be cold blooded, murder, no better than tyhe atrocitied carried out by Saddam Hussein.
