Young Greens and Queer Greens presidents resign from party

THE PRESIDENTS of the Young Greens and the Queer Greens have jointly resigned from their posts, citing concerns about the current leadership of the Green Party.

Outgoing Young Greens President Tara Gilsenan and Queer Greens Tiernan Mason have written to elected Green Party members to present their resignations from their leadership positions in party-affiliated groups.

In a joint letter posted on social media, the presidents said they were “dismayed” by the recent decisions made by the party since it entered the coalition government.

“We had hoped we could fight to make a difference and hold the Green Party accountable, but in our short time as chairmen, we have come to realize that our efforts have been in vain and that the concerns we have raised have not been addressed. ”Gilsenan and Mason said.

While we understand the limitations of being the smallest party in a coalition, we have been dismayed to see our elected representatives vote against Party policy, even outside the limitations of the Government Program, over and over again. “

“We have fought against the Party’s vote on evictions during a pandemic, against the sealing of Mother and Baby Home documents, against the hasty passage of a lackluster climate bill, and against voting against our own policies in general. . We have not had success “.

Source: Tiernan Mason/Twitter

Gilsenan and Mason said they felt they had been “overlooked, excluded, ignored, intimidated and harassed by elected party members and representatives.”

“We suggest, to the other elected officials in the party hierarchy, that they should remember who put them where they are; those who voted for ‘the people and the planet’ are outraged by their actions, “they said.

“History will not be kind to the Green Party as it is, especially if you continue to drive away the people who rebuilt the party after you burned it down the last time.”

The outgoing presidents’ decision to resign follows a Dáil vote earlier this week that approved the government’s mother-and-baby homes bill, which would see records sealed for 30 years under a 2004 law and the survivors and their families would be hidden.

The bill passed with 78 votes in favor, including all elected members of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party, and two TDs from the Regional Group, while the remaining 67 TDs voted against the bill.

Members of opposition parties had drafted amendments to the bill that they said were based on requests from survivors and human rights experts.

Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman of the Green Party told TDs that the amendments that would allow victims to decide whether they wanted their name registered or anonymous would not be considered.

The Green Party saw several members get out earlier this year, after he formed a coalition government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, including environmental activist Saoirse McHugh.

In announcing his decision to leave the party in July, McHugh said the program for the government was a “Terrible document” and that he believed that the government “would do massive damage to the idea of ​​environmentalism by linking it to socially regressive policies.”

The former president of the Queer Greens and Cork Greens spokesperson also resigned over the summer, citing that he had become “disappointed” with the party.