Leader's Speech Green Party Annual Convention 2023

Friends we live in uncertain and fearful times.?

The horrific scenes in Gaza have shocked and enraged the world.? Our first response must be to condemn the slaughter of Israeli citizens that took place two weeks ago today. It was an evil act that resonated all the more because the Jewish people have for centuries had to bear their own history of expulsion, persecution, antisemitism and genocide. Nothing can excuse the murder of innocent civilians, nothing good can come from targeting people in this way.

At the same time, I think the hearts of the Irish people are also with the Palestinian people.? Since early in the last century, Irish and Arab nationalism have shared a lot in common. In both cases boundaries were expediently drawn up, which still have fatal consequences to this day. With our tradition of UN peacekeeping in southern Lebanon and frontline observers in the West Bank, we see what is happening in the Middle East in a certain light. ?We can deplore what Hamas did while at the same time understanding that there will never be peace unless the rights of the Palestinian people are also recognised and delivered upon.

We were one of the first Governments to call on the Israeli armed forces not to target civilians in Gaza as they hit back at Hamas. Such thinking comes from the lessons we have learnt from our own troubles. The bombing of civilians is never justified and is never going to work. The oppression of the people in Gaza and the West Bank has to stop now. The humanitarian imperative requires an immediate?cease fire. Lasting security can only come when political leaders create the conditions that allow people live up to the Golden rule from the Jewish Holy book, the Torah; “to love thy neighbour as thyself.”?

We are small and far from the conflict but our voice is listened to in the EU and UN.? Whatever solution is found, it has to start with the adherence to the charter of fundamental human rights, recognising the right of both Israel and Palestine to exist.??

That right to sovereignty is what is also being fought for in Ukraine.? We stand up for the people of Ukraine, while maintaining our stance of military neutrality. We will play our part and be tested in a different way. ? This is a time for us to show real strength and character by continuing to welcome the Ukrainians who seek shelter on our shores. I know it has not been easy. It has been hard to get the necessary beds and classroom places and other services for the 97,000 people who have come. ?But Roderic O’Gorman and his team have done an exceptional job.

I think history will record that the Irish people rose to the occasion.?

I’m proud of what Ireland has done.

I’m proud that we Greens are playing our part in that.

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Unfortunately, conflict and turmoil is not confined to Gaza and the Ukraine.? So much of the world is being hit by climate change, by resource wars and by increasing hunger. The places hit hardest by climate are the same areas where conflicts are taking hold. The two are connected and will become increasingly so unless we cut emissions. It is particularly stark in Africa where the ability of societies to cope is already stretched. Our response to this cannot be to try and build a wall around Europe, to outsource immigration centres to Libya or to turn a blind eye to the drowning of thousands in the Mediterranean.??

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Next month, I will go to the COP28 negotiations in Dubai, arguing that we should apply the “polluter pays” principle so that the fossil fuel companies, the aviation industry, and the maritime sector, contribute to the global financing we need to respond to the climate crisis.??

I got important support from my colleagues at the European Environment Council earlier this week, to put the polluter pays principle at the heart of the EU negotiating position in Dubai.? We can use the finance raised to provide clean power to the 600 million people in Africa without access to any electricity. It is the best way of preventing conflict and reducing forced migration.?

No one wants to leave their own home.? We know this more than most nations. If we can make our common home more stable by spreading this new green industrial revolution, it will improve everyone’s way of life. Our security is enhanced when our neighbour is also safe and well.

This is the peace project of our time.?

People will still want to come to Ireland, even if peace returns, because this is a great country to live in.? Ireland is a better place for all that our new citizens bring. ? We have to provide both refuge and hope for them as well as giving certainty to our young people that they will be able to have their own home and raise a family in Ireland, in the same way my generation was given that chance.??

We need to build a lot more houses and apartments to make it a shared reality.?

We will build over 30,000 new homes this year. Early indications are that the number will rise to 40,000 next year and it needs to grow to beyond 50,000 houses in the years after that.? It is not impossible. I can see that the Government’s Housing For All Strategy is starting to work. It can be done.

I don’t buy the false promise from the opposition that they could turn things around at a flick of a switch. I don’t buy their claims that they somehow have a monopoly of concern about the issue.?? Depending on such boasts will not build a single extra home.?

By contrast I am proud of the work our party has done at a national and local level to deliver practical housing solutions. We have been behind the rise of a new cost rental public housing model and have championed new measures to get vacant sites and derelict buildings back in use. ?Our job now is to go flat out over the remaining sixteen months of this Government and then go to the people showing how we are willing and able to do more.?

The first job tomorrow is it help restore the houses and business premises flooded during Storm Babet.? Our hearts go out to anyone whose house or premise went under water.? We will have to redouble our efforts to get them back in shape and then prepare for the more extreme weather events we know are to come.?

Climate change is scary. Especially this year when we have seen our weather systems across the world spinning off the dial.??Our young people are understandably anxious about the state of the planet they will inherit. Most people can see what is happening but are unsure about what to do, what it means for them and whether we can pull things back.?

My answer to them is that we can still stop runaway climate change. And in doing this, we can build better, fairer and more resilient communities everywhere. ?

We know we need to pay a whole new generation of farmers and foresters to protect nature as well as providing our food and wood.? We know that nature based solutions can reduce flood risk, as well as restoring biodiversity and tackling climate change.

We also know we can switch to a 100% renewable power system and that it will be more secure, less prone to price shocks and will deliver good jobs that last.

We can see how a transport system centred around walking and cycling and public transport is better for everyone.? It brings less gridlock, cleaner air, fewer road deaths and restores some of the freedom to safely roam we had as children years ago.?

Being in Government means that you can make this change happen. With the courage of our convictions and sufficient public support we also know change can happen fast.???

In the last three years the number of organic farms have trebled and the new agri environmental schemes have been oversubscribed.? A new more natural forestry model is about to grow with Pippa Hackett’s new €1.3 billion programme in place.?

Thanks to the Green Party we also have a landmark €3.15 billion fund for climate and nature, which will help resource our new nature restoration plan.??

Three years ago there were hardly any PV panels on Irish roofs but now over 1,000 homes a week are joining the solar revolution.

The retrofitting of homes has doubled in the same time and Offshore wind is on its way. In the meantime, we’ve helped absorbed the shock of high fossil fuel costs with energy credits, which were designed and delivered by my department.

We are introducing a new rural bus service every week and have cut fares for young people in half. They are now flocking to the new services with numbers growing 112% year on year.??

Next year we will open up Kent Station as the first stage of a new Cork Metropolitan rail service. The year after we will reopen the Shannon Foynes rail line and start building a new station for the people of Moyross.? Bus corridors and cycle lanes and greenways are transforming cities, towns and villages all over the country.?It is what our people want, and what we are delivering every day.?

Next February Ossian Smith will introduce the deposit refund scheme for bottles and cans. It will help clean up our streets and boost recycling. And you’ll be paid for it into the bargain.?

Next year another 100,000 rural homes will be able to get high speed fibre broadband and by 2027 we will be one of the most digitally advanced countries in the world.?

In the past small parties in Government were described as the mudguard. This time around we are the vanguard for change.? We work with conviction but also a spirit that seeks consensus with other parties.?

That is what gets things done.?

That is what is needed in the world today.?

Change is not always easy, especially in these uncertain times. The digital revolution also has its darker side. The algorithms are designed to hold our attention by promoting what we like, confirming our existing prejudices and promoting greater polarisation.? It is a threat to our democracy as we are bombarded with disinformation and conspiracy theories.?

Those with a vested interest in the status quo troll against those advocating change, they attack the climate messenger from the safety of an avatar. As Catherine Martin said earlier, the answer to this threat is to invest in good quality public broadcasting from a variety of reputable sources.? We are 100% committed to that.

Another way to combat the disinformation is to stand up, fight back and tell your own story.? In the time honoured Irish political tradition, it’s time now to go door to door, listening to constituents and asking them directly to vote green number one.

We want to return Ciaran Cuffe and Grace O’Sullivan, along with Senator Pauline O’Reilly to the European Parliament next June.??

We want to double the number of Green Councillors at the next local elections to benefit every community and county across the country.

We have an amazing group of candidates who give me great hope.??

In a world at war, voting green is a vote for a more peaceful world.?

In a world that is burning, voting green protects our people.

It is the antidote to fear.??

It brings a future we can all believe in.

By taking climate action today.