On Thursday last, I took part in the Green Party special convention to discuss the Program for Government.

It was a fascinating exercise in grassroots democracy as members of all ages made their two minute contributions for and against.

I will be voting yes.

The country needs a Government urgently. The Climate Crisis continues. Small companies which provide hundreds of thousands of jobs are desperately trying to survive the crisis brought about by Covid-19. Our economy is taking a huge hit and we are only beginning to feel it’s effects.

There is no time for us to sit on the sidelines. With Government comes responsibility and my feeling is that some of those who would vote no are afraid of the difficult decisions to come. There will be very difficult decisions to be made.

Crisis though, often brings opportunities to change things quickly for the better. We are moving from a period of small Government to one where the state takes full responsibility more often for deciding where and how to invest.

The winds of change are also apparent in Europe with the Commission driving the Green deal and the ECB pretty much paying countries to take funds and invest.

Why would we not want to be a part of this process?

If the Green Party says no, the probability of another election rises dramatically. In that election, most of our gains and TD’s will be lost, politics will further polarise between FG and SF and the greenest Program for Government ever will be shelved.

Vote yes.