“Voters will not fall for false promises,” Ryan warns coalition colleagues

People are not convinced by “easy false promises” about the budget, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said as he set out his campaign priorities.

He also warned that other parties should not copy their commitments when it comes to difficult decisions on the environment.

Seven weeks after local and European elections, Ryan said “dramatic change” was needed to protect people and the planet from the climate crisis.

It comes after his coalition partners Fine Gael and Fianna Fail held their Ard Fheis conferences this month.

Speaking ahead of his speech at his party’s conference meeting at the RDS in Dublin, he said: “You can’t mince words about that. There is a form of climate denial where you say, ‘Oh, that’s what we’re all for,’ until it comes to a difficult decision.”

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He added: “We’re just asking the questions. What do you say in your manifesto about what we are going to do in terms of the environment? How are you going to finance it? Do you agree with the magnitude of change we need to make?”

Asked whether auction politics with coalition parties making bigger and bigger promises in the run-up to the next election will undermine the stability of the government before the budget, Mr Ryan said: “I think we should do the budget in October and I think we have to be careful about making all kinds of promises in the meantime.”

He told reporters that the only budget promise should be that it will “protect the poorest people first.”

Mr Ryan added: “I don’t think voters will be persuaded by easy false promises in April about what will happen in October.”

He said the elections would be about climate change and threats to democracy.

Asked whether his comment was about easy false claims about his coalition parties, Mr Ryan said he was not referring directly to anyone, but added: “I get on so well with my colleagues in government that I can say yes, sometimes it is easy to promise.

“But actually we have to be careful because ultimately we have to deliver results.”

Elsewhere, Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman spoke about a recent protest outside his home.

Gardai were called to the property on Thursday after reports that 12 masked men were holding a protest, some carrying anti-migration signs and banners.

Speaking to reporters at the conference, he said: “I think it is extremely important that we protect politics in our country – and that is not just about a member of the Cabinet or a member of the Oireachtas.”

Asked about a bill that would ban protests outside individuals’ homes, Mr O’Gorman said the legislation should be considered by the justice committee, adding: “It has to be proportionate because we cannot put a barrier between politicians and the public . .

“That openness, that accessibility, is an essential part of the Irish political system and is really valuable.”

Mr Ryan said he also had people outside his own door, adding: “This is a key issue about protecting and strengthening our democracy.”

He said he believed the protesters “do not represent the people of Ireland”.

He said only a “small number” were involved in such protests and expressed concern that some were wearing balaclavas.

Mr Ryan added: “They do not honor the flag, they do not, in my opinion, represent the traditions and strength of Irish democracy.”

He also said the amount of “abuse, hate and bile” directed at politicians online is not reflected in the “real world.”

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