Greens vote to prop up Fianna Fáil a "shameful" decision

Sligo éirígí activist Gerry Casey has slammed Green Party members for voting on Saturday to prevent the collapse of the Fianna Fáil led administration. He described their decision to continue to prop up Fianna Fáil in government, to support the introduction of NAMA and to drop demands for no reduction in social welfare payments as "shameful".



Casey said: "This Fianna Fáil led administration has presided over the economic collapse of this state. As a result of their policies, almost half a million people here are now unemployed. They have imposed savage cutbacks in essential health and education services as well as introducing pay cuts and levies which have severely impacted on the living standards of low paid workers in particular."

He added: "That Green party members voted to continue propping up Fianna Fáil in government is appalling. Particularly shameful is the Greens' decision to back the bail out of developers and bankers through NAMA at the same time as they dropped their demand that there be no cuts in social welfare payments. Once again the scene is set for workers, particularly low paid workers and social welfare receipients, to pay for the economic crisis created by the political classes in leinster House and their banking and developer cronies."



"Workers and social welfare recipients did not create this crisis and cannot afford to pay for it. Yet the Greens have now given the green light to this administration to do precisely that, to scapegoat workers and the less well off in society and to punish them for the greed and incompetence of the political and business class."

Casey concluded: "Green party members had a golden opportunity on Saturday to bring to an end, one of the worst administrations in the history of this state. Shamefully they put their own political self interest before the needs of people of this state. I am now calling on Green party members here in Sligo and Leitrim to publicly explain how they can support this decision to remain propping up Fianna Fáil, to support NAMA and to drop demands for no cuts in social welfare."