Dan Boyle email (June 11th 2010) on the upcoming confidence motion on Brian Cowen

The following email was sent by Dan Boyle to a politics.ie poster in reply to a query as to whether or not the Green Party would be supporting the confidence motion in Brian Cowen next Tuesday.

______________________________________________________
Dear xxx

Green Party came into office to achieve a number of key goals. Many
of these come to fruition in the coming weeks. Now is NOT the time to
quit.

Important items include a new planning bill cracking down on
re-zoning; animal welfare legislation; moves to reform local
government led by election of a new Dublin mayor; civil partnership.

Green Party came to government in June 2007 – long after the key
policy mistakes and bank regulation failures. We are not part of
making this mess – but we will not shrink from being part of the
solution.

The two hard-hitting reports on banking – which led to next Tuesday’s
no confidence motion – have strongly supported the Government
corrective action of the past two years. The Green Party in
government played its part in framing that strategy.

The Green Party worked hard with our government partners on these
corrective measures which include gradual but radical change to bank
boards and management; a social dividend in bank rescue plans;
appointment of outsiders as Financial Regulator and Central Bank
Governor.

Green Party has come in government has taken the tough economic
decisions to fix a broken economy. We have paid a price in popularity
at local elections. But we will continue to do what is necessary and
continue to tell the truth.

Green Party leader, John Gormley, was first minister to call for this
banking inquiry in December 2009. Opposition and critics claimed
process would be ‘a whitewash.’ Nobody is saying that now. They are
tough reports which will inform a tough and truthful inquiry process.
It will happen in good time and be as open as possible. But upcoming
inquiries cannot be totally public because that would amount to the
Tribunal, decades long, horrifically expensive, and woefully
inefficient.

Fine Gael and Labour are using their right to play politics here.
They did nothing to warn against Celtic Tiger excesses. They fought
the 2007 general elections by matching FF’s extravagant promises. Now
they play the ‘I-Told-You-So’ card.

If we were to vote no confidence, and effectively quit on Tuesday,
Fine Gael and Labour would move into government and implement the
same hard-hitting economic policies. They would carry on with the
same strategy to get the banks back on track. They are trying to
imply that a change of government offers a ‘quick fix’ for Ireland’s
serious economic problems. That is not true. We are not here to play
that game.
_____________________________________________________