Interesting Observations from the Green Party Annual Convention 2010

A very interesting discussion on the Green Party and membership numbers is developing over on PoliticalWorld.org. This thread is definitely worth reading as it provides a facinating insight from Murra who attended the Green Party Annual Convention 2010 in Waterford.

This post from Murra is worth reproducing in full... "Even though I am still a Green and very much involved in the Green Movement, I couldn't support the Irish Green Party after the NAMA fiasco of October 10 convention. There's no point in saying that you can change the party from within, because you can't. The NEC are in a strategic position there to allow, or in the case of Motion B at the NAMA convention - to disallow motions to go on the agenda. They didn't want the members to be given this choice, so they wouldn't allow it. Is that not manipulation of the members?

Because of the NAMA/Anglo Great State Robbery, there is no point whatsoever in talking about PfG's - they are defunct - everything is gone, every promise, every hope, every reform ever imagined.

I could list you off a number of things where the GP have let us down:

Tara - remember the argument that it would cost €200m to buy us out of the contract with Eurolink, and that if we spent that money, it would be €200m less for our PS? How come we can now hand over multiples in billions and its ok?

Shannon - never heard of ONE inspection, have you? Who knows whats coming through Shannon?

Croneyism - appointment to State Boards - I thought the GP were going to be open and transparent?

Banking Inquiry - Open and transparent? Sure.

Secret Rotation Deals? More openess and transparency?

Hare Coursing - why didn't they push for that, instead of pushing for jobs for themselves?

EPI index down 10 places - i.e. we were 10 places higher when we had Dick Roche ffs!

Where are the Electoral, Tax and Dail reforms? Where's the GMO Legislation?
Where is the ratification of Aahrus? Where's the National Transport Strategy?

And my latest bear-bug is Mary White telling us that the National Pensions Framework is good for women....!!! Good for women with Ministerial pensions after 2.5 years maybe - not so good for a 68 year old cleaner or manual labourer!

The GP will stand over this Govt's decision to TAKE our money out of our wages and HAND IT OVER to private pension companies to invest as they see fit. If they lose it all, then it's just our tough luck. The GP have already stood over this Govt's decision to take our hard earned National Pensions Reserve and give it to a dead, corrupt bank.

That, in a nutshell, is the opinion of this disaffected Green."

So is this one... "I was at the GP convention in Waterford. It looked to me like there was only half the number there that would normally be at convention. We had to be rounded up to the front seats to make it look full. I only recognised about 10% of the people there - I don't know where the rest came from. Loads of Young Greens, and what I call 'careerist' greens - those involved in green tech and energy who have a vested interest in their own 'green' careers.

In answer to the OP, I think you will find a lot of the GP members who have left the party involved in the Transition Town movement and probably Climate Camp, and other such 'Green' organisations."

And finally, this one... "I went to the convention to assess the mood and feelings of the members. If you were there you will have to agree that the numbers were very low - maybe 250 people? As I said, I only recognised 10% of those present. The only 'jubilance' and increase I saw was amongst the Young Greens, bless their naivety. The mood was very sombre and tetchy - the security around the place was suffocating - barriers outside the hotel to keep the protesters far away, symbolic of the disconnect between the GP and the public.

Where were the dissenting voices amongst the members in any of the debates? Gone. All gone. All have left the party to stew in its own faecal matter. Who was elected to the NEC who will speak for the dissenters? Nobody. Who's on the NEC this year? Gormleys Yes men and women.

The GP/CG are no longer recognisable as a Green Party either amongst the electorate or within the International Green Movement. They should give up the title 'Green Party', its misleading and deceptive."

In fairness to Eoinmn he/she is engaging in the devate and providind answers to (most of) the questions put to him/her. Well done for that Eoin ... I genuinely admire your strenght of conviction.