Eamon Ryan resignation will not ‘disrupt’ ongoing Government work, says Taoiseach
Mr Ryan’s resignation as leader on Tuesday will mean a three week contest to replace him internally, but Simon Harris said on Wednesday that this would not impact the ongoing work of the government.
Speaking in Clones, Co Monaghan, Simon Harris said that the Programme for Government remains the guiding document for the coalition.
“It’s a matter for the Green Party to choose who their next leader is, and I wish them well with that process, but from a government point of view, the work of government continues. There is a programme for government and it’s between three parties, not any individual. It’s a programme that was hard negotiated over a long period of time.
“We’ll continue with governments to make decisions every single day as three parties in government. Minister Ryan remains the leader of the Green party today and until a successor is appointed…I don’t see it causing any disruption.”
Both Mr Harris and Tánaiste Micheál Martin paid tribute to Mr Ryan, who the Taoiseach called a “politician of real substance”.
Speaking at the same event, Green Party junior minister Malcolm Noonan said that he was glad that he had lost the 2011 leadership race to Mr Ryan.
“Eamo has been a steadfast and a really incredible party leader. I stood against him 13 years ago, and I’m quite glad I lost. I have to say, because what he has done over that period of time has led us really out of the wilderness out of a time when, when there were two elected reps.”
Mr Noonan said that it would be perhaps some decades before Mr Ryan’s contribution to Ireland would be appreciated comma pointing to the Green Party’s work on the nature restoration law.
Asked if the choice between Roderic O’Gorman, who Mr Noonan is backing, and Pippa Hackett represented an infection point for the Greens on whether it can be a rural or urban party, Mr Noonan said he believes it can be both.
“I think we certainly have a role to play in rural issues and that’s my own background as well. I think critically, we do need to use this period of the the election of a new leader to have a focus and a think about the messaging of the party.
“I think that’s hugely important. We’ve done huge amounts of rural Ireland in terms of rural broadband, rural public transport, Eamon Ryan has has led on that. I think that it’s getting that message out of what the Greens have done in government, particularly for rural Ireland and we look at nature restoration.
“We look at areas around agriculture and farming around trade to have a we focus about that and ensuring the farmers are paid for the work to do for climate, nature and water and I think these are something we brought to it in a very positive light. So far from it. I think we are a party that can appeal right across the country.”
