Budget

[John83]

Have the Greens sold their soles for seat at the table?

They won't be needing them now that they're sitting down.

[Macy]

Have the Greens sold their souls for seat at the table?

They did that a long time before this budget... They're a prime example of the weakness of going in to a coalition when there's actually no need for you.

[OneRedArmy]

Can we at least wait a year to 18 months to judge their performance?! Also worth bearing in mind all the Green detractors in this thread had their mind made up before they even went into coalition.

The fact that Bertie is becoming a bigger lame duck each passing day within his own party isn't particularly helpful to a minority partner.

[dahamsta]

Can we at least wait a year to 18 months to judge their performance?!

We don't need to, they've already gone back on enough campaign promises - and general promises - to prove that they're just Fianna Fail under a different coloured banner. The speed with which they turned should be embarassing to anyone that voted Green.

[Macy]

Can we at least wait a year to 18 months to judge their performance?! Also worth bearing in mind all the Green detractors in this thread had their mind made up before they even went into coalition.

Rubbish. Even ignoring their U turns on tara, civil unions, poolbeg etc, the fact that they are still in their with Bertie following the total falling apart of his pre election bs means they've ditched their core principle of ethics in public office. Live on Planet Bertie, you seem to pick up the virus that infects FF, effects the eyes and ears from seeing the obvious.

[OneRedArmy]

Coalitions are based squarely on compromise.

By all means criticise the Greens on their net balance of what they have given up versus what they have achieved, but to criticise them for not adhering to all their manifesto issues and policies is frankly naive in the extreme.

We're back to whether its better to be on the inside chipping away or on the outside lobbing stones in. And again (Macy) you stated your view on this before the election.

[Macy]

It was hypocritcal then, it's hypocritical now. For what? A few new taxes that were going to be brought in anyway, and a free trip to Bali?

[dahamsta]

Coalitions are based squarely on compromise.

Take off the blinkers boy, describing what the greens have done as "compromise" is roughly equivalent to saying that what Fianna Fail has done to this country is "mildly damaging". They've done a complete u-turn on their policies and ethics, if you can't see that you need new glasses.

[pete]

While FF may not actually need the Greens to enter government it would be very difficult for FF to survive all the recent scandals & the future ones relying on Independents. By this logic the Green Party are keeping this government together. In coalitions the smaller members always carry influence than their numbers.

So far I have yet to see a single significant contribution by the Greens that a FF Minister would not have done.

I am skeptical & I believe the VRT & motor tax changes will not mean a tax reduction of any significance to any one but just higher taxes for others.

[OneRedArmy]

Take off the blinkers boy, describing what the greens have done as "compromise" is roughly equivalent to saying that what Fianna Fail has done to this country is "mildly damaging". They've done a complete u-turn on their policies and ethics, if you can't see that you need new glasses.

I think its evident from my posts how much I detest FF, but on balance I supported the Green decision to go into coalition in this Government (and accept the fact that that meant going in with FF) because the core platform on which the Greens operate is around improving the environment and that is a particularly time sensitive one (ie waiting 5 years wasn't a viable option).

As a Greens supporter I personally am unhappy at the net effect the party has had in Government after 6 or so months. I am however willing to wait for a while longer before I ram the nails into Gormley and Sergeant for dancing with the devil.

I think most Greens supporters, including myself, are well aware that the party will be decimated unless their influence and impact on the direction of Government improves soon.

[OneRedArmy]

I am skeptical & I believe the VRT & motor tax changes will not mean a tax reduction of any significance to any one but just higher taxes for others.

Read the detail. Overall they are designed to be tax neutral (in the base year at least).

The failure to apply retrospectively is a HUGE mistake towards achieving an objective of reducing CO2 emmissions.

[Macy]

The VRT proposals have been flagged for years as the way around the illegality of VRT as a registration tax that restricts cross border competition. They get around that as it being a "green" tax. It was Mr Green himself Charlie McCreevy that first indicated that it would go that way.