Never Ending Slow Set of Government Formation Continues
As we approach 90 days from the General Election Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín TD stated;
“Its 3 months since the general election and the never ending slow set of government formation continues. We in Aontú are deeply concerned that the democratic will of the people is being denied and that a government is still far off from being formed. According to the prospective parties the next government may take another 40 days to be formed. This is an ordinate and dangerous delay in these unprecedented times and it has been further compounded by the side-lining of the Dáil in terms of any real democratic oversight.”
“The announcement by the Green party that they intend to enter coalitions talks with FF and FG is a step closer. Nonetheless, there are several concerns arising with this announcement, and the ramifications both for our environmental policies and our agricultural sector.”
“First of all, given the Greens insistence that any government would commit to a 7% reduction in carbon emissions every year, Aontú asks how specifically this would be achieved? Aontú is an environmentalist party. We seek real and ambitious reductions in CO2 emissions. But we are also a practical political movement. Its stunning that the Green Party has been so secretive in translating this objective into everyday actions and real changes in peoples’ lives.”
“Our farmers are besieged enough, without further reductions in income and erosion of their industries. A central plank of Aontú’s programme for government is increasing farmers’ income – not reducing it. It is clear for example that beef farmers are making a loss on cattle, so higher volumes of cattle simply mean higher volumes of loss. What is needed is reform of the beef industry to ensure that the value added, the profit generated, locates more fairly at all stages of the supply chain.
Fine Gael have refused to tackle vested interests in the beef market today. Farmers would be doubly hit if Fine Gael withhold reform and the Greens environmental policies ignore the practical income needs of farmers”.
