Eamon Ryan was honest but also a bit naive

The decision by Eamon Ryan to stand down as leader of the Green Party has ramifications for the entire country not just the Greens. Following on so soon after the leader of Fine Gael, Leo Varadkar, resigned, it is a cause of concern for all involved in politics and by extension for the people who elected them.

In their resignation speeches, both men adverted to the fact that vile criticism on social media was a factor in their decision. That social media criticism was not the sole factor in the decision-making process. In Varadkar’s case, burnout was a significant contributor while in Ryan’s case, after 30 years involved in politics, there were genuine personal reasons for his decision. Not alone is he standing down as the Green Party leader, he is also opting out of politics, while it is also likely that Varadkar will do the same whenever a general election is called.

The country can ill afford to have men and women of high calibre walk away from politics. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones who have made the decision to quit. A whole host of members of the current Dáil have indicated they will not stand again for election. Advanced years and consequent lack of drive and ambition was a factor for some. Not all, but very many of them have cited online abuse as contributing to their decision.

I have to admit that Eamon Ryan would not have been my favourite politician. The sight of him cycling into the Dáil, with his helmet and hi-viz jacket, to transact business on behalf of the people did not exactly fit my prejudiced view of how a politician should conduct himself. But Eamon Ryan did his own thing and did not concern himself with what other people thought.

He was an honest Green politician. I considered him naïve. There was the time when he suggested the re-introduction of the wolf into this country. Now it was not as daft an idea as I thought. The wolf was re-introduced to Yellowstone National Park in the United States in 1995 and had a significant positive impact on Yellowstone. Nature has its own way doing things and the wolf has a role to play in preserving the natural order. However, the thought of wolves patrolling Ballycroy’s national park or running loose in the Phoenix Park and controlling the adverse impacts of the deer herd there is a step too far.

In more recent times, however, I have begun to appreciate the honesty and naivety of Minister Ryan. In the battle to curb carbon emissions and rescue the environment from total degradation, Eamon Ryan has been a staunch and stand-out figure.

Along with Mary Robinson, whose credentials on climate change are impeccable, Ryan was a major and respected contributor to the international conference on climate change in Doha recently. He is the current EU lead negotiator on Climate Finance - a significant role that recognises his credentials as a proponent of climate action.

His steadfast support for action to prevent an environmental disaster in the years ahead has not endeared him to everyone as could be seen when he addressed a gathering at the Mary Robinson Centre in Ballina where he was heckled by a group of uninvited guests. He has to be doing something right when he attracts the hecklers.

His stance on the environment has not, of course, endeared him to the farming community. That’s understandable as the farming community are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Farmers are working to reduce these emissions but the pace of progress is slow and not to the liking of Minister Ryan. They will continue to be at loggerheads while Minister Ryan is in office and will continue long after he goes.

Have you noticed that 'Rural Ireland' is invariably connected to the farming community whenever there is an issue of greenhouse gas emissions or other issues connected to the need for climate action? Farmers are, of course, part of rural Ireland but they are a very small part of rural Ireland and the vast majority of people in 'Rural Ireland' play their part in preserving and protecting the environment and have little to do with the increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Look at the many Tidy Towns committees all across rural Ireland who do trojan and largely unheralded work enhancing their village or town, planting flowers, shrubs and trees to help with the reduction of emissions and to provide a habitat where creatures great and small may find a home.

It is the case that we (people in rural Ireland) contribute to the damage to the environment by driving our cars to and from work and, indeed, occasionally for social or pleasure purposes. If we could afford it, we would all drive electric cars - not that electric cars are a solution to anything. We would all use public transport if we had public transport.

And, fair play to Eamon Ryan, he has considerably increased public transport in rural Ireland, but that’s not a solution either as the buses, invariably, do not arrive at a time suitable to most would-be customers. Now if they could organise a timetable that would accommodate those who enjoy a pint it would be a step forward and would also help to keep the pubs in rural Ireland - those few pubs that are left - open. Paradise is just a bus away.

Putin's travels

Those of you with an interest in worldly affairs will have noticed that Vladimir Putin took time off from conducting his 'special military operation' in eastern Ukraine to visit North Korea, where he was welcomed and hosted by that renegade autocratic leader Kim Jong Un. There was the red carpet treatment at the airport and the handshakes and hugs, the exchange of gifts, military parades, ceremonial salutes and the signing of friendship agreements. It was all very civilised and mirrored what would be normal procedure when dignitaries visited countries in the so-called western world.

However, reporting of the event by the media in the 'West' treated the visit as the harbinger of doom and destruction of the world as we know it. There was reference to North Korea’s arsenal of ballistic missiles and the supply of the weapons of war to Russia. The visit represented an escalation of tension around the globe. South Korea and Japan went on high alert as if the Putin/Jong Un meeting was a declaration of war. Of course, NATO could not be left out of the loop and the views of Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO general secretary, had to be sought.

Contrast that with the arms supplied to Netanyahu and the Israeli Defence Forces for their war on Gaza. Contrast that visit with the visit of Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the US recently where he was treated royally and was invited to address Congress. He was in the US, as Putin was in Korea, to request support for the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy got at least some of the support he sought.

And Zelenskyy has received support in the form of arms and military hardware from France and Germany as well as other EU states, including Ireland over the past few years. Nothing wrong with that, you might say. The issue is how these events are reported by the western media. It is OK for Ukraine to seek and get support to continue the war in Ukraine but it is not OK for Putin to seek allies and support for his war. It just seems to be a little bit strange.

Thought for the day

George Bernard Shaw: "He knows nothing and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career."