Mounting a major protest outside the Green Party convention in Waterford today the Workers Party, Munster Region stated: “The Green Party are here today flaunting their Mercs and perks, and clapping themselves on the back for their work in government. If they had a shred of political principle left they would use this weekend to apologise to the electorate for their betrayal of trust and walk away from this unholy coalition”.

“The record of this government – which the Green Party is promoting and defending here today – is truly awful.

·        €12 billion spent or committed to Anglo Irish Bank. This is the same as the annual budget for our health service.

·        NAMA set up to bail out the bankers and builders with up to €50 billion of our money. No support for struggling mortgage holders; businesses, or family farms.

·        Attacking the most vulnerable children in the state - with a one-third reduction in Special Needs Assistants in primary schools.

·        Cutting the wages of private and public sector workers but flatly refusing to tax the wealthy elite in this country.

·        Cutting Social Welfare and Disability payments - attacking those who cannot fight back.

·        Double Tax on families with the introduction of Domestic Water Charges which the Green Party are sponsoring.

·        Minister Eamon Ryan forcing hundreds of thousands of families to pay higher electricity bills because he will not allow the ESB to cut their prices.

·        Health service collapsing while consultants earn half a million Euro.

·        Allowing 250,000 armed US troops fly through Shannon airport every year – despite a solemn Green Party commitment to stop this illegal traffic.

·        Giving Shell Oil and other multinationals our oil and gas for free while local people who protest at this robbery are locked up in jail.

·        Refusing to prioritise a Children’s Rights Amendment to the Irish Constitution.

·        Refusing to make the Catholic Church authorities accountable after the terrible crimes revealed by the Ryan and Murphy reports.

“Before the 2007 General Election Minister Gormley got a lot of publicity for his staged confrontations with then PD leader Michael McDowell. Now he acts like a McDowell shadow. The Green Party cheated the electorate. If they have one shred of decency or morality left they should walk away from this government and let the people have their say”.

Issued Saturday, 27th March 2010