Letter to Green Party members from Deputy Leader Mary White TD

Dear Colleagues,

It is always sad when a political colleague resigns. Deirdre de Burca’s decision to resign from the parliamentary party and the Seanad is no different.
But personal feelings cannot set aside certain key facts surrounding Deirdre’s decision to quit; the way she has chosen to present that decision; and the scathing, unfair and totally groundless criticisms she has levelled against Green Party leader, John Gormley.

It is a simple fact that Deirdre’s behaviour was driven by her failure to secure a senior EU post in Brussels. It is less known that she threatened John Gormley and her party colleagues that she would set out to damage the party if she did not get that job.

For the past two weeks, she has stayed away from parliamentary party meetings and communicated a number of threats and deadlines to her colleagues. It saddens me to say that I have found her behaviour to be deplorable.

We have already explained publicly that we supported her candidature for a job in Commissioner Geoghegan Quinn’s advisory team in Brussels because she was well qualified and suited for such a post. The Taoiseach was also favourable and representations were made.

But Commissioner Geoghegan Quinn had other plans and she could not see a role for Deirdre de Burca on her team. Everybody in Dublin had to accept that. A European Commissioner is totally independent and legally obliged to shun any direction from the former home government.
Critics of the Green Party have already feasted on Deirdre de Burca’s other claims. We have publicly rebutted these claims and will continue to do so.

But we must not waste too much energy here or become distracted from the job in hand. Strengthened by the stated support of eight out of 10 of our members – expressed as recently as just four months ago in a ballot at a special convention – we will continue to work in government at this most difficult time for all the Irish people.

I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in the coming weeks. Thank you for your continued support and friendship.

Sincerely,

Mary White, Deputy Leader, Green Party/Comhaontas Glas.