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Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has warned his party that they cannot vote against the Government.<\/p>\nGreen Party leader Eamon Ryan has warned his party that they cannot vote against the Government.<\/p>\n
It comes after Green TD Neasa Hourigan lost the whip and another Green Party TD Joe O\u2019Brien was sanctioned for voting against the Government.<\/p>\n
Legislation was tabled in the D\u00e1il on Thursday night to replace the rent freeze and eviction ban, brought in at the start of the pandemic.<\/p>\n
Ms Hourigan voted against the Government on four proposed amendments to the Bill before voting against the Bill itself in the final vote.<\/p>\n
Mr O\u2019Brien, a junior minister for Rural and Community Development, abstained on the final vote.<\/p>\n
The Green Party issued a statement late on Thursday night to say the pair have lost speaking rights for the next two months.<\/p>\n
However, speaking on Friday, Mr Ryan confirmed the suspension would include the D\u00e1il recess so their speaking rights would only be lost for two weeks.<\/p>\n
Mr Ryan said he believed the sanction was sufficient.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur way of managing this is that we go back to our parliamentary party and we decide as a Dail parliamentary party and that was the approach we decided to take last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said failing to vote with the Government \u201cweakens\u201d the Government.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe agreed, and it is absolutely clear, you cannot vote against the Government if you\u2019re in Government. You cannot abstain if you\u2019re in Government. It weakens our strength, it weakens Government, it doesn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur own party knows that, our own members know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Ryan said it is up to individual parties to deal with disciplinary matters in their own way.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery party has a different approach. This is not usual circumstances but we had to take into account precedent and also just the circumstances of this moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the last day in the D\u00e1il. We want to regroup and come back stronger, working together as a team in September, because I think the country needs stable, strong Government.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin said on Friday that it is up to Mr Ryan, how he disciplines party members.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as I am concerned, there are different ways one can approach this but parties are different and we want to keep the focus on the policy agenda,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n