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SUNDAY ISSUE
‘I want to make sure Budget 2025 provides the most to the least well off’, says new Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman
He has his work cut out following a difficult election
RODERIC O’GORMAN was elected as Ireland’s new leader of the Green Party this week.
He saw off rival Pippa Hackett after Eamon Ryan stepped down last month after 13 years in the role.
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The Minister for Children and Integration becomes just the fourth leader of the Green Party.
But he has his work cut out following a difficult election at the ballot box in the recent local and European elections.
Writing exclusively in the Irish Sun on Sunday, Minister O’Gorman, outlines his vision for the future of the party and the country.
I HAVE always felt strongly that politicians should be accessible and engage with the public.
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It is something that was important to me before I was ever elected and I was active in my local community, and it’s something I have tried to maintain since becoming a TD and Minister.
I am out knocking on doors most weeks, and meet people around my constituency, it is a good reminder for every politician that social media is not real life.
People want to chat, and even where there is disagreement, it is usually respectful.
Out knocking on doors, you find out what people around the country care about, and what they want to see their Government doing.
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I know that many people around the country care about our climate.
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They worry about how our weather is changing, and they wonder about how bad things could get by the time their children are grown up with kids of their own.
Over the last few years in Government, the Green Party has worked to support people when it comes to making our environment better.
We have put a lot of money into helping people get warmer homes and cheaper energy, and reduced the cost of travel.
The good news is that all of these efforts by the public are paying off.
A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency this week found that Ireland’s carbon emissions have fallen by almost seven per cent, and are now lower than at any time in the last thirty years.
We are making real steps forward in tackling climate change.
All of this is good, but I know that climate change and the environment isn’t the most important issue for most people, every day.
If you are a parent trying to get services for your child with a disability, that is where your focus is going to be.
If you are in your twenties and wondering how you will be able to afford a home, that is where your focus is going to be. I know that these sorts of daily struggles exist all over this country, in cities, in suburbs, in towns and townlands.
Government has to be about tackling all of these issues. Yes, we have to take urgent action on the climate change and longer term issues, but we need to show as much focus on the problems of today. These problems are often linked.
As a Minister, I have tried to make life a bit easier for families. Halving the cost of childcare, extended paid leave for parents, bringing in new rights to remote and flexible working.
I am proud of the difference these have made in so many people’s lives.
Alongside this, I have also tried to support vulnerable people. I have brought in new laws on giving paid leave from work to victims of domestic violence and Equal Start, which gives extra supports to childcare in disadvantaged areas.
And now as leader of the Green Party, I know we need to do more.
People know that we will work hard to deliver on climate and environment.
I want to make sure people know that we are here to support them, to deal with the problems of today every bit as much as those in 2030 or 2050.
There isn’t long until the next General Election, but this Government still has work to do.
We have a Budget in October, and, as with our last four Budgets, I want to make sure it provides the most to the least well off.
I want to bring in new laws to allow women with serious illnesses to delay their cancer treatment, and continue putting more money into areas like childcare and disability services.
All of this is so important to people around the country, that is why, as leader of the Green Party, it will be my focus in the weeks and months ahead.