The Greens need to learn the O’Malley doctrine.

John Gormley: Some FF blood on his jacket will do him good.

John Gormley: Some FF blood on his jacket will do him good.

Unlike many, I haven’t given up on the Greens yet. I still think that Gormley and Ryan are men of honour and duty, who want to do the best they can for the country. However, they need to watch that Fianna Fail “reasonable” thing. When I was in the Young PDs, many moons ago, Brian Cowan bragged to a Fianna Fail Ard Fheis, about the PDs, that “when in doubt, leave them out!” It got a great reaction in FF. But it also got a reaction in the PDs, because Des O’Malley knew that PD voters voted PD to put manners on FF, and it was that tension that kept the PDs relevent. Occasionally, there’d be a glint of PD blade in the dark, and a Fianna Fail minister (Brian Lenihan senior, Jim McDaid, eventually CJH.)  would find themselves politically throat-slitted. It was so bad that FFers regularly complained about “the PD tail wagging the FF dog.”

You don’t hear that anymore. FF talk about how reasonable the Greens are, and that’ll kill the Greens if they’re not careful. They’ve been reasonable on Shannon and incineration, and humiliated themselves over the blasphemy thing, and for what? A carbon tax that FF are happy to disown? Fact: Green voters, like old PD voters (Many who are now the same people, it may surprise you.) like to see FF bleed. The Greens need to remember that.

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