Leader's address: The Government is failing to deliver decent social and economic living conditions for the majority of people, the leader of the Green Party, Mr Trevor Sargent, told the party's annual convention.
Emphasising the achievements made by governments involving the Greens in Belgium, Finland, France and Germany, he said Ireland has lower life expectancy, more poverty, less literacy, less doctors and fewer women involved in politics.
"The Taoiseach will no doubt remind you that all this misery is worth it even if you can't afford the rent because unemployment rates are slightly better here," he declared.
Despite increased economic figures, quality of life is falling and dramatically so, he noted. "There are fewer playgrounds per capita than there are golf courses," he told 200 delegates in the Woodstock Hotel, Ennis, Co Clare.
"So when the Taoiseach tells you that you have never had it so good and you wonder why you have less time for your family, commuting takes longer, you can't afford accommodation and you are attending more funerals of young people, you now have proof that in many ways the Taoiseach is lying," Mr Sargent declared.
The public's already "limited" ability to follow the Government's actions is now threatened by its plans to curb Freedom of Information rules "This we will vehemently oppose. This we will fight to the last," he added.
Accident and emergency wards were overflowing while the money to be spent on a new Government jet could pay for 100,000 step-down beds to free up places for acutely ill people.
Repeatedly positioning the Greens as a party ready for power, Mr Sargent said: "This country needs a Green healthy government; it also needs an honest government. The Government claims that they are not borrowing, yet they see no problem with getting their builder friends to borrow, build schools, roads and hospitals under Public Private Partnerships.
"This will leave the taxpayers to pick up the bill to repay the developer over many years. This is hire purchase: the most expensive sort of borrowing and to say that it is not is dishonest," he said.
"This jellyfish government knows how to sting if you are a carer, a child with special needs, in need of hospital care, a school in need of a building, a refuge fleeing persecution.
"However, if you have money then the Government will give you more with the Special Savings Incentive Account, or if you are in charge of a religious order, the Government will underwrite an indefinite amount of your liabilities arising from claims by people abused while in institutions."
On Northern Ireland, Mr Sargent demanded "consistency" from Sinn Féin, which has declared itself to be against an Iraqi war, and in favour of abolishing weapons of mass destruction.
"The Green Party calls on Sinn Féin to bring its new-found enthusiasm for disarmament in Iraq to bear on its own friends, and once and for all let them make real progress and get the IRA to disband.
"An end to the IRA we believe would be a major catalyst to lift the siege mentality in loyalist communities and hasten an end to all paramilitaries as well as the British military presence," he declared.
However, he said, the Government is guilty of double standards.
"It is very keen to support inclusive decision-making in NI, but in Dáil Éireann might is still right and smaller parties are denied speaking time unless they contrive to form a Technical Group."
Bidding for 50 seats in next year's local elections, the Green Party leader said: "We are the fast growing political party in the colleges, in the country and across the world. The Earth can't canvas, you can."
