REACTION:GREEN PARTY deputy leader Mary White has defended her party's role in Government, saying it would continue to do business in a "clean, professional way holding to high standards".
Ms White was speaking after Trevor Sargent resigned as minister of state with responsibility for food yesterday.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland yesterday, Ms White said Mr Sargent acted “honourably” in resigning quickly.
“He didn’t have to be dragged kicking and screaming out of the chamber, there wasn’t an unseemly debate, there wasn’t heckling and gesticulating and cat calls, he stood up, gave his resignation speech, and walked out of the chamber.”
She admitted that although the incident was “very painful” for the junior Coalition partner, the party would not be “found wanting for ethics”.
“We want to return to what we do best, the business and challenges facing the Irish people, and Trevor Sargent specifically resigned promptly to ensure we could return to that urgent business that we face.”
She denied Mr Sargent’s resignation had brought politics into disrepute, and blamed “grubby rezonings” and “grubby amounts of corporate donations that have swelled the coffers of other political parties”.
“We don’t take corporate donations, we don’t do dodgy rezonings, we try to play our politics fair with a straight bat, and that’s what we will continue to do.”
Ms White refused to be drawn on claims by the Opposition that Mr Sargent’s letter was leaked by Fianna Fáil TDs angry over the resignation of Willie O’Dea as minister for defence.
“We can have all the conjecture and innuendo, and people saying this, that and the other,” said Ms White.
“But we simply don’t know how that letter came into the public domain.
“But what we do know is Trevor Sargent is no longer a minister at the Department of Food and Horticulture, and we have to face that fact.
“But Trevor is a valued member of our parliamentary party, and we have put this setback behind us now and get on with the business of Government, and that’s what we are trying to do in very difficult economic times.”
Meanwhile, party colleague Senator Dan Boyle, who helped bring about Mr O’Dea’s resignation last week through Twitter, yesterday tweeted: “Here’s hoping that nothing happens today.”
