Green Party policies are ‘nuts’, says Kilkenny Minister as election battle gets underway

Minister John Paul Phelan didn’t mince his words when he outlined his views about the Green Party during an Irish Farmers’ Association dinner in his native Kilkenny over the weekend.

Despite stating his words were misrepresented, Minister Phelan has not watered down his sentiments and reiterated his belief that some of the policies promoted by the Green Party are “nuts”.

The Kilkenny TD had been reported as describing some of the Greens are “nutters” as the countdown to next General Election, likely to be next month, gets underway.

Minister Phelan today said his words were not represented accurately or within context, but added he still thought some of the Green Party’s policies are “nute”.

He told KilkennyNow.ie: “What I was taking aim at was the policies of the party, not any individual. The reference in the newspaper isn’t accurate. There is a context for everything.

“My own position is, and what I have been taking aim at, is there are a lot of the Green Party policies that are a bit nuts, Some of which would have a detrimental effect on the way of life to rural constituencies like Carlow-Kilkenny.

“For example, we have a prominent Green Party councillor tweeting figures for air quality outside of schools in Dublin, completely in ignorance and no reference to the fact that air quality outside of schools in any urban centres is because of diesel cars that are bringing the kids to the schools.

“It is no good to wave your finger at mothers and fathers of school-going children after it was they who made a political policy decision ten years ago to more or less force us into diesel cars. It is that which has now led to air policy issues.

“Another example, a couple of weeks before Christmas, their MEPs voted to hand over sovereignty on corporation tax which would see the European Union taking over corporation tax rates.

“In an Irish context, we have more than 250,000 people working in foreign multinationals which are mostly export- driven, that would have a disastrous effect on employment figures if we were to lose our tax sovereignty.

“Don’t get me started on wolves, or if you live in a village in rural Ireland there should only be 30 cars,” he added.

Local Green Party councillor and General Election candidate Malcolm Noonan earlier accused Minister Phelan of being in election mode and said his constituency rival “must retract a little bit”.

“I would hope this election campaign is not going to be this type of campaign but one of informed debate across all sectors,” he told KCLR.