Greens face crisis over wave of education cuts
- Published: 24 October 2008
By Aine Kerr, Fionnan Sheahan and Senan Molony in Beijing
Friday October 24 2008
Taoiseach Brian Cowen yesterday backed his embattled Health Minister Mary Harney just as the Greens sparked a new crisis over education cuts.
Accepting his leadership is damaged, Mr Cowen's attempt to draw a line under the medical card fiasco was overshadowed by sabre-rattling within the Coalition over the school spending cutbacks.
Reeling from the criticism of its involvement in the over-70s medical cards decision, the Green party is again desperately trying to distance itself from the flak over the tough cutbacks in the Budget.
Education flared up as the fresh Budget battleground, as unions and parents were joined by a Green party backbencher and Independent TD Jackie Healy-Rae in demanding Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe revisit his savage range of measures.
In a further sign of the disarray within the junior coalition partners over the Budget fallout, the Green leadership is now considering the alternative proposals put forward by their education spokesman Paul Gogarty.
Green ministers John Gormley and Eamon Ryan are not ruling out bringing his spending plans to Cabinet, even though the proposals involve transferring funds from other areas of the department -- something the Government says it will not do. Earlier this week, when Mr Gogarty put up similar ideas for the medical card cuts, his plans were not taken to Government, so there is no reason to believe that status has changed.
But the continuing backlash over the Budget means the Greens are now understanding the need to be seen acting up.
With teacher unions, parent groups and opposition parties ratcheting up the pressure, Mr Gogarty yesterday wrote to the Education Minister seeking a reversal of the most hard-hitting education cuts.
"I cannot in all credibility stand by some of the proposals made by your Department," he said. Mr Gogarty, the Oireachtas Education Committee chairman, laid out a series of changes which could yield €194m for the Government in non-education areas.
Last night, a spokesman for the Greens in Government said TDs and Senators had met yesterday to discuss Mr Gogarty's proposals. He confirmed that they "agreed to look and see what can be taken from it".
The Green Party backbencher was joined by Independent TD Jackie Healy-Rae, who called for "radical changes" to the education cuts.
Immoral
Seven school management bodies also combined to condemn "immoral and deeply offensive" education cuts and warn of chaos in primary schools from January.
Mr Cowen insisted, however, that the education cuts made in the budget would stand.
The Taoiseach also candidly declared that worse cutbacks than the slashing of health service provisions to pensioners were actively considered by the Government for Budget 2009.
And Mr Cowen also announced his backing for his embattled Health Minister.
"Mary Harney has my confidence and support," he said.
Accepting mistakes were made on the medical card issue, Mr Cowen admitted he was damaged goods following the medical card crisis.
"While [my] authority may not have been as high last week as it was the week before, there is also to authority, the question of leadership," Mr Cowen said.
As the battle in the Dail continued over medical cards for the over-70s and spread to other areas, Tanaiste Mary Coughlan refused to cancel Dail's extra day off next week, despite the 17 separate pieces of legislation needed to bring the budget into effect.
The Dail won't now be sitting again until next Wednesday afternoon.
- Aine Kerr, Fionnan Sheahan and Senan Molony in Beijing
He said that significant investment in science research was still relatively new in Irish higher education.
