Rabbitte: Greens trying to save their own skins
The Labour Party's Justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte has said the Green Party is "trying to save face" after it announced today that it has called time on its coalition with Fianna Fáil.
The Government's junior Coalition party called for a General Election and John Gormley, leader and Environment Minister, said he wanted a date for the vote to be set some time in the second half of January.
But Labour's Pat Rabbitte said: "Clearly the minor party wanted to get its retaliation in first.
"Their statement today is at variance with everything they have said up until yesterday, but I think they are probably trying to save their own skins."
The dramatic call comes less than 24 hours after Cabinet ministers agreed to ask the International Monetary Fund and Europe for a multibillion bailout – a plea described as humiliation for the country.
Mr Gormley said: "The past week has been a traumatic one for the Irish electorate. People feel misled and betrayed.
“But we have now reached a point where the Irish people need political certainty to take them beyond the coming two months. So we believe it is time to fix a date for a general election in the second half of January 2011.”
The Greens said they made the decision on Saturday.
The party then sent its two Cabinet ministers into an emergency meeting yesterday to sign off the IMF/EU bail-out.
Sinn Féin meanwhile has accused the Greens of denying the people of Ireland an immediate election.
Its leader in the Dáil Caoighean O'Caolain said the party "will cut and then run for their political lives".
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