Source: Fine Gael's talks with Greens hinges on rural/urban divide

Fine Gael chairman, Martin Heydon, has previously said that those discussions will be based on a broad spectrum of policies, including housing, climate change, health, and taxation.

However, while sources suggest that the Greens may have more in common with Fine Gael than they do with either Sinn Féin or Fianna Fáil, a major obstacle to be overcome will still be the larger party’s dependence on the support of rural farmers and commuters. One rural TD said: “It has to be proportionate and recognise that not everyone lives in Dublin 4. It has to work for people living in the country as well as in the city."

The Greens’ policy priorities include a 7% reduction in Irish emissions, together with an emphasis on public transport over infrastructure. From that point of view the party’s enthusiasm for carbon taxation is one of its primary policy pillars.

“They talk about cutting back on the roads capital programme, but it has to be sensible, it has to make sense if you’ve no other option. We have to recognise that people living in rural communities, that transport does cost them more. Carbon taxes will impact on their income," the source said.

Meanwhile, a Fine Gael TD based in Dublin suggested that their party’s climate action plan provides “great scope for commonality” with the Greens.

However, they added that in rural terms, the stumbling block will be in relation to 'how you reward people for embracing these policies':

“How do you give back to people for making the right decision?”

“There has to be something a little bit more to encourage people to stop driving diesel cars. In many ways it’s a timing issue. At the end of the day we will all have to do the same thing,” they said.