Misleading public? Abandoning old policies? A bit of both?

[gosimeon]

Sargent and Kenny disown Green policies: Parlon

Monday 14th May 2007

Statement by PD President Tom Parlon speaking at the launch of the Party's Agriculture and Rural Economy policy on the farm of Seamus & Eilish Croke, Pallas, Portlaoise, Co Laois, this morning..


In this election campaign one of the most notable features has been the anxiety of some of the Opposition Parties to disown long-held policy positions in a bid to make themselves more acceptable to the voters before May 24th next.

One case in point which should be of particular interest to the farming community in this country has been the attempts of the Green Party to disown their long-standing policy of opposing live cattle exports.

Indeed a few weeks ago in the Sunday Business Post (April 24th) the leader of the Green Party, Trevor Sargent, had described a statement I had made pointing out what their policy was as ¡§simply a lie¡¨.

The paper reported as follows:

Green Party leader Trevor Sargent has taken issue with claims that his party would end live animal exports if elected to power. In his address to the IFA executive as part of a pre-election lobby last week, Sargent described the claim by the Laois/Offaly TD as ¡§simply a lie¡¨.

I'm not sure who Mr. Sargent was trying to hoodwink, but it is very clear from their own party policy that I had certainly not been lying.

The Green Party's Animal Welfare policy is very precise on this issue of crucial importance to the farming community.

Let me quote directly from it:

The Green Party does not promote or support live exports of animals..
http://www.greenparty.ie/en/policies/an ... are_policy

More recently, we had Fine Gael Leader, Enda Kenny seeking to explain away the embarrassing policy stance of the Greens by boldly asserting that ¡§the Green Party is not opposed to live exports and that is confirmed by Trevor Sargent¡¨ (Sunday Times, April 29th last).

So this is a case of not only Trevor Sargent seeking to hoodwink and mislead Irish farmers, but we also have Enda Kenny in on the act.

Clearly Enda Kenny realises that if he is to have any chance at all of becoming Taoiseach, he will be relying on the support of the Green Party.

But Irish voters in general, and Irish farmers in particular, are not that gullible, and I resent these blatant efforts of Messrs Kenny and Sargent to seek to treat them as fools.

I have been telling the truth in the matter of Green Policy on live cattle exports, and Enda Kenny and Trevor Sargent have been seeking to deny that plain truth as enshrined in the Green Party's policy.

I leave it to the people of Ireland - and in this case the farmers of Ireland - to give their verdict on this kind of dishonest politics on May 24th next.

[ciaranmac]

Quoting selectively and out of context to support a non-existent case. Parlon is the one who is trying to hoodwink voters.

3. Live Export of Animals

3.1 The Green Party will work to put in place alternative means for farmers to be viable other than by dependence on live animal exports.

3.2 The Green Party does not promote or support live exports of animals. Until a viable alternative can be offered, the Green Party will seek to reduce the dominance of the large meat factories and supermarkets and lobby for the humane transport of animals at home and abroad while seeking to phase out live exports over time.

3.3 The Party seeks to control the internal live transport of farm animals and calls for full monitoring and inspection of the conditions pertaining to such journeys.

3.4 The Party will promote local abattoirs and value added meat processing to minimise internal live animal transportation.

[gosimeon]

All that you pasted says that, yes, you are opposed to live exports and want to get rid of them.

Thats exactly what he said you want!

[ciaranmac]

It's hardly a manifesto for driving farmers out of business, now is it?

Parlon says the issue is "of crucial importance to the farming community". We say farmers are "dependent on live animal exports". We agree with him that live exports are necessary right now for farmers to earn a living. No fuel for argument there. So let's make some up...

Parlon says we are opposed to live exports. That is not what the policy says. If he can read between the lines of our words, I can read between the lines of his. It seems to me his unstated point is that the Green Party wants to ban live exports outright with no alternative in place. That's not GP policy either.

[gosimeon]

Right. So you are not opposed to live exports, you just don't support it?

I'm sorry. Not trying to twist anything here, but honestly it seems like you are the one not reading your parties policies.

And no, it's not a manifesto for driving farmers out of business. Nobody is saying it is. Some of your agricultuarl policies are just ill-thought out though. 30 Oercent organic produce? I work in the Fruit and Veg industry and I can assure you that organic produce suffers from extremely low market demand. This is despite massive attempt to promote organic goods in our stores. Things like this are idealistically driven, but are not practically implementable and simply cannot work. Farm produce is market driven like any other product and no party should tell farmers what to produce without there being at least some sort of demand for what that party wants them to produce.

[Conor]

Right. So you are not opposed to live exports, you just don't support it?

From my reading of it, it's that they're opposed, but they're not going to stop it, yet.

[discordian]

Right. So you are not opposed to live exports, you just don't support it?

I'm sorry. Not trying to twist anything here, but honestly it seems like you are the one not reading your parties policies.

And no, it's not a manifesto for driving farmers out of business. Nobody is saying it is. Some of your agricultuarl policies are just ill-thought out though. 30 Oercent organic produce? I work in the Fruit and Veg industry and I can assure you that organic produce suffers from extremely low market demand. This is despite massive attempt to promote organic goods in our stores. Things like this are idealistically driven, but are not practically implementable and simply cannot work. Farm produce is market driven like any other product and no party should tell farmers what to produce without there being at least some sort of demand for what that party wants them to produce.

Come on - the issue in this thread is the misrepresentation of the GP by Parlon. I don't know much about their policies regarding organic produce etc.. but I think it's fairly clear from what conormac quotes that the GP would like to see live exports phased out when alternatives have been put in place.

[cyberianpan]

Right. So you are not opposed to live exports, you just don't support it?

From my reading of it, it's that they're opposed, but they're not going to stop it, yet.

That's my reading also. Personally say I'm opposed to Reality TV- I find it very irritating - but I'd never seek to ban it (well ...) - so I won't term Reality TV "wrong".

No the Greens don't quite seem to have the balls to decide that LAE are wrong - instead they want to use Nanny Statism incentives to wean the farmers off it.

"reduce the dominance of the large meat factories"
What they gonna do: shut them ? This reeks of Central Command Planning illiberalism. The Greens have suffered an influx of hairy lefty refugees from the collapse of Communism- they ought purge them.

"alternative means for farmers to be viable "
Grants that will distort the market (see above), probably will keep African children hungry. Government subvention is a failed policy, farmer's grants have rightly being decreasing, in any case any change to it would necessitate renogiation of CAP.

"promote local abattoirs and value added meat processing "
Grants (see above) or waffle (see below) ?

" lobby for the humane transport of animals at home "
Are they priests or politicians ?

cYp

[Eddiepops]

Right. So you are not opposed to live exports, you just don't support it?

From my reading of it, it's that they're opposed, but they're not going to stop it, yet.

That's my reading also. Personally say I'm opposed to Reality TV- I find it very irritating - but I'd never seek to ban it (well ...) - so I won't term Reality TV "wrong".

No the Greens don't quite seem to have the balls to decide that LAE are wrong - instead they want to use Nanny Statism incentives to wean the farmers off it.

"reduce the dominance of the large meat factories"
What they gonna do: shut them ? This reeks of Central Command Planning illiberalism. The Greens have suffered an influx of hairy lefty refugees from the collapse of Communism- they ought purge them.

"alternative means for farmers to be viable "
Grants that will distort the market (see above), probably will keep African children hungry. Government subvention is a failed policy, farmer's grants have rightly being decreasing, in any case any change to it would necessitate renogiation of CAP.

"promote local abattoirs and value added meat processing "
Grants (see above) or waffle (see below) ?

" lobby for the humane transport of animals at home "
Are they priests or politicians ?

cYp

We can't win! But ur and Conor's analysis is about right. We disagree with it, but unlike the communists that we're supposedly infested with, we realise that we're not gonna get our way on everything and that compromise is sometimes required.

Here'sMary White's response to Parlon's bluster:

White denounces PD bluster on live exports
Issued: 14 May 2007

Statement by Mary White

– More strange tales from 'Parlon Country' show extent of his party's desperation

Green Party Deputy Leader Cllr Mary White dismissed as 'paranoid bluster' claims from the PD's Tom Parlon today about live animal exports.

Cllr White said: "The Green Party wants to create added value for Irish farmers and reduce unnecessary food miles by promoting local abattoirs and meat processing plants. We would much rather invest in Irish jobs, support Irish farmers and encourage demand for fresh, healthy local produce than propagate a system that, in many cases, places animals under undue stress.

"We recognise however that a viable alternative does not yet exist, and until it does we favour the phasing out over time of live exports. We also recognise the current economic importance of such sales to Irish farmers.

"From the outset, the Green Party has been honest and open about our policies, as well as those of our opponents. It is sad to see the Progressive Democrats throughout this campaign resorting to lies, smear and spin. It smacks of desperation and a dearth of ideas, and is a disappointing development in what could be the final weeks of a once-honourable party.

"Recent polls have suggested that a majority of PD seats are endangered, so rather than hyperventilating about Green Party policies perhaps Minister Parlon would be better concentrating on schooling his party leader in consistency and integrity – characteristics that PD voters traditionally respected. Should those voters find Michael McDowell's version of the PDs wanting in this respect, they are very welcome to cast their ballots for a Green Party candidate."