We have Eamon Ryan as Minister for Climate Action - Good News!

Maybe It Was Not a DIY Phenomenon, 

Maybe We Just Made The Transition

Climate action is something we all want. In the last couple of years we’ve been out on the streets demanding change. Thankfully we now have a strong posse in the Dail, including twelve specifically Green TDs planning a sustainable economy, through interest-free lending and cooperative businesses – which are owned by the people that work there and profits are shared. 

Seedlings and avocado trees at Harmony Hall

The policies being discussed will also mean that the labours of love you put in at home, during the lock-down, can reap rewards. New Housing policies intend to make it possible to earn a little extra money for renting the loft or garage you’ve just done up, so that you’re not means-tested as you are now, while being allowed to offer B&B without risking your income support. 

Girl power patio

Common dilemmas can be resolved at policy level. There’s going to be at least 150,000 homes built for social housing, on public land. They will be built around natural parks with meadow areas, allotments and orchards, designed to high spec insulation and non-toxic materials. Planning will observe energy saving factors and public transport availability. They will be so affordable, in the Cost Rental scheme where low-income families can realistically hope to buy their home, if they want to, for the exact price it cost to build.  

Property Developer - Frances Micklem

In every shape and form, there’s a fine-toothed comb been run through every system and policy that has not been working, in negotiations and in Green Party policy groups, of which I am a participant in several.  Already an abundant harvest is taking place of reforms that will correct everything from unfair competition in all sectors to the prohibitively high cost of taking legal action when you need to. 

The reason we voted in so many of the green party public representatives was that we needed a party to lead this change. What’s more, we have the backing of Europe, as there is the global push to meet climate action targets. That makes it a good time to be alive. We have nearly the makings of a democracy. We have potentially a shared social vision for a better quality of life now and a future for the next generation. I think we should join in, in every way we can.