The Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, defended his record last night in the face of a Green Party motion of no confidence in him.
Mr Cullen claimed it was not by accident that the Green Party had become one of the laughing stocks of the European green movement. "As they wave their sunflowers in the air, and congratulate themselves for being the guardians of all things worthy, they continue to refuse to make any constructive contribution to debate. Sanctimony, double standards and conspiracy theories form the core of their approach."
Earlier, the Green Party leader, Mr Trevor Sargent, said his party had witnessed the ongoing deterioration of the natural and built environment under Mr Cullen's reign. "That in itself would be a cause of shame and a badge of failure for this FF-PD Government. The conflict arising from the appointment of this Minister for so-called democracy as director of elections effectively makes Minister Cullen's position untenable."
He added that Mr Cullen's lack of interest in climate change was more than matched by his "messianic interest in acting beyond his power". In the case of Carrickmines castle, he added, the Minister, jointly with the local council, applied for permission to destroy a national monument and then granted the approval to himself to fire ahead.
Mr Sargent said that legal actions initiated by the EU Commission during the Irish presidency again showed Mr Cullen's record was particularly poor and frankly very embarrassing, not just for the Government but for the whole country.
On January 13th, the Commission had announced legal action against Ireland for non-compliance with EU laws on water quality. On January 29th, the Commission again was driven to taking legal action on Ireland's failure to protect biodiversity.
Mr Cullen, he added, wanted to remove the cap on political corporate donations. "It is hardly coincidental that this same Minister is also the most corporately sponsored politician in this country. With €35,000 in donations, this is even more than he is allowed to spend on a general election. Of course, he refuses to put any cap on the amount allowable for local elections."
Mr Sargent said that with such wealthy and generous friends, Mr Cullen needed to be reminded about the burden his lack of action to deliver adequate affordable housing created.
Defending his record, Mr Cullen said the Green Party sat with Sinn Féin, who opposed everything. "I would like to congratulate their deputies for sharing with us their opposition to illegal dumping, except of course when it involves semtex and armalites."
He accused the parties of sharing a remarkable distinction: none of them bothered to publish a detailed alternative budget in order to show the people what they were proposing. "They adopted the Leona Helmsley approach to politics: detailed policy is for the little people. They live in a world without choices and a world where there is a magic wand which can solve every problem but is being hidden because of a deep conspiracy." Mr Arthur Morgan (SF, Louth) said Mr Cullen could never have been a competent minister, given his ideological position. "Minister Cullen is a deeply right-wing free marketer whose agenda is anti-working class, individualistic and pro-privatisation."
