Former Green Party leader Trevor Sargent has stood over his claim that Fine Gael Enda Kenny asked him to approach Sinn Féin to sound out if the party was prepared to vote for him as Taoiseach.
As the war of words on the events following the general election in 2007 escalated, the Green Party today claimed that Fine Gael made other approaches to the Greens to act as “emissaries” or as "messenger boys”.
Fine Gael has categorically denied that Mr Kenny or any other party member or official asked the Greens to sound out Sinn Fein for any form of support or cooperation.
The current Green leader John Gormley said that the senior Fine Gael TD Phil Hogan had also spoken to him in Leinster House around that time and had asked him to sound out the possibility of Sinn Féin support in the Dáil for a Fine Gael-led coalition.
Mr Sargent said that Mr Kenny phoned him soon after the election but before any of the substantive discussions on possible formations of government had started.
“There was a realisation dawning on the basis of the figures that Fianna Fáil was going to be in Government again, with the help of the PDs and Indpendents by a whisker if the independents could be got on board.
“Fine Gael were realising that they with Labour and the Greens could only get 77 (seats). That was the scenario by which I got the phone call.
“It was a short matter-of-fact phone call about the figures. It was not about policy. It was just about are you willing to discuss policy and the possible formation of Government,” he said.
Mr Sargent said that he told Mr Kenny that the figures did not add up and that Fine Gael would have to talk to Sinn Fein.
“I said that if you want to be Taoiseach you don’t have a choice. It was then that he [Mr Kenny] said could you give them a nod or ask them a question would they be prepared to vote for him as Taoiseach.
“I said, that is a very unusual thing. You have a phone and a voice. Why don’t you ask your own questions.”
Mr Gormley and Mr Sargent were speaking at the final Green Party conference before the European and local elections, as well as the two Dublin byelections.
On his conversation with Mr Hogan, Mr Gormley said: “[He] expected us to do the spadework. Our preference at the time was for a rainbow [coalition] and you didn’t need to be an Einstein to work out that you needed those four (Sinn Féin) votes.
“I remember saying to Phil Hogan. It’s not possible without the Shinners. And he said would you talk to them?”
Elaborating on his recollection of his conversation with the Fine Gael leader, Mr Sargent said Mr Kenny said that Fine Gael did not want to talk to Sinn but he would appreciate their vote if they would vote for him as Taoiseach.
“That seemed to be the extent of his olive branch, the wonderful opportunity hat Sinn Fein would have if Enda Kenny was Taoiseach. He obviously did not want to pick up the phone.”
Mr Sargent added later: “The only way I can rationalise it is that Enda Kenny had some experience in the Ballrooms of Romance in Mayo when he asked a fellow to ask your sister ‘will she got out with me’.”
He also said that he had mentioned the matter to Sinn Fein Dáil leader Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin : I did in passing say to him you will never believe it but Enda Kenny was on to me and he is interested in your vote. So I think the best description I can give of Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin’s response was a hearty laugh.”
The press conference was attended by the party’s two European candidates Dan Boyle and Deirdre de Búrca as well as many of its local candidates in Dublin. Mr Gormley said that a vote for the Greens would help deliver green jobs and a better quality of life.
The conference was interrupted by peace activist Ed Horgan who said he was resigning from the Green Party as it had abandoned its core principles.
Mr Horgan protested that the Greens had reneged on Rossport, on the Hill of Tara and on Shannon Airport, before he was ushered to the side by officials. The Greens later said that Mr Horgan’s membership of the party has expired since 2007.