Green Party differences on trade deal are 'healthy' says Eamon Ryan

The international agreement was due to be ratified in the Dáil after a 55-minute debate on Tuesday, however, it will now not go ahead until after Christmas.

Mr Ryan said he will take the next month to convince his members to back the deal.

But he added: "There's a tradition within the Green Party, that you do air differences you don't shy away from policy discussions and differences. I think that's a healthy approach."

Mr said he would explain the "very technical reasons" why he believes the deal should now be passed to members.

While Mr Ryan said changes had been made to Ceta in the last three years which addressed many of the concerns that had been originally been flagged, he conceded that it is "not perfect".

"People will argue the other side, saying there's still concerns and we will listen to those.

He said in a world which is dividing the threat of "protectionism and nationalism and a breakdown of international co-operation" risks "the development of an environmental approach, a social justice approach".

He said he said he would be supporting Ceta on the basis of protections that have been introduced in the last three years.

The issue was discussed at a meeting of the party executive committee on Saturday again with Green Party members of Cabinet when it was decided to defer the vote.

Meanwhile, Mr Ryan said he hopes life will return to normal by the summer but he said this would depend on the uptake and rollout of the vaccine.

He confirmed that residents of long-term residential care homes and frontline health staff will be the first to get the vaccine from next month.

He said there is no timeline for the complete rollout of the vaccine to those who are not deemed at risk adding that it will depend on a number of factors including the availability of the vaccines and how fast it can be produced and distributed.

"The entire resources of the health system will be provided towards this, it's obviously critical to try and get us out of the current arrangements."

It comes as the Government is due to sign off on the vaccination programme at Cabinet this morning.

Mr Ryan, who spoke to both Newstalk and RTE this morning. said concerns around the vaccine must be listened to and then addressed in "a reasonable rational manner".

But he added that "our safety is collectively enhanced" the more people take the vaccine.

Confirming that he will take the vaccine, he said: "It is a protection where the actions I take help protect those I love as well, so I see it as a social act in that way".

However, Solidarity-PBP TD Paul Murphy, who was an MEP when the deal was being hammered out in Europe strongly disagreed that it had somehow changed in recent years.

"I have no idea what Eamon Ryan is talking about, the deal that he stood outside the gates two or three years ago to join the coalition in opposing is fundamentally the same deal," he said.

Mr Murphy said the deal would allow corporations to take States to administrative tribunals, a power which he said is only available to big corporations.

"So, it's just not accurate and it's thoroughly disingenuous for him to suggest that in some way it's different. And I'd like to see the detail around the argument he's making because I don't think it holds any water whatsoever."

Cork North Central Mick Barry said the deal would allo big corporations to sue for loss of earnings in cases where "sound environmental policies" are introduced, which he said could not be stomached by any serious environmentalist.

"For the Green Party in government to vote for Ceta, or to allow Ceta to go through would be the equivalent of Solidarity People Before profit being in Government supporting the reintroduction of the water charges."

Richard Boyd Barrett accused the Green Party of "colluding" with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to "ram through" an agreement which he said would have a "very profound and extremely damaging consequences on the ability of any government to address the climate crisis, to protect workers rights, to protect public services, to protect food quality, and to protect as a consequence our small farming sector.

"Ceta can do extreme damage to the environment to workers to public services and small farmers," he said.