Heavin says Ryan's leadership is not damaged by tight leadership win

Local Green Party councillor Louise Heavin said she doesn't believe Eamon Ryan's authority in the party has been damaged by the narrow margin of his victory in last week's leadership election.

Mr Ryan retained the Green Party leadership when he defeated Catherine Martin by 994 ballots to 946, a winning margin of just 48 votes.

Cllr Heavin said Mr Ryan and Ms Martin were "two good candidates" and it wasn't surprising that party members would find it difficult to separate them, as "either one would have been a great leader for the party".

The Mount Temple native said she had voted for Mr Ryan in the interest of stability.

"I didn't feel it was the right time for a leadership election, and Eamon obviously has a good track record, especially given that the party had been in bother for so long. I felt he was the right person to keep the party momentum going," Cllr Heavin told the Westmeath Independent on Tuesday.

When asked if his leadership has now been damaged, she replied: "I don't think so, I think it just shows how good an opponent Catherine was, or is.

"The reality is that they do work very closely together. We don't have co-leaders, we have one party leader, but they both do give leadership to the party. So I think it's just a mark of how great Catherine has been over the past eleven years since she was elected deputy leader."

Also last week, Mayo's Saoirse McHugh, a high-profile but ultimately unsuccessful candidate for the party in European and general elections, announced that she was quitting the Greens, having criticised the party's involvement in the Programme for Government.

Cllr Heavin said it was "a pity" that Ms McHugh had decided to leave the party.

"We had to make compromises as a party going into coalition and a majority of the membership voted for the coalition. That was the reality of it - the country needed a Government," she said.

"I think it's disappointing, really, because we need strong voices in the party lobbying for the changes we need, especially as we move forward with our Government partners."

She felt the party had a role to play in Government by helping to bring about "a Green recovery" with investment in sustainable jobs, a focus on development of town centres, and more accessible public transport.

"These are all big things for the party and it's really important that we, as a party, concentrate on getting those things over the next five years," said the Westmeath councillor.