By Andras Gergely
DUBLIN, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Ireland's Green Party was deciding on Saturday whether to stay in Prime Minister Brian Cowen's coalition and support his 54 billion euro ($80 billion) bank rescue plan and efforts to cut the bloated budget deficit.
A rejection from the about 700 Green members expected to vote would lead to a snap election that the unpopular coalition parties would almost certainly lose, derailing their efforts to fix some of Europe's worst public finances.
Most analysts expect the Greens to approve a new programme for government agreed with Cowen's Fianna Fail party late on Friday, rather than risk an election that would probably return no Green members to parliament.
But the party's strong ideological streak, and a high two-thirds threshold needed for motions to be carried, meant there was an outside chance of a 'No' vote just a week after Cowen's victory in getting the EU's Lisbon reform treaty ratified in a referendum.
'Most people will want to continue (in government) but ... a lot of people will still bite the bullet (on going into the political wilderness) because people are very principled,' said Kieran Cunnane, 42, a member from the western county of Galway, as he queued for registration.
The new government programme, which reiterated a target of bringing public finances in line with EU rules by 2013, granted Green demands ranging from a ban on stag hunting to limiting spending cuts in the field of education.
'Yes, we do have to make those expenditure cuts but we have to maintain services, we have to remain competitive, and one of the ways of doing that is investment in education,' Green Party Leader John Gormley told reporters at the start of the meeting.
A motion on government plans to create a National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) or 'bad bank' has been worded in a way that boosts its chances of being passed, while a last-minute deal on a bank levy could also sway some members.
The plan envisages the state paying 54 billion euros for banks' risky commercial property loans.
Delegates were greeted at the entrance by protesters chanting 'Mud on your face, a big disgrace, waving your NAMA all over the place. We will, we will sack you.'
'NAMA is a bad deal for the country,' said Pat Kavanagh, a Green councillor in the town of Wicklow, south of Dublin.
'We are paying over the odds for these bad loans,' said Kavanagh, handing out leaflets urging members to vote to quit the government.
The outcome of the voting was due to be announced around 1700 GMT.
(Reporting by Andras Gergely; Editing by Kevin Liffey) ($1=.6782 Euro) Keywords: IRELAND POLITICS/ (andras.gergely@reuters.com; +35315001518; Reuters Messaging: andras.gergely.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
DUBLIN, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Ireland's Green Party was deciding on Saturday whether to stay in Prime Minister Brian Cowen's coalition and support his 54 billion euro ($80 billion) bank rescue plan and efforts to cut the bloated budget deficit.
A rejection from the about 700 Green members expected to vote would lead to a snap election that the unpopular coalition parties would almost certainly lose, derailing their efforts to fix some of Europe's worst public finances.
Most analysts expect the Greens to approve a new programme for government agreed with Cowen's Fianna Fail party late on Friday, rather than risk an election that would probably return no Green members to parliament.
But the party's strong ideological streak, and a high two-thirds threshold needed for motions to be carried, meant there was an outside chance of a 'No' vote just a week after Cowen's victory in getting the EU's Lisbon reform treaty ratified in a referendum.
'Most people will want to continue (in government) but ... a lot of people will still bite the bullet (on going into the political wilderness) because people are very principled,' said Kieran Cunnane, 42, a member from the western county of Galway, as he queued for registration.
The new government programme, which reiterated a target of bringing public finances in line with EU rules by 2013, granted Green demands ranging from a ban on stag hunting to limiting spending cuts in the field of education.
'Yes, we do have to make those expenditure cuts but we have to maintain services, we have to remain competitive, and one of the ways of doing that is investment in education,' Green Party Leader John Gormley told reporters at the start of the meeting.
A motion on government plans to create a National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) or 'bad bank' has been worded in a way that boosts its chances of being passed, while a last-minute deal on a bank levy could also sway some members.
The plan envisages the state paying 54 billion euros for banks' risky commercial property loans.
Delegates were greeted at the entrance by protesters chanting 'Mud on your face, a big disgrace, waving your NAMA all over the place. We will, we will sack you.'
'NAMA is a bad deal for the country,' said Pat Kavanagh, a Green councillor in the town of Wicklow, south of Dublin.
'We are paying over the odds for these bad loans,' said Kavanagh, handing out leaflets urging members to vote to quit the government.
The outcome of the voting was due to be announced around 1700 GMT.
(Reporting by Andras Gergely; Editing by Kevin Liffey) ($1=.6782 Euro) Keywords: IRELAND POLITICS/ (andras.gergely@reuters.com; +35315001518; Reuters Messaging: andras.gergely.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
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