Second ReadingFr Kevin Hegarty
I once heard a story about a pious man who prayed frequently that he would win the lotto. He stormed heaven to no avail. Eventually he cried out in frustration to God: “Why have you not listened to me? People less worthy than me have won. Why not give me a chance?” A magisterial voice replied from heaven: “Why not give me a chance? Will you at least buy a ticket?”
I thought of the story last week. We have witnessed a fascinating struggle between idealism and pragmatism as the Green Party agonised over whether it should join Fianna Fáil in government. Some observers are cynical about their decision to do so. They echo the comment of Charles J Haughey who once said that the Labour Party always wrestles with its conscience and the Labour Party always wins!
So has the Green Party succumbed to the lure of office and abandoned its principles? Perhaps. The agreed programme for government gives little concrete commitment to major Green Party policies. American military planes will continue to stop over in Shannon on their way to Iraq. The controversial hospital co-location project will proceed. Corporate donations to political parties remain. Though I do not subscribe to the full Green Party agenda, I had hoped that in the negotiations for government, the Green Party might achieve the re-routing of the M3 so that the immense archaeological heritage around Tara might be fully investigated and preserved.
The outgoing Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, a day before he left office, as power ebbed from his ministerial pen, signed an order authorising the motorway to go ahead as planned. The Irish Times editorialist may be right. The decision of the Greens to join Fianna Fáil and the PDs in government may come back to haunt them.
And then perhaps not? Green Party leaders argue that, while they did not get Fianna Fáil support for several of their policies, by being at the cabinet table they will have environmental influence on the Government’s social and economic programmes, especially where they concern climate change. They have bought the ticket that gives them access to power through which they can advance their agenda. Better that than continuing to exist in solitary, austere splendour, the purity of their principles untouched by reality.
I believe there is substance in this argument. Can I give you an example of where influence by a pressure group works? Recently I read about a New York nun, Sr Patricia Daly. She grew up in the sixties and seventies when young people were particularly politically aware. In the Catholic school she attended there was much discussion about how Christianity related to the world:
“Our religion classes were the primary place where we dealt with issues like the Vietnam War, poverty in the world and violence in the city - it was really in the context of religion that we had most of these discussions.”
After university she joined the Dominican Sisters. As a teacher of scripture she realised that she could not teach about Christianity, morality, religion and justice in the abstract. She wondered how in a capitalist world order do we live the Christian commitment. How can the Christian vision be actualised in active concern for the poor, the oppressed and underprivileged in a world economy controlled by aggressively profit-oriented multi-nationals? Can we influence others to advance social justice and care about the environment?
Her life changed when she heard of the Tri-State Coalition for Responsible Investment which brings together Catholic institutions in the New York area. The coalition is part of the Interfaith Centre for Corporate Responsibility which includes Jewish and Protestant organisations. Together they have pooled over one hundred billion dollars to invest in multinational companies. This investment gives them financial muscle in influencing the direction of the companies. It gives them the opportunity to table resolutions on ethical responsibility at shareholder meetings. They sponsor over a hundred resolutions on social and environmental causes each year. Among the companies that have lobbied are General Motors, Ford, Exxon and General Electric. Sr Patricia, as one of the leading figures in the coalition, takes particular pride in their recent success in persuading the leading car makers to exert pressure on their suppliers to improve working conditions. Maybe nothing revolutionary there but it is always better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
Compromise does not automatically mean a sell-out. It can be a way of negotiating progress in a complex world where many issues are not black or white. Any chance that our new Green Party ministers can bring their new-found pragmatism to bear on the Corrib gas controversy?
