We’ll bounce back after MLA losses: New leader of Greens

Belfast councillor Mal O’Hara, 43, replaced Clare Bailey as leader yesterday following a disappointing election result in May which saw the party lose both of its MLAs.

In an interview with the PA news agency, Mr O’Hara also told of his desire to see the Province become self-sufficient in energy and to change “hearts and minds” over environmental issues.

Previously the party’s deputy leader, he was elected unopposed as leader after Ms Bailey decided not to continue in the role in the wake of the Stormont election in which she lost her South Belfast seat.

Mr O’Hara said: “We do an internal process within the party and our rules state that we have an election for a leader after each Assembly election and Clare indicated that she wasn’t going to put her name in the hat.

“As deputy for the last three years, I was the next person and we agreed and felt that it was time for new leadership and new energy in the party.

“Members were very supportive and keen to see me take on the mantle of leadership when Clare indicated she was stepping down.

“Clare will still remain involved with the party, we will be utilising her expertise and knowledge in different ways within the party.

“But I think she has decided after the disappointing Assembly election it is time for new leadership, a fresh approach and to bring forward the next generation of activists.”

Mr O’Hara described the Assembly election result, in which party member Rachel Woods also lost her seat in North Down, as the “swings and roundabouts” of politics and said his party had been squeezed by major issues.

He said: “What happened to us was there was a very focused narrative around issues such as the border poll, around a nationalist first minister, that if you were annoyed with the bigger parties then you had to vote for Alliance, and also the Northern Ireland Protocol and the DUP stance on that.

“As a a smaller party inevitably we got squeezed.

“But we are very proud of the legacy our MLAs delivered.

“We brought two pieces of law, but also we forced the Executive to bring forward a Climate Bill.

“We have always been the progressive vanguard of change.

“We have talked about the environment for decades and it’s good to see that others are beginning to adopt those policies and move in that direction.

“But we are a post-conflict society. We are still locked in that binary understanding of constitutional politics and the recent election we had was focused around those issues and that had an impact on us.

“But when there is another Assembly election, and who knows, there might be one pretty quickly, we are determined to regain those seats and we will fight hard and focus hard and I think the public will want Green representation in Northern Ireland.

“We are moving into an era of three different tribes, broadly nationalist, broadly unionist and those others in the middle.

“I think as that matures as a democracy we will see Green politics resurgent.

“I am determined that the scheduled election for councils next year, that we will bounce back stronger than ever.”