Irish idiom for putting the national interest ahead of other interests
This article is about the Irish idiom. For road bicycle racing, seeGreen jersey.
"Put on the green jersey" is a phrase to represent putting the Irish national interest first. The phrase can be used in a positive sense, for example evoking feelings of national unity during times of crisis. The phrase can also be used in a negative sense – e.g. the Irish national interest as an excuse for immoral conduct or corruption. The phrase reflects the wearing of greensports jerseys by most of Ireland's sporting teams.
While the term is used in a range of contexts, it is most common to see it used in a pejorative sense, and to describe taking face saving actions, over unveiling the facts.[1][2][3] In this context, it is often used in relation to political situations and the choice between protecting Ireland's international reputation versus the need for public disclosure.[4][5] The term is invoked frequently in such a manner during debates in the IrishDáil Éireann (a search ofDáil Éireann debates lists over 400 instances),[6] where opposition members sometimes claim face saving measures are for an incumbent Government's reputation, and not the national interest.
The term can be invoked by an incumbent Government looking for support from opposition parties for a particular course of action on which there is no consensus. In November 2018, the IrishTaoiseachLeo Varadkar was criticised by opposition parties for invoking the Green Jersey in relation to Brexit negotiations,[7] and other matters.[8]
During State prosecutions of the Irish banking crisis (2014–2018), the derived termgreen jersey agenda was used to imply that Irish bank CEOs and the Irish State (Department of Finance,Financial Regulator, and theCentral Bank), colluded to advocate the build up of credit during theCeltic Tiger period, and then covered up the scale of financial leverage when the banking system began to collapse in 2008.[9][10][11][12][13] In one particular State prosecution, theIrish Times reported how the State unsuccessfully sought to have the jury prevented from hearing evidence regarding a "green jersey agenda".[14]
"Green jersey" can appear with the termIreland Inc., which refers to Ireland behaving like a single company (and taking commercial decisions ahead of other decisions such as social, ethical, or risk).[15][16] In this context, the term is most often invoked when refuting criticism of Ireland Inc.[11] This was considered to be a factor in the lack of challenge and debate around the extreme build-up of leverage in theCeltic Tiger era (and for which the independentIrish Fiscal Advisory Council was created).[17][18]
The term (and its derived terms), are also invoked as a call to put different interests aside in favour of taking a positive course of action for the Irish national interest. During the 2019FAI controversies regarding CEOJohn Delaney, the term was invoked to overhaul the FAI's governance.[21] In the2019 European elections, it was invoked to show Ireland's commitment to the European Union and rejection of aBrexit agenda.[22] In April 2019, IrishEuropean Commissioner,Phil Hogan, was quoted as describing Europe's support for Ireland's agenda in theBrexit negotiations as "wearing a green jersey".[23]
"This was a cosy culture of common purpose in which the imperative was to keep the boom going, with the government chivvying businessmen to 'pull on the green jersey'. Politics was a catalyst of the crisis, not a restraint." TheFinancial Times, commenting in 2010 on the origins of the Irish financial crisis under the former IrishTaoiseachBertie Ahern's administration.[17]
"The two phrases that summed up the fatuity of Fianna Fáil–led governments underBertie Ahern andBrian Cowen were (a) 'pull on the green jersey' and (b) 'talking down the economy'." Acclaimed Irish journalist,Fintan O'Toole, commenting in 2012 on why Ireland failed to anticipate the severe property crash of 2009–2012[18]
"Tánaiste Gilmore has been accused of 'hypocrisy' and 'amnesia' following his comments to the opposition parties that they should 'put on the green jersey' and support the government in its negotiations with the Troika." IrishTánaisteEamon Gilmore, asking Irish opposition parties in 2012 to accept proposals of theTroika.[24]
"He said he was motivated to do this because of his understanding of a request fromPat Neary, the Chief Executive of the Financial Regulator, and the Central Bank governor John Hurley, for the Irish banks to support each other, a so-called 'green jersey' agenda". The 2016 trial of ex.Permanent TSB CEO Denis Casey on his authorisation of €7 billion in loans to supportAnglo Irish Bank.[25]
"I think I pulled on the green jersey in order to compromise in relation to, and agreeing to, an appeal for different reasons, but so that we could move into an era of tax justice." Irish Minister,Katherine Zappone, onRTÉ news as to why she voted to appeal the€13 billion fine against Apple, despite being a supporter of tax justice.[26]
"But before we all pull on the green Apple jersey, let's stop and think about what we're doing and what we're saying about ourselves to the world." Acclaimed Irish journalist,Fintan O'Toole, commenting on Ireland's decision in 2016 on whether to appeal the EU's€ billion fine against Apple, which would be paid to Ireland.[27]
"Mr Grehan [Senior Counsel for David Drumm] said Mr Drumm answered Ireland's call when it came, donned the green jersey, and did not desert his post at Anglo Irish Bank." The 2018 trial ofAnglo Irish Bank CEODavid Drumm on his actions as the Irish banking crisis began to unfurl.[28]
"System failures, administrative errors, endless reviews and prevarications, lost records, putting on the green jersey, alleged lack of resources – all these things have been used to justify wrongdoing. No longer."Taoiseach,Leo Varadkar, in 2017 defending a no-confidence motion regarding theGarda whistleblower scandal.[1]
"When [MEP] Matt Carthy put that to the Minister's predecessor, (Michael Noonan), his response was that this was very unpatriotic and he should wear the green jersey." TDPearse Doherty,Sinn Féin Deputy Leader, noting in 2017, Finance MinisterMichael Noonan's response to being told the "single malt" had replaced "double Irish", in aDáil Éireann debate.
^ab"Government wins confidence motion by five votes".The Irish Times. 15 February 2017.Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved4 June 2018.Leo Varadkar. System failures, administrative errors, endless reviews and prevarications, lost records, putting on the green jersey, alleged lack of resources – all these things have been used to justify wrongdoing. No longer.
^"Free speech and the Green Jersey agenda". Karl Whelan, Professor of Economics, University College Dublin. 19 October 2009.Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved2 June 2018.[The Ulster Bank economist Pat McArdle said that] Freedom of speech is fine and we're all in favour of it. But there are sometimes when you have to temper things in the greater interest.
^"We need a banks tribunal — not another FF smoke-and-mirrors job".The Irish Examiner. 21 January 2010.Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved2 June 2018.I also suspect this "support the green jersey" approach will be put forward as part of an argument that public exposure of their shortcomings, especially if illegality was involved, would be counterproductive to the national interest as it could make our borrowing more difficult to conduct, and impact on the performance of theInternational Financial Services Centre.
^"Irish banks were "pulling on the green jersey" during financial crisis, trial told". Courts News Ireland. 10 February 2016.Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved1 June 2018.A former Anglo Irish Bank director has told the trial of four senior bankers accused of conspiring to mislead investors that there was a "green jersey agenda" which involved banks working together to help each other out during the financial turmoil of 2008.
^"Ireland jails three top bankers over 2008 banking meltdown".Reuters. 29 July 2016. Archived fromthe original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved1 June 2018.Lawyers for the accused argued during the trial that their motivation in authorizing the deal was the "green jersey" agenda, the financial regulator's request for Irish banks to support one another as the financial crisis worsened.
^abCliff Taylor (11 July 2016)."The green jersey merchants haven't gone away".The Irish Times.Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved1 June 2018.The Ireland Inc. creed continues to frown upon straight discussion of anything that might be seen to not be in the 'national interest'. We heard a lot about the "green jersey" agenda during the Anglo trial, which finished during the week. It is the name given to the drive to protect the financial system as the crisis hit, taking in the government, Civil Service, regulators, banks and beyond.
^Pearlstein, Steven (16 August 2013)."Can Ireland's Celtic Tiger roar again?".Washington Post.ISSN0190-8286.Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved8 June 2018.In a new book, "The Fall of the Celtic Tiger," economists Donal Donovan and Antoin Murphy look beyond the property bubble and the bank meltdown and argue that the root cause of the crisis was "the absence of sufficient questioning and internal debate" within a political, economic and media establishment too easily prone to "wearing of the green jersey."
^Cliff Taylor (10 February 2016)."Anglo case hears of 'green jersey agenda' at the banks".Irish Times.Archived from the original on 11 February 2016. Retrieved7 June 2018.Matt Cullen, the former director of treasury at Anglo, agreed that the genesis of the email was about how banks could help each other out and that this was a case of "pulling on the green jersey". "This was Ireland Inc.," Mr Cullen said, adding that Mr Drumm was talking to CEOs of the other banks.
^Fiachra Ó Cionnaith (6 April 2019)."EU agriculture commissioner: No border 'under any circumstances'".Irish Examiner. Retrieved19 May 2019.Mr Hogan, in Kerry yesterday, said Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel show the EU is "wearing the green jersey" and that will not change.
