Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Last night the Dáil voted on a Social Democrats motion calling for a moratorium on data centres pending an environmental impact assessment. Given data centres now consume 11% of Irish electricity output, as opposed to a global average of 2% to 3%, this was a very modest proposal. It was, for example, significantly less strong than the People Before Profit-Solidarity Bill that goes before the House tonight, which calls for a ban on new data centres until such time as the climate emergency has passed. The modest proposal was shot down by 80 votes to 61. Fianna Fáil Teachtaí Dála voted against the proposal. That is no surprise. Fine Gael Teachtaí Dála voted against the proposal. That is no surprise either.

I want to draw attention to the vote of the Green Party Deputies. All 12 Green Party Deputies showed up for the vote last night. It was a full turnout, 100%. Every one of those Green Party Deputies voted for the Government amendment which shot down the proposal for a moratorium. If the Green Party Teachtaí Dála had refused to cast their votes for an amendment which shot down the proposal for a moratorium on data centres, the anti-moratorium vote would have been reduced to 68. If the Green Party Teachtaí Dála had actually cast their votes for the moratorium proposal, its support would have increased to 73. In other words, if the Green Party Teachtaí Dála had cast their votes the way the climate movement and people active in it would have wanted them to, the proposal for a moratorium on data centres would have been passed by Dáil Éireann last night by 73 votes to 68.

I hope this short story of parliamentary arithmetic, while not providing complete lessons for young people getting active in the climate movement as to who they might rely on - that is a bigger issue - certainly provides strong and definite lessons as to who they cannot rely on.

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