THE Green Party yesterday again defended its stance over the Mahon tribunal controversy surrounding payments to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Speaking on RTE's Saturday View programme, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, said, "Our position is to let the tribunal do its work.

"Everyone has the right to fair process and the tribunal has the right to process all the information and come to its conclusions."

The Greens have remained steadfast in vehemently refuting claims that they have abandoned core party principles during their initial days in government . . . despite mounting evidence to the contrary.

Just seven months ago, party leader John Gormley delivered a blistering attack on the phenomenon he called "Planet Bertie" . . .where "there's a strange cult called Fianna Fail, a type of religion with no vision or values".

He claimed that people living on Planet Bertie could sign blank cheques, get loans from people that they didn't have to pay back, and save �50,000 without a bank account.

But Gormley . . . who hounded Ahern over his finances during the general election campaign . . . said in recent days: "We look after ourselves, our own standards and our own morality. I think the tribunal should be allowed to take its course.

The Green Party has started over the past 14 weeks as it meant to go on in government for the coming five years."

This stance is just one of the anomalies in key Green policies since the general election in May, including:

The Greens' support in June for the government's plans to co-locate private hospitals on public hospital grounds. The party had opposed such plans before going into government, with Gormley saying, "It is clear that these building projects will very quickly run into difficulties."

Earlier this month, the Greens' position on the EU shifted when Eamon Ryan indicated that he was in favour of the new EU reform treaty. The Greens have opposed every European treaty since Ireland joined the EEC in 1973.

Section 13 of the Greens' general election manifesto attacked successive Irish governments for taking "a minimalist approach to neutrality" and pledged to "end the use of Shannon Airport by US military forces involved in the war in Iraq."

But a party spokesman told the Sunday Tribune: "The current view on Shannon is as per the current programme for government and nine out of 10 party members voted just 15 weeks ago for the programme for government. Whether or not the Greens are in government would not to change the amount of soldiers passing through Shannon."

Gormley has also agreed to issue licenses for hare coursing in the coming season, even though Paul Gogarty, a current candidate to become chairperson of the Green Party, called for a complete ban on hare coursing last year.

Last February, Gormley claimed that the PDs had become the "Tammy Wynette of Irish politics" as they stood desperately by their man [Bertie]. It is as yet unknown what Gormley's nemesis, former PD leader Michael McDowell, thinks of this statement now.

Meanwhile, the internal party debate over the Greens' relationship with Fianna Fail is set to intensify in coming days as five candidates have emerged to contest the position of party chair.

The position was vacated by Minister for the Environment Gormley when he became party leader in July and nominations for the position closed last Friday.

TD Paul Gogarty, Senator Dan Boyle, Cllr Bronwen Maher, Dr John Barry and Phil Kearney have all thrown their hats into the ring for the position. Party members will receive postal ballots this week and these have to be returned by noon on Friday, 19 October.