Spent today in Green company, at a general meeting for members in the morning, and an economics seminar in the afternoon. All the Oireachtas members were present, and it was, in the main, a day that reassured me I was in the right party.

I learned something about which “wing” of the party I am on, when I heard the word “watermelon” being used rather flippantly in reference to the unashamedly leftist and brilliant Ann Pettifor. (Green on the outside, red on the inside.) Given that the conference filled the Liberty Hall theatre, and for many years I had been a trade union activist at national level a few storeys above me, and voted for Ruairi Quinn for many years, I guess I’m a watermelon. Although it galls me that such a phrase exists – it is as if ideas of wealth redistribution and government governing on behalf of the people for all the people are not green concepts. They are.

My anger over the ending of the medical card for the over-70s remains, but I see now that everyone in cabinet was severely rattled by not having any money left. I still believe that it’s long-term foolishness to abandon universality in geriatric health care, not to mention a grave breach of trust, but there you go. But although I believed it would have been foolish to pull out of government so soon into its term over the issue, and therefore appearing to be immature and kneejerk, I was dismayed to hear from John Gormley that this time last year the Greens in cabinet were threatening to walk over the issue of the Mahon Tribunal. Too soon, too soon.

There was an emphasis during the day on how the crisis could be turned into an opportunity. Eamon Ryan, who admitted to being strangely optimistic, made reference to Naomi Klein, which was enormously reassuring, as I have found her arguments persuasive about how capitalism takes advantage of systems in shock. He was making the point that now more than ever green ideas are necessary, and I can see, after today, that the Greens have no shortage of ideas to bring to government.

Someone made the point that the 1989 Green party manifesto (pdf) predicted the current disaster. Indeed, in it, I find the first line of the statement on Banks, Finance and the National Debt is: “The financial realm is too important to be left to the control of private banks which by their nature are primarily motivated by profit”. It tackles too the fact that Ireland is one of the most open economies in the world, and that that was something chosen, not natural.

Richard Douthwaite of Feasta made a rather persuasive argument about Ireland leaving the Euro and devaluing its currency to regain competitiveness. Another member was saying that the reason American companies locate here is that we are in the Eurozone. But, the way things are going, in a few years there won’t be any American companies left here. And Dell moved its production line to non-Euro Poland. But Dan Boyle had earlier reminded us that if we had not been in the eurozone, we would probably have gone the way of Iceland, and I believe him.

A lot of talk of Green Keynesianism, Green New Deal policies, and taking monetary control back in to our own hands and away from the bankers. Sustainable development, “degrowth” and alternative ways of looking at employment and education, taxation and stimulus. I have a lot of reading to do, it seems. And a lot of thinking to do.

For all the fact that Roderic O’Gorman is right to complain that there is no Green “big idea” that the government has implemented to date, over which he can stand at the forthcoming elections, I don’t think that the Green presence in government is working like that. I do believe the conversations in government are being influenced by those members with ideas, and that the most relevant and encouraging are Green ones. For all the fact that Trevor Sargent didn’t ban all but organic pigmeat during the dioxin scare, and seemed to fail to push organic food as the best option, the fact remains that the entire crisis was over in a week, and public confidence was restored in time for Christmas. That is good government.

The greens in government are good, reflective people doing the best they can in extraordinarily difficult times, and they have the opportunity to influence the shape of Ireland for the rest of the century, if they can win their arguments with Fianna Fáil. I, for one, wish them every success.