"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 green sports 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 Irish Dáil Éireann (a search of Dáil 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 Irish Taoiseach Leo 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 term green jersey agenda was used to imply that Irish bank CEOs and the Irish State (Department of Finance, Financial Regulator, and the Central Bank), colluded to advocate the build up of credit during the Celtic 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, the Irish 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 term Ireland 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 the Celtic Tiger era (and for which the independent Irish Fiscal Advisory Council was created).[17][18]
An example was when Irish businessman Denis O'Brien, said in 2018 that the Dublin office market was in a "bubble",[19] which the Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, publicly refuted that day, from the world economic forum in Davos.[20]
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 2019 FAI controversies regarding CEO John Delaney, the term was invoked to overhaul the FAI's governance.[21] In the 2019 European elections, it was invoked to show Ireland's commitment to Europe and rejection of a Brexit agenda.[22] In April 2019, Irish European Commissioner, Phil Hogan, was quoted as describing Europe's support for Ireland's agenda in the Brexit negotiations as "wearing a green jersey".[23]
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.
Michael Lowry's complaints in respect of an alleged abuse of process could be interpreted as "an attempt to give a nod and wink to the court to 'put on the green jersey'" by not allowing the prosecution to proceed.
[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.
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 the International Financial Services Centre.
The 'green jersey' agenda is alive again and in full swing. Ten years ago, it was called upon in a bid to salvage our bust banks.
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.
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.
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.
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."
Judge ruled that it would not be right or practical to try to stop the Jury hearing about the "green jersey agenda".
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.
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.