Labour to go into coalition with Fine Gael. Hello! Why?

So Eamon Gilmore has ruled out going into government with Fianna Fáil but stated twice in the same interview with Irish Times Political Correspondent Harry McGee that coalition between Labour and Fine Gael is the most likely outcome after the next election. What is Éamon at? Why on earth would he set the bar so low? Putting Fine Gael into government may change the bums on the Cabinet seats (pun intended!) but the economic and social decisions made will be much the same. It was the Spanish American philosopher and author George Santayana who famously said ‘those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it’. But it is his assertion that ‘habit is stronger than reason’ that offers some guidance in trying to rationalise Labour’s decision on its desired government partners.

The depth of anger felt by ordinary people across the state towards the government is palpable. The cry for an end to the madness of bailing out Anglo could not be any louder and the disastrous consequences of Fianna Fáil/Green Party cuts could not be worse felt. The proverbial ‘dogs on the streets’ know that we need a radical shift in politics. Business as usual won’t cut it - things are too far gone for that. So why is Éamon so timid? So depressingly predictable in his willingness to put the blueshirts – and the jaded politics of the same old same old - into the Taoiseach’s Office?

Labour were very much part of the auction politics that disastrously framed the 2007 general election, and dismissed Sinn Féin’s election call for the need to stabilise taxes and to curtail the property bubble. Now Éamon is supporting the government’s line (chiming perfectly with Fine Gael) that we need additional cuts in Budget 2011 to the tune of 3 billion - in an effort to reduce the deficit to 3% of GDP by 2014 as instructed by the EU. The reality is that this deadline will not be met, nor does it need to be. ICTU has been arguing this case for some time now, along with a number of leading economists. Getting people back to work must be the central objective of any government budget strategy at this time. In order to do this we need to spend money. As TASC recently argued, ‘In sort, government spending more than pays for itself - it provides a positive net return to the exchequer. And the opposite is the case; decreased government spending in a slump depresses total demand and so lowers tax revenues and increases welfare payments (even when welfare entitlements are cut).’

So why has Éamon bought into the government cut and snip dogma? Why are Labour so besotted with Fine Gael? Come back from the dark side Labour! Join Sinn Féin in leading a real political alternative for change. Anyway Eamon, I suspect you’d make a lousy golfer and sure the K-Club mightn’t even let you in!

DCC's plan to rezone land in Cabra for residential development is just crazy

The Northside People have reported this week on resident's anger over Dublin City Council's plan's to rezone land owned by the Dominican Sisters in Cabra for residential development. My own view is that it's a crazy proposal. Residents already have major challenges with traffic in the area as I know all too well having lived in the area. In any event available green green space must be used for leisure and sporting activities, amenities that benefit the existing community. As the paper notes Councillors have until the end of July to consider the manager’s report. Sinn Féin will be opposing the plan and I hope the other city Councillors see sense. Just click on the link below to have a read of the Northside People's report.

http://www.dublinpeople.com/content/view/3436/57/

Dublin City Council management agree to keep Sean McDermott Street Pool open... For now

Following a meeting with Sinn Féin this evening Dublin City Council management have confirmed that Sean McDermott Street swimming pool will be kept open for the remainder of the year, but have refused to guarantee the pool’s future for the longer term. Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald has criticised Labour, Fine Gael and Independent Councillors who supported the city budget responsible for creating so much uncertainty about the pool’s future.
 
Sinn Féin Councillors voted against this years annual Dublin City budget as it contained austere cuts that would hit working class communities hardest. We were particularly disappointed that Independent and Labour Councillors supported such an inequitable budget. Targeting inner city areas for cuts in critical service provisions simply does not make sense on any level. Yet this is exactly what Labour has done by supporting this year’s budget. Shutting down sporting outlets for kids and adults in deprived areas is just crazy and it is hard to understand how a party of the left can rationalise this kind of decision.

The future of Sean McDermott Street pool has been secured for the short term but this issue will come before Councillors again at the end of the year when next years budget will be debated and voted on. I urge Labour Councillors to reflect on the impact of the budget on inner city communities and to ensure that they do not vote again in favour of a budget that impact’s so negatively on inner city communities.

The least well off in Irish society are paying the harshest price for the financial mismanagement of the public purse by the government. Dublin City Council, with the support of Labour & Fine Gael, must not add to this wrong by penny pinching in all the wrong places!

HSE cuts target Sancta Maria & Ard Cuan

The HSE have introduced cuts of €4million and the loss of 56 staff across the Daughters of Charity services for people with disabilities. The Sancta Maria respite service on the Navan Road, is set to be cut by 45% while the Ard Cuan respite house in Cabra is facing immediate closure.  Occupational therapy, speech and language and physiotherapy services will also be cut.

The HSE and Health Minister, Mary Harney, have introduced these vicious cuts without a minutes thought for service users and their families. During the boom time government considerably underfunded disability services. Now, in recession, these services are to be decimated. This is an outrage. I challenge Mary Harney to face the families who depend on these services. Instead of hiding behind the HSE the Minister should pay a visit to the real world and shoulder her responsibilities to those she is supposed to serve.

The Daughters of Charity service was forced to close the De Paul swimming pool - which catered for people with disabilities - last year due to lack of funding. Services now face further cuts and closure. I fully support the parents and families of service users in their campaign to have these cuts reversed and urge everyone who wants decent treatment for those with disabilities to support their protest outside the Dáil on Tuesday (29th June).

Messages of support for the campaign can be emailed to parentsforum.daughtersofcharity@gmail.com 

Members and supporters of the Smithfield Amateur Boxing Club who were looked out of their training facilities in CBS North Brunswick Street by the school's board of management. The club has gone from strength to strength since it was first established in 2008. There will be a demonstration every evening this week outside the school. I've spoken to Dublin City Council and the schools board of management. The club needs its training facilities and we in the inner city community are not going to take this one lying down!

Did you know that the world’s largest swimming pool is in Chile?

Great night had by all in Cleary’s pub last night. Much needed funds were raised for the campaign to save Seán MacDermott Street swimming pool.  Did you know that the world’s largest swimming pool is in Chile? I didn’t till last night.

The campaign is going well but not won yet. The protest at City Hall on Monday evening will start at 6pm. A Sinn Féin emergency motion demanding funds to save the swimming pools will be debated. Let's keep the pressure up!

Myself & the East Wall ladies on route to the 2010 women's mini marathon (before the terrible rain!). Huge thanks to all who supported us in raising funds for a much needed wheelchair accessible bus for the Seán O'Casey Community Centre. Onwards & upwards.

Fianna Fáil & the Green's must stop cruel cuts and tackle jobs crisis instead

The Star kindly carried an article of mine this week on the governments proposals to cut further lone parents and social welfare payments. Text of it is below. Have a read and let me know what you think.....

This Government has some cheek. They have wrecked the economy and brought the state to its knees. Of course they won’t take any responsibility for this. Having already cut welfare payments, including the Christmas bonus, they are back again pointing the finger of blame at people on social welfare.

Over the last twelve months the dole queues have swelled. People who have lost jobs have had their incomes and lives shattered. Offers of work are few and far between.

The Minister for ‘Social Protection’ is now waving the big stick at people who are out of work. ‘Get out to work or we’ll cut your benefits’ is the message from Eamon O Cuiv TD and his well paid government cronies. I wonder how Eamon O Cuiv TD, or the rest of them, would get by on €200 a week?

They want us to believe that the thousands who have lost their jobs don’t really want to work or to take up training. This is the same crowd who have failed to come up with any plan to keep people at work or to generate new jobs or to provide training and apprenticeships.

You couldn’t make this stuff up.

Everyone needs decent work, to pay their way and provide for their families. No one should be left in poverty traps, relying on welfare for their income. That is not acceptable. The latest cuts in welfare aren’t really aimed at getting people back to work.

Having a go at the unemployed and lone parents is the Governments way of distracting attention from their own failures – typical sleveen politics.

We need a job creation plan – proposals from Sinn Fein and others can point a way forward. We need training and childcare supports to get people back to work. We need these things now. The Government should lay off people struggling on welfare and use their energies to put right the mess they are responsible for.

Great community demo against uncertain future for Seán McDermott Street swimming pool

There was a fantastic atmosphere at this evening's community demonstration against the proposed closure of the Seán McDermott Street swimming pool. The kids were out in force and gave the chants great welly. Dublin City Council have said they will keep the pool (along with the pools in Crumlin and Coolock) open for the summer which is goods news but its not good enough. Families need a long term commitment that this valuable resource to the inner city will remain open. The local turnout for this evening's protest is a testament to the value and well being the pool brings to the community.

What really ticks me off is that the least well off in Irish society continue to pay the harshest price for the financial mismanagement of the public purse by Fianna Fáil and of course it's ridiculous commitment to throwing good money after bad into Anglo Irish Bank. Dublin City Council must not add to this wrong by penny pinching in all the wrong places. Good on the community for tonight's demo. Onwards and upwards, and we'll keep our pools open.

McDonald welcomes new Ballybough Community Centre

The new Ballybough Community Centre has opened and is named after the late Tony Gregory TD. Yesterday's opening was a really terrific event and evidence, as if evidence is needed, of why we need to continue investing in local communities. Government cut backs to funding for centres and services such as the one here in Ballybough are short sighted and counter productive. The new centre and indeed the spirit of the of the north inner city community is a tribute to Tony's memory and all he achieved. Ádh mór Ballybough.

Quinn Insurance

Quinn Insurance and the Quinn Group in general are major employers in Ireland.  We are currently in the midst of a jobs crisis and the Government has its head in the sand on the issue.

We cannot afford anymore job losses and therefore the administration process at Quinn Insurance must prioritise the maintenance of jobs and their viability into the future.




Quinn workers protest at Leinster House

Youth Unemployment is a problem for everyone

One in four young people are now unemployed. At the start of 2010 the number of those unemployed under the age of 25 in the Twenty-Six Counties had reached 85,000, an increase of almost 150% in a year. Young men are worst affected, with one in three men under the age of 25 now being out of work.

Welfare payments for young people have been slashed and it is estimated that 60,000 people emigrated in the last year.

The government clearly has no strategy to keep young people in Ireland and use their skills to rebuild the economy. 

Sinn Féin believes that if the government doesn’t act to tackle soaring youth unemployment, this will have huge implications for the economy and for society into the future.  

canvassing on youth unemployment at the weekend

Sinn Féin’s proposals to deal with unemployment among young people include:

• A youth jobs fund to create 20,000 new jobs at a cost of €500 million;
• An individual plan for the long term prospects of every person under 25 who is on the live register;
• 2,000 places on a ‘One More Language Scheme’ to give the young unemployed a chance to learn an extra foreign language at a cost of €20million;
• 5,000 free ECDL advanced places at a cost of €25 million;
• 10,000 new CE places at a cost of €168 million;
• 1,000 places on conversion courses at third level to help graduates convert their skills to potential growth sectors at a cost of €15 million;
• 8 measures to treble the number of under 25’s who are self employed including a national entrepreneurship programme, access to credit and greater support for high potential start ups;
• Create a publicly owned green tech firm for Ireland and initiate a major drive to attract FDI in renewable energy at a cost of €100 million;
• Make Ireland a digital media leader through support for skills, infrastructure and entrepreneurship;
• A ‘National Development Scheme’ to employ people directly on public works projects employing 2,000 workers at a cost of approx €100 million;

Save our Swimming Pool

IRISH TIMES Saturday April 10th
(click to read)

There will be a protest against the threatened cut to the Sean MacDermott Street Swimming Pool on Monday April 12th at 6PM at City Hall, Parliament Street, Dublin 2.

 The proposal to close Seán MacDermott Street community swimming pool is a disgrace.

I will be present at the protest against the threatened cut at City Hall on Monday.
It's ironic that the City Council would seek to close a community swimming pool in the year that Dublin is the European Capital of Sport.
This swimming pool is one of very few sports facilities for families and young people in the North Inner City.The City Management and those Councillors who support this cut to the Council budget are letting the community down.

When Dublin City Council was flush with cash the people of the North Inner City were  promised that Seán MacDermott Street pool would be refurbished to the standard of a fully equipped Leisure Centre. Now we are being told that the money is gone and that the pool must close.

This is is disgrace. The people of the North Inner City should not be treated like second class citizens.

Dé Luain Aibreán 5 

North Inner City Folklore Project Honours 1916 Heroes

Start Time: 12:00

Easter Monday Commemoration

The North Inner City Folklore Project will unveil a plaque to Captain Sean Connolly of the Citizen Army killed at Easter 1916.

The commemoration will take the following forms:-

1 At Liberty Hall, 12 noon, a pageant will take place which will include the unfurling of the flag which the Citizen Army hoisted a week before the Rising.

2 The assembled gathering, including relatives of the 1916 leaders, will then march to Sean MacDermott Street led by pipers and a colour party. At 58/59 Sean MacDermott Street Lower, where the house of Captain Sean Connolly once stood, a plaque will be unveiled to his memory and also to celebrate the memory of Molly O Reilly. Captain Sean Connolly, a member of the Citizen Army, was killed in action at City Hall on Easter Monday.

3 After the ceremony a photographic exhibition of Ireland’s fight for independence 1916 – 1923 will be held in the nearby Community Hall at Killarney Court.

North Inner City Folklore Project, Dublin

C/o ICRG 57 Amiens Street, Dublin 1. Telephone 087 921 0673

Some pictures of previous years

Dublin Central Easter Commemorations  2010

Arbour Hill

Good Friday April 2nd, 11.30AM 

Chair: Cllr Seamas McGrattan

Main Speaker: Ruadhán Mac Aodháin

City Centre

Easter Sunday April 4th, 2.30PM

Assemble at Gardens of Remembrance

Parnell Square

Full Listings at this link:  Easter Commemorations 2010:

Press Release- Docklands Authority was " in bed with Anglo Irish Bank to line the pockets of the fat cats and the return to the local community was minimal" - Mary Lou McDonald

PRESS RELEASE

Sinn Féin Vice President Mary Lou McDonald has said that the Dublin Docklands Development Authority was in bed with Anglo Irish Bank to line the pockets of the fat cats while the return for local communities was very minimal.

She also pointed out that anyone found to be guilty of corrupt planning decisions as a result of the publication to the reports on the DDDA must be made to face the full rigours of the law, regardless of political implications.

Mary Lou  McDonald said:

“Anybody found to be guilty of corrupt planning decisions must be made to face the full rigours of the law regardless of the political implications for any politician or political party.

“The reality of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority is quite different to the spin that was used at the time of its establishment. Communities in the inner city such as Sheriff Street, North Wall and East Wall were all to benefit from its establishment. However, it turned out the authority was in bed with Anglo Irish Bank to line the pockets of the fat cats and the return to the local community was minimal.

“And now, as a result of this whole mess, the state may well be faced with substantial costs for damages, the bill for which will of course have to be picked up by the taxpayer once again.”

McDonald Supports Wheelock Family

Press Release 


Mary Lou McDonald has noted the release of the Garda Siochána Ombudsman Commission's report into the death of Terence Wheelock. Terence Wheelock died in 2005 in the Mater Hospital after being in a coma for three months. He never regained consciousness after a period of detention in Store Street Garda Station. In 2006, an inquest jury found 4:3 in favour of a verdict of death by suicide.

The GSOC report sought to deal with allegations regarding Terence's treatment by gardaí, including reports from witnesses that he was assaulted while being arrested; and that he was taunted, beaten and mistreated while in custody.

Blood stains and bruises on Terence Wheelock's body and clothing had led to speculation that he had been sexually assaulted in Store Street Station.

Ms McDonald said "The Garda Ombudsman report is long and thorough, but it did not allow for witnesses to be cross examined.  The circumstances of Terence Wheelock's detention and death are still not completely clear, and questions remain about the behaviour of gardaí and their treatment of him."

She continued: "Terence's family do not accept that he was suicidal, and have called for a public inquiry into the circumstances of his death. In view of the fact that such an inquiry would allow cross examination of witnesses including gardaí, I support the Wheelock family in this call".

Mary Lou McDonald has also called for the recommendations contained in the report to be implemented. She said: "Death and injury in custody must be treated extremely seriously. The calls in the Ombudsman's report for safety equipment, custody records and cctv are the very least that should be expected in the treatment of prisoners. They should implemented in full without delay". 




___________________


The Wheelock family have chosen to release postmortem pictures of Terence's injuries to journalist Ken Foxe. You can see one of them here- Ken Foxe's blog

Parking around Croke Park

Mary Lou McDonald has given a cautious welcome to changes in the parking system around Croke Park. The City Council have suggested that the maximum period for pay and display in a number of streets around the stadium be restricted to two hours.

Mary Lou McDonald said: "The huge influx of cars around the stadium on match days and for concerts has created problems for residents, who often have to park far away from their houses. I hope the change to a two-hour maximum parking time for visitors to the area will help with this. Residents of the area around Croke Park deserve to be able to park their cars in the same way as people in other areas, and the stadium shouldn't interfere with that."

The Sinn Féin representative continued: "I hope the City Council will consult with residents of the streets affected by the change and monitor the difference it makes."

Beannacht Lá Fhéile Pádraig

St Patrick's Day Charity Soccer Match

JOHN BYRNE TROPHY CHARITY CHALLENGE SOCCER MATCH,
DUBLIN NORTH-EAST INNER CITY

In aid of the Irish Cancer Society and
Ballybough Court Senior Citizens Day Centre
and in memory of the late John Byrne of Orchard United FC

Orchard United FC
v
Orchard Legends

at Stella Maris FC, Richmond Road 

ST PATRICK’S DAY, 

17th March

Kick off: 1:30PM
– Admission €5 


Directions to Stella Maris Football Club:

Leaving the City Centre head Northbound on Dorset St..
Cross the canal bridge heading out of town. (approx 2km)
Continue towards Whitehall until you arrive at Drumcondra. (approx 1km)

Take the Right turn off Drumcondra Road onto Richmond Road (after you cross the Tolka River).

Continue down Richmond Road 500mtrs, Tolka Park football pitch will be on your right hand side.

Continue for another 500 mtrs and you will pass a Maxol garage on the right hand side, just past the Maxol garage there is a turn to the left on the bend of the road, this is Waterfall Avenue, turn into the Avenue. 50mtrs up the avenue on the right hand side is Stella Maris FC.

Arts Minister

 

Martin Cullen is resigning on health grounds, and I want to express sympathy with him and his family. Whatever our differences in political views, it is hard not to feel sympathy for his medical problems.

He is Minister for the Arts, and I hope the Taoiseach keeps this position in the Cabinet . It has been suggested that some cabinet positions should change in the upcoming reshuffle, but I think it is essential that the arts is retained as part of a senior ministerial portfolio.

Before Christmas I met with representatives of the Dublin Central Arts Workers, a lobbying group set up as part of the National Campaign for the Arts. Their campaign was centered on making sure that the December Budget did not make drastic cuts to arts. Although they were in many ways successful (and should be congratulated) there have recently been serious cuts in spending by the Arts Council. Cutting the arts is short sighted, as history has shown that spending in the sector creates jobs, training and stimulates the economy.

Heritage and tourism benefit from arts spending, as does the general environment.

I hope the Taoiseach realises that keeping a Minsiter for the Arts at Cabinet is important, and proper funding for the arts, especially small and community based projects, is an essential part of any plan for economic recovery. The arts, including theatre and film, should play a central role in commemorations of events like the 1913 Lockout and the 1916 Rising.

Martin Cullen is the latest member of "Bertie's Team" to resign. Maybe they don't realise that we don't want them to go one by one. They should all resign and have an election. If the government think they have a mandate for their policies, they should not be afraid to face the people. 

International Womens Day

It's hard to think of Mary Coughlan as a feminist or as any sort of campaigner for womens rights, but when the Tánaiste was heckled in the Dáil last week she responded by claiming that she was a victim of sexism. I don't think the TD who was criticising her was doing it for sexist reasons- his remarks were directed at her, not at women in general. Perhaps she thinks that to attack her is to attack all womankind? It's a definition of sisterhood I haven't heard before.

There is plenty of sexism in Irish politics, but this wasn't an example of it.



It's coming up to International Womens Day.
It's been suggested that it should be a public holiday, but the closeness of St Patrick's day means the date would be awkward. Some people have said that maybe St Brigid's day (February 1st) would be a better date. Ireland has less public holidays than many EU countries, so it's worth considering.

There are many events in Dublin going on to mark International Womens Day, a few that caught my eye are below. Please feel free to add others in the comments or email me to let me know.


Sunday 7 March 2010
 
At the New Theatre · 43 East Essex Street ,Temple Bar · Dublin 2
(Entrance through Connolly Books) admission free For all films
International Women’s Day Film Festival starting at 1.15Pm with
I Was a Teenage Feminist (2005) Directed by Therese Shechter.
When did “feminism” become a bad word? Why is it that young, independent and progressive women today feel uncomfortable identifying with feminism? This film
takes a funny and moving personal journey into the heart of feminism on the
threshold of the twenty-first century. Running time: 62 minutes.

For the rest of the programme of films and more information click here   http://www.progressivefilmclub.ie/

There are two walking tours on March 7th- a Feminist Walking Tour meeting at the Central Bank at 1PM; and earlier in the day, a Historical Walking Tour organised by Dublin City Council, meeting at Traitor's Gate on St.Stephen's Green at 12noon.




On March 8th, Sylvia Meehan is giving a talk at the Library on the Navan Road. The event begins at 6.30PM and is entitled EQUALITY AND ACCESS: A CAMPAIGNING LIFE- From equal pay and childcare provision to ageism and medical cards for the over 70's, Sylvia Meehan has never stopped campaigning. She was recently presented with a 'People of the Year Award 2009'.

Several emergency hostels in Dublin could close in coming months as the Homeless Agency Partnership implements a new strategy. This is supposed to aim at increasing the number of people who can gain access to long-term housing with supports provided in their own home.

Cedar House in Marlborough Street, which provides short-term emergency shelter in Dublin City Centre, will be the first facility to lose funding under the new government plan.

This is a bad decision.

Homelessness in Dublin is a fact. Pretending homelessness is not there will not make it go away. Closing an emergency shelter will mean people trying to sleep on the streets, which impacts on all the people of the city as well as the homeless people themselves.

Street homelessness has a negative effect shopkeepers, tourism and ordinary people trying to go about their business, as well as having appalling effects on the health and well being of the homeless themselves. Closing a shelter makes a bad situation worse.

I support calls for the shelter to remain open. I want to applaud the staff and their union representatives for campaigning to keep this important facility open, and for all the hard work they do. The decision to close this shelter should be reversed.

It's a concern to me that during last week's vote of confidence on Willie O'Dea, the Independent TD for Dublin Central chose to abstain rather than vote against the government.

The former Minister for Defence admitted he had attempted to smear a Sinn Féin candidate in the local elections, and then submitted false information in a sworn court document to cover this up. He resigned, but not before some TD's voted to support him.

Last week's vote presented a clear opportunity to show disapproval of his behaviour and the behaviour of the government. I fail to see why the Independent TD's who claim not to support the government did not take this chance. Has their support been promised to Cowen and Coughlan?

 If so, for what?


They need to clarify where they stand.


If there is some deal on the table for the Independents to support Fianna Fáil in the event of the Green Party walkout, their constituents deserve to know what is going on.

This is the blog for Mary Lou McDonald and Dublin Central Sinn Féin.

Have a look at www.sinnfein.ie for national and international updates.