The decision by Irish Rail to shut the Dart Service to Howth for the second bank holiday in a row is complete madness. The Easter weekend and the May Bank holiday constitute peak season in Howth which is a key tourist destination.
Hundreds of jobs in Howth are reliant on tourism and visitors. The main part of this business stems from trips made to Howth on weekends during Spring and Summer months. No other modern city would shut its transport services to tourist attractions on peak season weekends.
In the interests of protecting local jobs and tourism I am calling on Irish Rail to make alternative arrangements for this maintenance work to take place at night time or if necessary at off peak weekends in Winter.
I voted against the Fingal Council budget today in protest at the introduction of the flat rate, regressive and unjust household tax. I am totally opposed to flat rate, regressive taxation measures which increase income inequality and prolong our economic difficulties. It is absurd and grossly unjust that people on high incomes, including millionaires, are not been asked to contribute one cent more under this tax than people who are struggling to make ends meet.
While people are expected to pay more for Council services next year due to the introduction of this tax, they will receive no improvement in services. Instead the budget for basic services continues to decrease. There is insufficient Council expenditure been put into basic maintenance including necessary footpath repairs, ramp repairs, grass cutting and drain and gully cleaning.
I think it is important that individual councillors and public representatives respect the mandate that they have received from their local communities and vote with their conscience in the best interests of the people they represent. The days of public representatives voting like sheep, due to authoritarian whip systems unique to Ireland, must end.
Today’s poll rating where the Labour Party receives just 11% support and comes in fifth after independents is an alarming poll result. Voters who turned to the Labour Party in the last few years are turning away. They are clearly disappointed with the Labour performance in government. If this downward trend continues the Labour Party is facing electoral wipe out.
However this downward spiral can be reversed. Labour must insist that a number of core policies are implemented in this government. At a minimum these should include:
• Protection of the marginalised and vulnerable. For example the devastating cuts to DEIS schools should be reversed immediately.
• Job Creation. Current government policies are increasing unemployment rather than creating jobs and this must be reversed.
• Policy measures must reduce rather than increase income inequality: there must be a halt to measures such as the flat rate household tax which increase income inequality rather than reduce it. Taxation instead should be proportionate, fair and progressive.
• The policy of austerity and cuts which is creating a downward economic spiral must be stopped. Alternative measures to close the budget deficit must be implemented including closing tax reliefs/ tax expenditures and taxing wealth
This is a statement that I issued to media outlets today:
“In today’s Irish Times Minister Pat Rabbitte T.D. argues that Ireland’s tax take on our oil and gas: “compare favourably with all similar countries but not with Norway.” This is complete nonsense.
“A report by the US Government Accountability Office in 2007 found that Ireland has the second lowest government take on oil and gas deposits of 142 countries studied. The Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources reported in 2006 that average government takes range from 25% -90% across the world. They further found that the European average government take excluding Ireland is between 35% – 65%. The assertion that the Irish government take at 25% compares favourably only rings true for the corporations that wish to exploit our resources. For the rest of us it represents an insane act of economic treason, offering to give away some €750 billion worth of oil and gas over the coming decades at the worst possible terms and conditions for the Irish people and Irish economy.
“The headline figure of 25% tax cited by Minister Rabbitte will never be applied under our current taxation regime due to the generous availability of tax loopholes to offset exploration and drilling costs. Recent Research by William Hederman (see www.irishoilandgas.com) reveals that corporations may pay as little as 7% of the revenue from Irish oil and gas fields. The application of tax on declared profits only and not on the actual wealth and value of the oil and gas reserves further benefits oil corporations to our detriment.
“Minister Rabbitte further argues that a lack of interest from multi-national companies in Ireland over the last two decades vindicates the tax regime that was put in place by Fianna Fáil. He fails to acknowledge that our oil and gas reserves are now a much more attractive proposition for exploration and drilling than two decades ago. There are three key reasons for this:
• First as larger oil and gas deposits elsewhere are depleted, attention is turning to smaller deposits such as those located on our offshore.
• Secondly rising oil and gas prices determine that smaller deposits are now a viable proposition.
• Thirdly technological advances in exploration and resource exploitation over the last two decades have increased profitability rates from smaller fields.
“These three key changes have dramatically altered the oil and gas exploration market requiring that we urgently re-examine our tax take before the latest round of licences are granted. It is time that we ditch the failed economic policies of Fianna Fáil and instead we should adopt at least the European norm in tax take for oil and gas. It is absolutely certain that our off shore fields will be exploited over time. The only question is will we benefit from the exploration of the natural resources that we own.”
Fintan O’Toole’s original article is here:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2011/0816/1224302525090.html
Pat Rabbitte’s article is here:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2011/0818/1224302638286.html
Speaking in re-action to comments of Minister Joan Burton in today’s Sunday Independent where she referred to young people leaving school and entering the social welfare system as a ‘life style choice’ Labour councillor Cian O’Callaghan said:
“Young people who leave school and can’t find jobs do not choose unemployment as a ‘life style choice’. Nor are they to blame for our jobs and economic crisis. The responsibility for the crisis lies squarely with a political system that is wrecking our economy by implementing failed policies of cuts and austerity. The facts are that the standardised unemployment rate hit 14.8% in May of this year and that young people are emigrating from Ireland in search of jobs at numbers not seen since the 1980’s. The Government is continuing to implement a public service recruitment ban which is contributing to this high level of unemployment and emigration. Additionally Ireland now suffers from structural unemployment where there is a mis-match between the skill set of many younger people and any jobs that might become available.
“A key part of Government strategy to drive our economy and jobs growth forward is the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. This aims to ensure that everyone who leaves our school system has mastered numeracy and literacy. However the recent Government decision to cap the numbers of Special Needs Assistants sets this strategy backwards. Special Needs Assistants play a vital role in ensuring that students with learning difficulties get the help that they need to bring them up to speed with their peers.”
“The Government jobs initiative has failed to deliver new jobs and instead has contributed to job displacement. The jobs bridge website offers a large number of internships as kitchen assistants, receptionists, sales assistants, advertising assistants and so on. In other words employers are availing of the scheme to fill low paid jobs with the taxpayer picking up the bill. Far from creating jobs this scheme is contributing to unemployment by displacing real jobs.”
“The Government would serve us best by bringing forward policies to stimulate growth and create jobs rather than blaming young people for the unemployment crisis. It has always been a key tactic of the political right to blame unemployed people for the lack of jobs. These cynical slurs are then used to lay the basis for launching savage attacks on our welfare system. Yet again we are witnessing a government that is very good at attacking the unemployed, the young, the sick, the weak and the vulnerable and absolutely useless at standing up to wealthy and powerful elites.”
I’m no fan of the Sunday Independent however Gene Kerrigan’s latest article based on the recent Wiki Leaks revelations raises serious questions for Labour members. Kerrigan argues that Eamon Gilmore hasn’t a shred of credibility left and quotes the U.S. ambassador Thomas Foley in a leaked cable stating: “Gilmore, who has led calls against a second referendum, has told the embassy separately that he fully expects, and would support, holding a second referendum in 2009. He explained his public posture of opposition to a second referendum as ‘politically necessary’ for the time being.”
So why was a Labour leader briefing the US Embassy? Do our political leaders answer to the Irish public or to foreign regimes? The U.S. has an appalling record of supporting human rights abuses with massive financial aid to both the Colombian and Israeli military forces. Washington has also bombed in excess of 50 countries since World Ward Two, initiated brutal wars and supported numerous dictatorial overthrows of democratically elected governments. No political leader should associate with this type of regime let alone a leader of a left party committed to peace and justice.
The Wiki Leaks revelations highlight the ongoing problem of politics dominated by sound bites, focus groups and double speak. It is little wonder that people have grown increasingly cynical about electoral politics when many politicians speak from both sides of their mouth with ambiguous statements hard to interpret, deliberately misleading people.
Eamon Gilmore in contrast over the years has built a reputation as a hard working, serious, straight talking politician. One example that springs to mind is when he was running for leader of the Labour Party he addressed a Labour Youth hustings. While other political leaders in such a context would hide behind ambiguous answers he was sharp, clear and to the point. Gilmore unequivocally stated that under his leadership Labour would only participate in Government if the U.S. Military’s use of Shannon Airport ended.
The time has come for Eamon Gilmore to disprove Gene Kerrigan’s assertion that he has no credibility. He should stand by his commitment to stop U.S. Military use of our civilian airports and stand up for the political beliefs that once were so important to him. He should prove to the Irish people that what he says to them is more important than what he said in confidential briefings to the U.S. embassy. And more importantly he should stand with all the people around the world suffering at the hands of brutal U.S. military offensives and human rights abuses.
This is a statement that I have sent to all national and local media contacts that I have:
“The claim from the Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan T.D. that the introduction of a water tax will be a conservation measure rather than a revenue generating measure is completely false. If the government was serious about water conservation they could for example immediately introduce legislation requiring households that wish to water their gardens in the summer to use water from rain water harvesting rather than treated piped water.”
“The imposition of a water tax is grossly unfair and regressive because families on low and middle incomes will be hit disproportionately much harder than high income households. Even if metering is introduced it will effectively be a flat rate revenue generating tax. This proposal will increase income inequality and in taxation terms represents yet another transfer of wealth and resources from those with the least to the richest in Irish society. Currently each taxpayer contributes progressively proportionate to their income to the cost of treated water provision. This measure will abolish this progressive funding mechanism through general taxation in favour of a highly regressive water tax.”
“The suggestion that there will be reasonable allocation which will ensure that households don’t have to pay if they conserve water is a myth. The government is not going to all the trouble of installing water meters, setting up a national water company and introducing billing without the clear intention of generating significant revenue. When bin taxes were first introduced we were told that if we recycled we wouldn’t face charges. Now even households who recycle and compost heavily are faced with flat rate charges. The same will occur with water.”
“I am in favour of much needed investment in our water infrastructure, however this must be funded fairly through progressive taxation. The last time Labour and Fine Gael were in government in the mid nineties they were forced to scrap water taxes after a mass campaign of non payment. I am calling on people to defeat this unjust tax by engaging in a mass campaign of non payment and non-co-operation.”
The recent report from the Environmental Protection Agency about the failure of Sutton Burrow Beach to meet minimum EU water quality standards yet again in 2010 are extremely disappointing. The water at the Burrow beach has failed to meet these minimum standards in 2005, 2009 and 2010. This is despite major work carried out by the Council to divert foul water from the nose of Howth to the treatment plant at Ringsend.
When I raised this failure of Burrow Beach to meet these standards for 2010 with Fingal County Council last September 1st the Council outlined the necessity for central government to sanction funding for the Dublin Bay Contract 5.2 which includes measures to upgrade pump stations in the area.
Sutton Burrow Beach is a major attraction for families, tourists and visitors during the summer months and it is essential that the government provide the necessary funding to ensure that water quality meets the EU minimum standards required at the very least. Blue Flag status for the beach should then be pursued vigorously by the Council.
I have submitted a motion to the May Council meeting asking the manager to outline what action the Council is taking to ensure that this beach meets minimum EU water quality standards in 2011.
Howth is a great place to visit with spectacular views, beaches, cliff walks and numerous places to eat and drink. Sundays are the busiest days with hundreds of visitors and tourists. Its a shame that the Council won’t empty the bins during the day or install a sufficient number of pernament bins to cope with the numbers of visitors. This is despite numerous requests that I have made both formally and informally by phone, email and questions and motions at Council meetings.
Bin at Howth overflowing on a Sunday evening
Fingal County Council has voted overwhelmingly to retain the open space zoning on Brickfields at a meeting which took place on Tuesday March 22nd.
You can view this section of the meeting online by going to:
http://www.fingalcoco.public-i.tv/core/ and then click on Development Plan Meeting Tuesday 22nd March 2011 and scroll to 2 hours into the meeting for the debate and vote.
The vote was as follows:
14 councillors voted in favour of removing the proposed nursing objective home from the development plan as follows:
Cllr. Ciaran Byrne (Labour)
Cllr. Eugene Coppinger (Socialist Party)
Cllr. Ruth Coppinger (Socialist Party)
Cllr. Peter Coyle (Labour Party)
Cllr. Kieran Dennison (Fine Gael)
Cllr. Ken Farrell (Labour)
Cllr. Peggy Hamill (Labour)
Cllr. Anthony Lavin (Fine Gael)
Cllr. Eithne Loftus (Fine Gael)
Cllr. Joan Maher (Fine Gael)
Cllr. Patrick Nulty (Labour)
Cllr. Cian O’Callaghan (Labour)
Cllr. Michael O’Donovan (Labour)
Cllr. Matt Waine (Socialist Party)
6 councillors voted to keep the nursing home objective in the development plan:
Cllr. Darragh Butler (Fianna Fáil)
Cllr. Mags Murray (Fianna Fáil)
Cllr. David McGuiness (Fianna Fáil)
Cllr. May McKeown (Independent)
Cllr. Eoghan O’Brien (Fianna Fáil)
Cllr. David O’Connor (Independent)
One Councillor abstained: Cllr. Anne Devitt (Fine Gael)
Three councillors were absent: Cllr. Tom Kelleher (Labour), Cllr. Gerry McGuire (Labour) and Cllr. Tom O’Leary (Fine Gael).
The proposed nursing home objective is now defeated conclusively. The lands at Brickfields remain zoned as Open Space and no development except for amenities can take place on these lands.
Please accept my sincere apologies about the out of date information circulated on my behalf in the development plan leaflet on Friday and Saturday in Baldoyle. This leaflet was printed some time ago and given to a commercial distribution company for delivery. It was intended that it should have been delivered several weeks ago. The rest of the information in the leaflet is accurate and up to date.
