People Before Profit

In a statement, Cllr Richard Boyd Barrett of the People before Profit Alliance (PBPA) has slammed the decision of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Co Council to go ahead with the closure of Sallynoggin library.Despite overwhelming public opposition and a number of protests, the Council closed the doors of the library yesterday (Weds 31st March).

The Council’s only concession to public anger is a proposal to open a volunteer based book collection in the Holy Child School nearby, which will open to the public for only six hours per week, as of April 20th. However, PBPA say this is no substitute for a proper library, run by librarians and with all the other services and proper opening hours and may well collapse altogether if volunteer numbers decline in the future.

PBPA condemned the government for imposing cutbacks that are undermining vital services and called for these cuts to be lifted. PBPA also condemned the Fine Gael, Labour coalition that controls the Council for singling out Sallynoggin for closure.

Cllr Boyd Barrett has put down a motion for the next Council meeting on Monday April 12th calling for the closure decision to be reversed. A public protest will also take place outside the Council meeting. The protest will assemble at 5pm outside the Council offices on Monday April 12th.

Over 15,000 people thronged the streets of Clonmel to protest the reduction of any of the acute services. A broad range of people spoke from the truck including consultants at the hospital, a local horse trainer and local GAA people.

At the Finance SPC in Dublin City Council on the 18th March, the issue of the work-to-rule by council workers was raised in a discussion with the personnel manager.

IMPACT trade union have notified the council that their members will not work with any TD or Councillor from today as an escalation of the work-to-rule.

Cllr Paddy Bourke complained that “the unions are going a step too far” and that the staff are going “the extra mile”. Paddy and his fellow Labour Councillors Dermot Lacey and Kevin Humphries all opposed this escalation as it hurts the public since they are representing the public and those that elected them by dealing with queries to the Council.

Never let it be said that all three have been trade unionists all their lives but this is a step too far by the unions. One of them proposed we meet the unions to put the case to them.

People Before Profit Councillor Brid Smith reminded all councillors that it is less than two months when we democratically passed a motion at the council monthly meeting by a significant majority which indicated support for the work-to-rule and acknowledged that any inconvenience resulting from the workers’ action would be the fault of the Fianna Fail/Green Party government and not of the workers or their unions. So any complaints about this escalation must be directed at the Government and not at the workers or their trade unions. It would be a major contribution to the battle for a “Fairer Way” if Dublin City Councillors would look for a meeting with Minister John Gormley and lay the blame squarely at the door where it belongs.

For this week’s “Party Debate” series, founding member of the People Before Profit Alliance and councillor for Dun Laoghaire, Richard Boyd Barrett came into Newstalk studios to convince George to leave Fine Gael behind.

Have a listen to the interview here.

Members of the audience debated the statement that 'Small-time property developers deserve help from the taxpayer' . Contributions came from Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit among other panellists.

Watch the show's debate by clicking link HERE

In a statement today Cllr Brid Smith of the People Before Profit Alliance welcomed the decision to keep Cedar House Homeless Unit open.

Following a motion passed at the March meeting of Dublin City Council it has been agreed that  Cedar House Homeless Unit will not be closing until there is solid proof that replacement services are in place.

The motion proposed by Cllr Smith said “This Council condemns the proposed closure of Cedar House Homeless  Hostel in accordance with the strategy of the Homeless Agency,  “Pathway to Home”. We demand that this unit remains fully open and  continues the provision of services to homeless people in our city  until such time as alternative and adequate housing alternatives are  put in place. An essential 20 bed dormitory is due for closure by 30th  March 2010 and no adequate alternative has yet been identified and communicated. 30 individual rooms and all other services are due for  cessation by 30th September 2010.”

Cedar House provides services for up to 50 men per night and up to 50  men and women per day.  Services provided include: emergency accommodation, counselling, methadone maintenance programmes, personal development programmes,  educational programmes, doctor/nurse access, life skills programmes,  key workers, day drop in centre providing shower facilities, clean  clothing, bedding and  food.

In January 2006 the Government accepted the recommendations contained in an independent report that it had commissioned, Vision for Change (VFC), as the basis for its future mental health policy. In the four years since the report’s publication almost nothing has been done to realise its full implementation.
In Kerry, Vision into Action (VIA) that would see the roll out of the policy in the county is officially on hold because no progress is being made on establishing community mental health teams. I was told this in last January during a telephone conversation with a member of HSE staff in Kerry involved in VIA.

UNITE workers from across the financial sector staged a protest at Dáil Éireann at lunchtime today as anger mounts over the lack of action and apparent interest from government at the plight of Bank of Scotland / Halifax workers who have been told that 750 jobs are to go.This is the first time a retail bank has closed in Ireland and the first time that compulsory redundancy notice has been served on Irish workers in the financial sector.

The protest, which took place from 1pm, will culminate in delivery of a letter to an Taoiseach Brian Cowen, demanding a response to the workers alternative proposal for the government creation of a third banking force. This proposal was sent to Cowen and Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan on February 8th but no response has yet been received.