Sligo Protest Demands Fracking Ban

Sligo éirígí activist Gerry Casey has re-iterated the party's continued opposition to the giveaway of our natural resources.  He also expressed support for calls to ban the process of extracting natural gas called hydraulic fracturing, also known as 'fracking'. 

Casey was speaking following a protest on Saturday night (September 17) outside the Sligo Park Hotel where the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Pat Rabbitte was attending a function.

Between 40 and 50 protesters braved the heavy rain to make their concerns known to the Minister.  They made clear their total opposition to fracking and called on the Minister to impose an immediate ban on its use in Ireland similar to bans imposed in other countries and in some states in the USA.

This is just the latest in a series of protests and public meetings organised by residents throughout the north-west. It follows the commencement of exploratory works to discover commercial gas by Australian company Tamboran Resources in what is known as the Lough Allen basin.  The Lough Allen Basin covers parts of counties Cavan, Donegal, Fermanagh, Leitrim, Mayo, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo and Tyrone, covering an area of 8000 square kilometres in total. 

Speaking following the protest, éirígí Sligeach activist Gerry Casey who was among the demonstrators, said:

"An immediate halt must be called to this entire process.  Despite paying lip service to it, there has been no meaningful consultation by the Dublin government or by Tamboran with the communities set to be affected by this exploration and extraction of natural gas despite the massive dangers involved.  More importantly the communities affected have not given their consent for it." 

He added:  "Once again éirígí supports the call for the process known as fracking to be banned.  The potential for grave environmental damage and the dangers posed to human and animal health and safety are too great and cannot be ignored.  The health and safety of the people of the region must be put before the quest to amass profits by private exploration companies."

Casey also called for the nationalisation of all our natural resources.  He said:

"The decision by Pat Rabbitte and his colleagues in the Fine Gael/Labour coalition to continue with the shameful policy of giving away valuable natural resources begun by Fianna Fáil can only be described as despicable.  These resources, whether it is the Corrib gas off the Mayo coast or the onshore gas in the Lough Allen and Clare basins, should be taken into public ownership.  If, and only if, those resources can be safely extracted without damage to our environment and to health and safety then the wealth created should be used to benefit the people of Ireland not the shareholders of private exploration companies."

Casey concluded:  "Let Tamboran Resources as well as Pat Rabbitte and his colleagues be fully aware that the people of this region will not roll over and accept the current situation.  If they ignore the massive opposition that there is within this region to this process, then just as Shell  and the Dublin government discovered in north Mayo over the past decade, they too will meet fierce and determined resistance here."

éirígí Reply to Business Calls for JLC Abolition

The following letter from éirígí Sligeach activist Gerry Casey was published in this weeks Sligo Weekender (June 6).  Click on the image below to read it.

It was a response to an article in the previous weeks paper from a representative of the Sligo branch of the Irish Hotels Federation who called for the abolition of Joint Labour Committee's (JLC's).

The JLC's establish basic rates of pay and conditions of employment for low paid workers in a variety of employment sectors. 

Click here to read previous article on this issue.

End Abuse of Political Prisoners in Maghaberry

éirígí Sligeach activist Gerry Casey has branded the continuing abuse of political prisoners in Maghaberry gaol by the prison authorities and the British government as a "massive violation of their human rights which must be brought to an immediate end."

Gerry Casey

 Casey was speaking following  a large demonstration which was held in support of the prisoners outside Maghaberry on Sunday [June 5].

He said:  "Political status continues to be denied to Irish republican prisoners.  Savage beatings and forced strip searches are a daily occurrence."

"Back in August an agreement was reached which appeared to resolve the prisoners campaign to be treated humanely.  However, the unionist sectarian thugs in the Prison Officers Association have continued to attempt to degrade, humiliate and brutally strip-search and assault prisoners. It is this continued abuse and breach of the agreement that has forced the prisoners back onto the no-wash protest."

"It is sad that 30 years on from the deaths of Bobby Sands and his comrades who died on hunger strike to achieve political status within Britain's prisons that this abuse and brutalisation of prisoners continues unabated." 

 

Casey concluded:  "All republicans, socialists and those concerned with human rights abuses, must stand up for these prisoners and help to bring an end to the savagery being inflicted on republican P.O.W's.  éirígí will continue to support the prisoners and their families in their struggle to have the August agreement re-instated, and to finally secure the political status that the hunger strikers died for thirty years ago."

Despite attempts by the political establishment and the corporate media to bury the issue, the plight of the political prisoners in Maghaberry jail is again raising concern on the outside.

On Sunday [June 5], around 400 people gathered in the Maghaberry car park for the short march to the prison’s perimeter, where they were addressed by a number of prisoners’ relatives as well as independent republican councillor for Newry Davy Hyland.

After folk singer Pól MacAdaim helped the assembled crowd belt out a number of songs by Bobby Sands for the benefit of the screws, the supporters marched towards the wing where the republican prisoners are currently being held.

There, despite the lashing rain and the yards upon yards of barbed wire and concrete, the prisoners could be heard shouting their appreciation while the protestors blew whistles, let off fireworks, beat pots and chanted slogans for political status.

The protest was ended with a cavalcade of nearly 100 cars encircling the prison entrance with horns beeping and music blaring.

Meanwhile, last night [Monday], in a further demonstration of the growing support for the human rights of the prisoners, Newry & Mourne Council unanimously agreed to send a delegation to Maghaberry to investigate the prisoners’ concerns. The instigator of the motion, Davy Hyland, pledged to make the council follow through on its promise as soon as possible.

Rúnaí ginearálta éirígí Breandán Mac Cionnaith, himself a former political prisoner, said: “The last number of days have seen a welcome spike in the support for the rights of the prisoners in Maghaberry."

“The agenda in Maghaberry is currently being set by the notoriously sectarian and thuggish Prison Officers Association. This situation is totally unsustainable."

“The British government needs to recognise that the August 12 agreement of last year presents the basis for resolving the conflict in the prison and face down the POA.”

Mac Cionnaith added: “éirígí extends its solidarity to the protesting prisoners in Maghaberry and pledges to continue supporting their struggle and that of their families until political status is secured. All those with an interest in human rights should do likewise.”

Release of Garda exposes Corrupt Two - Tier 'Justice' System

 Last Thursday (May 26), Dean Foley was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, with 12 months suspended, for assault. Foley, a serving Garda at the time of the attack, was convicted for a brutal unprovoked attack on Stephen Murphy in Cork.  Foley knocked Murphy unconscious and inflicted a series of horrific injuries on him. As a result, Murphy suffered bleeding to the brain, broken teeth and broken bones to his face.

However, the next day, despite the savage nature of the attack, the judge that sentenced him reconsidered that sentence and suspended all of it ensuring Foley's immediate release. In an extraordinary decision, the judge decided to keep Foley out of prison because as a Garda he would have a 'harder time' serving his sentence than an ordinary prisoner would.

Convicted Garda Dean Foley

If the situation had been reversed and Garda Foley had suffered this attack and injuries at the hands of a member of the public, the attacker would not be treated so leniently. The reality is that the perpetrator would be in a prison cell for the best part of a decade.

Coincidentally a young man who carried out an assault resulting in similar injuries was recently convicted at a court in County Clare and sentenced to 6 years in prison. So while this young man goes to jail for six years, Foley walks free despite the savage brutality of his crime solely because he was a member of the Gardai.

We have regularly seen Gardai act with impunity in breaking the law and in attacking peaceful protesters. For the past ten years at anti-Shell protests in Mayo Gardai have attacked peaceful protesters causing serious injuries and hospitalisation in many instances. (click here for article on policing in north Mayo)

Victim of Garda assault at student anti-cuts demo

Such brutality are not isolated incidents. Gardai have been involved in attacking protesters on many other occasions including the 'Reclaim the Streets' demo a number of years back, éirígí's Anglo Irish Bank protest  in May of last year (click here) and the student anti-cuts protest in Dublin last November (click here).

We have seen the litany of other crimes committed by Gardai, including the planting of drugs as well as weapons and explosives, the manufacturing of false confessions and the deliberate framing of individuals as exposed by the Morris Tribunal  in Donegal.

All of the above are just the tip of the iceberg, yet how many Gardai have gone to jail for any of these offences? None.

On the other hand, those engaged in peaceful protest have regularly been imprisoned.  

Shell to Sea spokesperson Maura Harrington has been imprisoned on five separate occasions for her role in protesting against Shell's planned pipeline in north Mayo.

Pat O'Donnell after Garda Assault

Fellow campaigner Pat 'the chief' O'Donnell served five months out of a seven month sentence in Castlerea prison last year for public order offences relating to a cavalcade in support of Ms Harrington who was on hunger-strike at the time.

Many people who are unable to pay their debts or fines are regularly jailed despite the hardship inflicted on them and their families. In the first 10 months of 2010, 3,200 people were jailed in the twenty six counties for non-payment of debt.  No leniency or consideration is given by the courts and the so-called justice system as they despatch working class men and women to jail for extremely minor offences and inability to pay.

Yet here we have the extraordinary situation of a judge coming back into court the day after sending a brutal attacker to prison, to change his mind and let him go free solely because he was a Garda and might have a 'hard time' in prison.

Describing the decision as “shocking but not surprising” éirígí Sligeach activist Gerry Casey said it exposed the “corrupt and two-tier nature” at the heart of the twenty six county state's so-called 'justice' system.

Casey said: “This is a shocking decision to allow this criminal escape justice solely on the basis of him being a Garda. It gives Gardai and others in positions of authority within this state a green light to to abuse their positions and commit horrific crimes safe in the knowledge that they will not serve time.”

“While shocking, this judgement is not surprising considering the corrupt and two—tier nature of what passes for a 'justice system' in this state. It is extremely rare for a Garda to ever have to answer for his/her crimes before the courts. It is even rarer that justice is done on the seldom occasion that they do.”

"The Gardai, the courts and the 'justice system' are not there to provide justice for working people. It is there for one reason and one reason only - to serve and protect the interests of this state's elites."

éirígí pledge to oppose any 'royal visits' to North-West

éirígí Sligeach activist Gerry Casey has re-affirmed his party's commitment to organise demonstrations in the north-west against the visit of any member of the English 'royal family' to the region.

Casey was speaking in the wake of two days of protests organised by éirígí in Dublin against the visit of Elizabeth Windsor, the British head of state and Commander in Chief of the British army. He was responding to local media reports that an invitation has been extended to Charles Windsor to visit the region.

Casey said: “The shameful visit of Windsor to Dublin was met with a series of éirígí organised protests during her stay in the City.  Gardai shut down the City Centre and intensive efforts were made by them to prevent peaceful protests taking place through intimidation, threats and assaults.”

“They carried out illegal stop and searches and stole political material including posters and banners off activists advertising and taking part in peaceful protests..  As the Union  Jack flew from government buildings, Gardai were effectively banning our national flag, the tricolour, from our capital city, confiscating them and dumping them in bins and refuse trucks.  Despite this, Windsor was met with loud demonstrations and determined opposition to her presence.”

“To those who wish to see any member of the 'royal family' here in the north-west, éirígí wish to make it clear that we will oppose on the streets any such visit to the region the same as we did in Dublin over the past week.”

Casey concluded: “There should be no welcome for these people who are parasites living lives of luxury and leisure on the backs of the working classes of Britain whom they view as their 'subjects'. There should be no welcome for the Commander in chief of the British military which continues to occupy the six-counties and is involved in slaughter and war crimes in many places around the world.”

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Roscommon Protest against Hospital Cutbacks

Tomorrow morning (Saturday August 14), a demonstration against proposed HSE (Health Service Executive) cutbacks at Roscommon County Hospital is to take place.  The protest march, organised by the Roscommon Health Action Committee (HAC) is to commence at the Hyde Centre in Roscommon town at 11am tomorrow morning and will proceed from there to the hospital itself, where a ‘Hands Around Our Hospital Protest’ will take place.

Like other hospitals throughout the region, Roscommon's has already suffered severe cutbacks and is bracing itself for more in the imminent future, including the possible closure of the hospital completely.

Roscommon County Hospital

A report commissioned earlier this year by the HSE West recommended the closure of the hospital.  Ironically, it transpires that the cost of having that report commissioned cost the HSE a massive €90,000, money which IMPACT Trade Union say could have kept 12 nurses or clerical staff employed from now until the end of the year.

Urging people throughout the West and Midlands to support Saturday's march, éirígí activist Gerry Casey said that there must be no compromise or backing down by the Unions in relation to the proposed cutbacks in the HSE West region.

Casey said:  "What is at stake here is of vital importance for future generations.  The planned cutbacks are not about reducing services or even closing hospitals due to necessity.  It is part of a planned strategy by the HSE, on behalf of the Fianna Fáil /Green party coalition to run down the public health service in order to pave the way for the privatisation of our hospitals and our health care system."

He added:  "The current health system we have is a medical form of apartheid where the wealthy get treated whenever they want, while those reliant on the public health service have to join ever lenghtening queues to receive essential treatment.  Such a system ensures that people suffer needlessly and die needlessly."  

"The release this week by the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) of figures showing the continued increase in the numbers waiting more than three months for a potentially life saving colonoscopy, is yet more evidence of the danger to life posed by the HSE and this administrations health policies.  People should be under no illusion.  Lives have been lost as a result of cutbacks and even more will be lost if they get to impose new cutbacks"

Casey continued:  "Mary Harney and her cronies in government peddle the lie that they have not the finance to properly fund our health service and that cutbacks are unavoidable.   But the bottom line is, as éirígí have repeatedly pointed out, that none of these cutbacks are in any way necessary.  Imposition of a wealth tax, the nationalisation of our natural resources and the proper distribution of the current finances at the governments disposal, would allow not just for a halt to any cutbacks, but also for a reversal of those already imposed and more importantly for proper new investment to be made to create an efficient public service available to all, based solely on medical need and not based on ability to pay." 

"Fianna Fáil and the Green Party have pumped tens of billions of euros into bailing out the banks and developers.  This is money that could have been used to fund our hospitals and invest in their future.  Given the choice of protecting the health and welfare of patients who rely on the public health care system or protecting the excessive living standards of the wealthy political and business elite, the coalition chose the latter."

"This is a fight that we cannot afford to lose.  There can be and must be no compromise or 'deals' on these cutbacks particularly from the leadership of the Trade Unions within the health service.  Reducing the cutbacks is not a solution - only the scrapping and reversal of cutbacks is acceptable.   Previous 'deals' have led us to this point.  As the INMO (Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation) General secretary pointed out recently: 'The INMO voted against the Croke Park proposals primarily on the basis that they require 6,000 posts to be taken out of our health service in a haphazard, uncontrolled and unplanned manner with scant regard for the impact upon patients and their needs and requirements.  We are now seeing the real impact of this flawed approach.'"

Casey concluded:  "Support tomorrows (Saturday August 14) march and rally in Roscommon town and all similar protests against the proposed cutbacks.  Send the message to Leinster House - Fund our Hospitals, Not the Banks."

Shell to Sea Activist Pat O’Donnell Released From Prison

Large numbers gathered yesterday (Saturday July 17) for a rally outside Castlerea prison in County Roscommon to celebrate the release of jailed Shell to Sea and Human Rights activist Pat 'the chief' O'Donnell.

Pat was released  having served more than five months of a seven month imposed after he was convicted of 'public order' offences following a cavalcade in support of fellow campaigner Maura Harrington who was on hunger strike at the time. Niall Harnett remains imprisoned in Castlerea on similar charges having served almost three months of his six month sentence so far.

They are campaigning against the building by Shell of an experimental pipeline carrying raw unrefined gas through their community in north Mayo and against the giveaway of our natural resources to Shell, resources believed to be worth at least €500 Billion.

Amongst those there to greet Pat on his release was his wife and children, friends and neighbours from north Mayo, Shell to Sea campaigners and activists from a number of political parties including éirígí.

Speaking at the gates of the prison following his release Pat said that his time in prison had not damaged him or his resolve. He described it as a “learning experience” and said that he was stronger and remained defiant.

In relation to his time in jail Pat said that “the real criminals are walking the streets”.  He continued: “By that, I mean the bankers, the developers and the politicians.”

Maura Harrington who has been jailed on five seperate occasions for her role in protests against Shells planned pipeline read out a statement of support from Independent Cllr Luke 'Ming' Flanagan, the Mayor of Roscommon County Council. In his statement to Pat, Cllr Flanagan said: “Your bravery in standing up to tyranny should be commended. It was not people who hid under the beds that won freedom for Ireland. It was people like yourself.”

Cllr Flanagan continued: “It was not crooks like Bertie Ahern and Ray Burke that this state was created for. It was for people like you. Your dedication to what is right is what gives hope that things can change. Without people like Pat O'Donnell this country would be a lesser place. Keep up the fight. Why keep quiet simply because you are bloody well right.”

Amongst those in attendance was éirígí Sligeach activist Gerry Casey. He praised Pat's resiliance and pledged the party's continued support to the Shell to Sea campaign.

He said: “Pats jailing, as with that of Niall Harnett who remains in prison, is a massive miscarraige of justice. Pat's real crime was refusing to be bought off by Shell or intimidated by various arms of the state, including the Gardai and judiciary. He and his colleauges in the Shell to Sea campaign are to be praised for their resilience and defiance despite all the odds being stacked against them. The are an inspiration and their honesty and integrity stands in stark contrast to that of the wealthy business and political elite who have brought the economy of this country to its knees.”

He added: “The lives of the people living along the route of this planned pipeline and the economic future of this island are at stake here.  The giveaway of these natural resources to the likes of Shell continues at the same time as the state is implementing savage cuts in our health and education systems, slashing welfare and workers pay and creating hardship and poverty in working class communities throughout this island.

He concluded:  "It is long past time that this scandal was ended and the reign of terror imposed by Shell and the state on the residents of the Erris peninsula was ended.  Shell must be sent packing, the gas should be nationalised, refined at sea and utilised to eradicate poverty, create jobs and provide efficient health and education systems available to all."

Castlerea demo to mark Pat O'Donnell's Release

This coming Saturday (July 17) Pat 'the Chief' O'Donnell will finally be released from Castlerea Prison in County Roscommon. The Shell to Sea campaigner and Human Rights activist was jailed on February 11^th of this year after being singled out by Gardai and convicted of 'public order offences' following a cavalcade in support of Maura Harrington who was on hunger strike at the time.

Pat's determined resistance, despite everything that the state has thrown at him and his family, is an inspiration to all those opposed to Shell's planned pipeline in north Mayo and the giveaway of our natural resources. Like fellow campaigners Maura Harrington, who was recently jailed for the fifth time in connection with the protests against Shell, and Niall Harnett, who remains in Castlerea prison serving a six-month sentence, Pat has endured intimidation, arrest and assault by the Gardai and Shell's notorious security firm I-RMS (Irish Risk Management Services).

His right and ability to earn a living have been seriously affected by his principled stance and by this blatant intimidation by the state and Shells goons. He has been arrested as he went about his lawful business fishing in Broadhaven Bay. He has had his boat siezed and impounded by Gardai in order to assist Shell by preventing him from fishing in the area.

He has also had his boat hi-jacked and sank by armed and masked thugs. No attempt was made by Gardai to investigate that attack from which Pat and his crew were lucky to escape with their lives. Indeed the Garda Press Office were busy from the start trying to spin the line that no attack ever took place and that for some inexplicable reason, he decided to sink his own boat, even though it would result in Pat being unable to fish and earn his living.

Despite all of this Pat refused to surrender or be bought off and he remained a staunch and key opponent of Shell within his community. It is because of his determined activism that he was singled out for such treatment, charged and ultimately jailed despite the complete absence of any credible evidence against him.

The treatment of Pat, and indeed the entire community in north Mayo, at the hands of the state is a damning indictment of what passes for justice in this state. This is particularly so in north Mayo where Shell law, not the law of this state, rules supreme, policed and enforced on their behalf by the Gardai and the judiciary

The reality is that the interests of the state are a completely different thing from and diametrically opposed to the interests of the citizens of the state. This has never been exposed so clearly as by the reaction of all arms of the state in defence of Shell and against the community in north Mayo.

One only needs to look at the imprisonment of Pat, Niall, Maura and the Rossport five before them for standing up for the rights of their community and contrast that with the lack of justice delivered to those within the political and business elite who bled this country dry on the backs of working people.

And while Pat will have served his full sentence and Niall will almost surely do likewise, apparently that is not the case for most.  A recent article in the Mayo News (July 13) cited Castlebar based Garda Superintendent Willie Keaveney who said that criminals that are jailed quite often only spend an hour at reception in Castlerea prison before being released. 

Other instances included a person serving just three weeks of a four month sentence and another person who served five days of a four month sentence and two weeks of a seven month sentence.

And while the Irish Prison Service say that overcrowding is the problem, when it comes to finding space to hold Shell to Sea activists engaged in legitimate and peaceful protests, it appears that space does not become a problem.  

The Gardai and the judiciary have shown that they are not there to protect and uphold the rights of the citizens of this state. They are there to protect the status quo, the interests of the wealthy political and business elite. Their role is to ensure that any challenge to the status quo, even through peaceful protest is subdued and defeated by any means necessary, even if it means breaking their own laws and covering up the crimes of others such as Shell in the process. 
 

To celebrate Pat's release and to demand the release of Niall Harnett who will remain incarcerated while Pat walks free, a demonstration is being held at Castlerea prison this Saturday (July 17) at 2pm.

Urging people to attend, éirígí Sligeach activist Gerry Casey said that it is important that people show solidarity and support for the O'Donnell family after all they have gone through in recent months.

Casey said: “Pat and his family have been treated horrendously by the state on Shells behalf. Saturday's demonstration is a chance for all of us to show the O'Donnell family and the entire community on the Erris peninsula that we remain committed to their struggle, to defeating Shell and reclaiming our natural resources.”

He added: “While Pat walks free tomorrow, we must also remember that another victim of Shells regime in north Mayo, fellow campaigner Niall Harnett will remain in Castlerea prison. Like Pat, he was unjustly imprisoned and should be immediately released.”

“History will vindicate Pat and Niall and all those who stood up to Shell law in Mayo. The people that should be behind bars are not these Shell to Sea activists.  It should be those who shamefully handed over the rights to our valuable natural resources to Shell and have intimidated, assaulted and demonised those opposed to having an unsafe experimental pipeline carrying raw gas forced through the heart of their community.”

He concluded: “The economic future of this island and the safety of families living near the route of this planned pipeline must not be sacrificed in order to make obscene profits for Shell. These are our natural resources. They need to be nationalised and utilised safely for the benefit of all, not for Shell and other oil companies.”

Shell to Sea spokesperson Maura Harrington described Pat O’Donnell’s jailing as "part of an ongoing pattern in Erris."  According to Maura "members of the community who prominently oppose the project, particularly those who make formal complaints about Garda behaviour, have repeatedly been arrested or summonsed on farcical charges such as loitering or traffic offences which collapse when they come to court, only to be followed up by new charges."

Pat & Maura at Public meeting in City Hotel, Sligo

She added:  "Pat O’Donnell was selected for vexatious arrests, beatings and jailing because he is an example of a person who could not be bullied or bought. The people of Ireland need to ask themselves what the State is afraid of here."

Welcome Pat home by joining the demonstration at 2pm on Saturday (July 17) at Castlerea Prison in County Roscommon. Bígí linn.

Social Housing Leasing Scheme - a “bail-out for developers”

According to the housing and homeless charity Focus Ireland, there are currently in the region of 100,000 households on local authority social housing waiting lists across the State, 5000 people who are homeless at any one time and more than 93,000 households receiving rent supplement due to difficulty in paying their rent within the private rented sector.

At the launch of their annual report published last month,  they said that the Dublin government would fail to meet its public commitment to end homelessness by the end of this year.  They also warned that the absence of more effective action by government would only result in a deepening of the housing and homeless crisis as the need for housing is now greater than ever.

Describing those statistics as "shocking", Focus Ireland Life President and Founder Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy said that “these dramatic increases in housing need have taken place at a time when we have been building more houses than ever before.  How can it be that Ireland managed to build in the region of 250,000 homes that were not needed during the boom years yet we have still failed to provide enough homes for those who need them most?”

Questioning the governments priorities and lack of investment in housing, Sr Stanislaus asked "how can the government secure €50 billion to bail out the banks but at the same time cut welfare payments and continue to underinvest in housing and essential services?"

In county Donegal there are around 500 families on the housing waiting list, while here in County Sligo alone there are in the region of 1400 families waiting to be housed by both Sligo Borough and County Councils. 

Last year, the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government introduced what is called the Social Housing Leasing Scheme.  According to the Departments website, the supposed aim of the scheme is to expand the options "available to local authorities for the delivery of social housing. Properties will be leased from the private sector and used to accommodate households from local authority waiting lists. Leased properties will be allocated to tenants, in accordance with the local authorities allocations schemes".

Under the scheme Councils are entering into lease arrangements with property owners for periods of between 10 – 20 years.  Among the benefits the developer will secure is that their properties will be tenanted, managed and maintained throughout all of this period by the local authority.

Even better news for the property owners is that the rent they receive from the council will be guaranteed for the entire time of the lease, and that rent will be an ‘inclusive’ one that includes all rates, charges and taxes that may apply to the leased property. The houses will also be provided unfurnished and on  a ‘repair and insure’ basis where the Local Authority will be responsible for the insurance, maintenance and general repair of the properties. 

However éirígí Sligeach activist Gerry Casey has dismissed the scheme as "no solution" to the housing crisis and "nothing more than another bail-out  for developers". 

Accusing Fianna Fáil and the Greens of ignoring the plight of the homeless and those on housing waiting lists, Casey said:

"This is yet another shameful bail-out of developers  cynically dressed up as a measure to tackle the housing crisis.  The only people to benefit will be those developers who will basically have their mortgages paid and have their investment maintained at tax payers expense for between 10 to 20 years before being handed back to them in pristine condition." 

He added:  "For those in need of housing, being allocated one of these properties  by the Council to rent will not offer any long term solution.  All it provides is uncertainty as families will have no security of tenure.  Once the lease between the council and the developer runs out, the families and individuals in question will  be put out of their home and once again be placed back on the waiting list and in need of housing.  This is an unacceptable situation for families to be placed in."

"What families need, and what this administration has failed miserably to deliver, has been not just a house but more importantly a home.  Security of tenure is central to that."

"This also makes the threats to punish those who refuse to take up the offer of one of these properties by having them lose their place on the waiting list all the more despicable.  Housing is a right, not a privilege."

éirígí Tír Chonaill spokesperson Micheál Cholm MacGiolla Easbuig also attacked the scheme describing it as "scandalous" and "unjustifiable".

He said:  “Having local councils basically paying the mortgages of property developers and maintaining their properties at tax payers expense for between ten or twenty years is a scandalous and unjustifiable move. The developers who built these houses, driven by greed and a belief that they could make themselves rich on the backs of working families by selling the properties at grossly over-inflated prices, have now been left unable to sell them as the economy collapsed.”

“Along with the policies of this government and the bankers, this unbridled greed by developers also contributed greatly to the current economic crisis. Now their Fianna Fáil cronies are rescuing them by means of this long term scheme which sees tax payers pay to protect these developers investments while the developer doesnt have to spend a cent or lift a finger.”

“Fianna Fáil are happy to see families lose their homes and hundreds of thousands of people lose their jobs. They are happy to impose savage cuts in income for low paid workers and welfare recipients. They are happy to see our young people emigrate once again and they are more than happy to shut hospitals and reduce and remove essential health services.”

He concluded: “However, when it comes to allowing developers take a loss or go out of business as a result of their greed, thats a step too far. Fianna Fáil insist that they must be protected, just like the banks. That's what this scheme is about. That's Fianna Fáil priorities for you.”

Resist Normalisation – Oppose Armed Forces Day

Britain's Armed Forces Day takes place this Saturday (June 26). As well as the many triumphalist and jingoistic parades and events that are taking place throughout Britain, events to mark Armed Forces Day are disgracefully to be held in a number of locations within the occupied six counties here in Ireland. Amongst the events on Saturday to mark this occasion will be the raising of a British military flag over Belfast City Hall.

If we were to believe the official Armed Forces Day website, the day is “an annual opportunity for the nation to Show Your Support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community”.

Indeed earlier this week British Prime Minister David Cameron was also urging people to support Armed Forces Day and wave the union jack. Cameron claimed that “there is huge respect for the Armed Forces community out there, and I want that expressed more loudly and more proudly. As someone once said, silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone – so next Saturday I hope we see an explosion of red, white and blue all over the country.”

Contrary to Cameron's suggestion, the Irish people do not have 'huge respect' for the British army. Contempt would be a more apt description of Irish peoples views of a military force responsible for Bloody Sunday and many other massacres in Ireland and around the world.

Cameron also needs to be reminded also that the six counties are not his country. They are an integral part of our national terroritory. They are not now and never will be a part of Britain.

British troops have no right to be here in any part of our country. For Irish republicans and nationalists, Armed Forces Day is a deliberate insult to those who suffered at the hands of the British army throughout their occupation which continues to this day. It is an insult to all the families of those who were murdered directly by the British army or by loyalist death squads acting in collusion with the British army.

Sligo éirígí activist Gerry Casey described the 'celebrations' as obscene and an attempt to normalise the continued occupation of our country.

Casey said: “There most definitely is nothing to 'celebrate' about one of the world's most murderous military forces.”

“The British army record in Ireland has been a lengthy, shameful and bloody one. Their occupation, which continues to this day, has been one of intimidation, political repression, assault, torture, collusion and murder. More than 5000 troops remain in the six counties with the Special Reconaissance Regiment (SRR), effectively an undercover British army death squad, back on the streets of the six-counties once more.”

He added: “To 'celebrate' and 'glorify' a force with such an appalling human rights record and a propensity for mass murder is truly obscene. It is nothing short of trampling over the graves of their victims, especially coming less than two weeks after the publication of the Saville Report which was a damning indictment of the British army massacre of civil rights marchers on the streets of Derry on Bloody Sunday 1972.”

“It is also a blatant attempt by the British Government to attempt to normalise the six counties and the continued occupation. However, just like previous attempts at 'normalisation' by successive British governments, republican opposition will ensure that this attempt is doomed to failure also.”

“While some people may now be willing to support a policy of 'normalisation' and administer the occupation from Stormont, Irish Republicans will never accept or legitimise it, will never accept British troops in our country and will continue to resist that occupation for as long as it continues.”

Casey concluded: “Like the British army, éirígí will be marking Armed Forces Day. Unlike the British army, we will not be celebrating their murderous deeds. éirígí will be holding a demonstration to oppose these events taking place in our country outside City Hall in Belfast at 12 midday. Oppose British imperialism and the continued occupation of the six counties and Afghanistan. Bigí linn.”

Colonoscopy waiting list times placing lives needlessly at risk

Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer in Ireland, with more than 50 per cent of bowel cancer patients diagnosed with the more advanced forms of the disease, stages 3 and 4. The unfortunate reality is that less than 5 per cent of patients with stage 4 bowel cancer survive more than four years. As with many forms of cancer, early detection is vital, and can mean the difference between life and death.

According to the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) a colonoscopy has been proven to be the most effective method to diagnose the disease. The ICS insist this procedure needs to be carried out between four and six weeks after referral. Indeed, in a letter back in December 2008, Health Minister Mary Harney herself told the HSE she wanted all people awaiting colonoscopies to be seen within one month.

Information provided by hospitals to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), which manages public hospital waiting lists reveal that there are now 951 people in the 26-counties waiting longer than three months for a colonoscopy. That is an increase of 229 people on the waiting list from September 2009.

The information collated by the NPTF reveals that the figures for the waiting list at Sligo General Hospital has increased to 99 compared to 74 in March and 44 back in December. Galway University Hospital has also seen an increase of 70 percent with 106 patients now waiting for a colonoscopy, up from 62 patients in March, while the figures for Letterkenny General Hospital have jumped to 56, increasing from 43 in March and from 25 in December. The Beaumont Hospital in Dublin has gone from 66 to 131, a massive 98 percent increase. This is up from just 9 people on their waiting list back in December of last year.


The Irish Cancer Society (ICS) have described the increases across the majority of hospitals as very worrying. Kathleen O’Meara, Head of Advocacy and Communications at the ICS, said they were “seriously concerned to see that the total number of people waiting has increased by over 30 percent in just over six months.”

She also expressed concern over the impact these ever increasing waiting lists would have on the screening programme which is due to commence in 2012. According to Ms O'Meara “unless the problem of waiting lists is tackled in advance of screening being delivered, we are not sure that we can have full confidence in the ability of our hospital system to deliver screening while not impacting symptomatic services at the same time.”

This is all par for the course for an administration that has always shown contempt for the lives and well being of the people they claim to represent and govern on behalf of.

Health services have been slashed right across the board in recent years, with more cutbacks planned. We have seen the postponement in recent years of the cervical cancer vaccine for young girls which is only now being rolled out. Cut-backs in home help have also caused enormous hardship and anguish for elderly and ill people right across the country, as this service provided a lifeline for many vulnerable people in need of assistance. Now it is believed that the HSE are looking at closing or limiting the opening hours of accident and emergency units in order to cut the health budget even further.

Here in the north-west alone, we have seen the removal of 72 beds from Sligo General Hospital and the closure of wards. The Hospital is seriously understaffed with most wards operating with two to three nurses less than they require, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

Cancer services were also removed last year to Galway University hospital which is unable to cope with the increased workload, as campaigners against the move accurately predicted. There was also a delay of ten years in bringing the breast screening service BreastCheck to the north-west. Now following its eventual arrival last year, it is short staffed, resulting in even further delays in women receiving their appointments for what is, like a colonoscopy, a potentially life saving procedure.

Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar is facing imminent cutbacks of €9 million and the closure of a male surgical ward and possibly more. Other smaller hospitals in the region are also suffering ward closures, staff reductions and reductions in services. In County Leitrim, and indeed a number of other counties around the state, it was recently revealed that they shamefully have no dedicated therapeutic services for children who suffer sexual abuse.

Mary Harney and her cabinet colleagues regularly talked about the need for prioritising. In fairness, she has kept her word. Her priority and that of her government colleagues is to protect the wealthy political and business elite and continue their greed before need and privatisation agenda at the expense of the working people and those most in need in this state.

Given the choice between creating and funding a first class health service freely and easily accessible to all, or bailing out the banks, they have chosen to bail out the banks. If people die as a result of their decisions, which they undoubtably have and will continue to, they are viewed as merely “collateral damage” in their ideological quest for profit and the attainment of ever increasing wealth.

Reacting to these latest figures, éirígí Sligeach activist Gerry Casey condemned the HSE and their political masters, described these lenghty waiting lists as “unacceptable” and “placing lives needlessly at risk”.

Casey said: "éirígí are extremely concerned at the continuing high numbers waiting more than three months to receive potentially life saving colonoscopy testing. The fact that an increasing number of patients referred to Sligo General and other hospitals around the state have to endure such a lengthy delay for their colonoscopy is totally unacceptable."

"Once again, the Dublin government and the HSE seem intent on needlessly putting people's lives at risk by not providing efficient and proven measures to detect and prevent the deaths of Irish citizens from various forms of cancer. As waiting lists and delays increase, as is currently happening, lives will inevitably be lost as a result of this debacle."

Casey concluded: "There is no excuse for people having to wait months for a procedure that could save their lives and which should happen within weeks of referral. It is a matter of deliberate political decisions being taken by this administration who have repeatedly shown that they care little whether working class people suffer unnecessarily or even die unnecessarily."