Protest Against Cutbacks this Saturday
Sinn Féin Councillor Jonathan O'Brien has called on people to take to the streets of this Saturday to protest against the government's economic policies and the EU/IMF bailout.
Cllr O'Brien said:
"This government is pawning Ireland's sovereignty to the EU and IMF to bail out banks and bondholders, and has published a four-year plan of cutbacks that will deepen the recession and kill any prospect of growth."
"They must not be allowed to bring in their budget on 7th December or conclude a deal with the IMF that would mortgage our country's future for a generation. We need Fianna Fail out, and an immediate election."
"Many people will be travelling to Dublin on Saturday to support the ICTU protest, but for those who cannot, it is important that there is an opportunity for people in Cork to show their disgust and anger at the government. I would encourage people to meet outside Brown Thomas at 2pm on Saturday to tell Brian Cowen that "Ireland is Not For Sale"
For further information or comment contact Cllr Jonathan O'Brien @ 085-2133907.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Ireland is Not For Sale-Protest at Cork City Hall
Ireland is Not For Sale - Protest at City Hall
Several hundred people took part in a protest outside City Hall last night organised by Cork Sinn Féin. Starting at the National Monument, the protest proceeded along the South Mall to City Hall, where it was addressed by speakers who included Sinn Féin councillors Jonathan O'Brien and Chris O'Leary and economist Tom O'Connor. Protesters rejected the government's plans for an IMF bailout and called for an immediate general election.
Cllr Jonathan O'Brien said:
"Today the government unveiled the four year plan of cutbacks that has been dictated to them by their masters in Brussels and the IMF. Once more their target is the low-paid, the unemployed and those dependent on public services. The minimum wage is to be cut by €1, social welfare payments reduced, and low-paid workers brought into the tax net. All to bail out the banks and ensure the German and British bondholders who lent to them get their money back."
"The government wants to sell our sovereignty and mortgage our future to rescue the banks."
"Our message today is - Ireland is not for sale. The government has no authority to do this. Fianna Fail is a discredited party that has lost the confidence of its junior partners in government, the independents, and most importantly, the Irish people. It is deliberately delaying bye-elections in Waterford, Donegal North East and South Dublin in order to cling on to power. It has no mandate to negotiate with the IMF on our behalf or tie us into an economic straight-jacket for the next four years."
"We want the people to have a say. We want Fianna Fail out, and an election now."
For further information or comment, contact Cllr Jonathan O'Brien @ 085-2133907
Four Year Plan Will Only Deepen Recession-O'Leary
Four Year Plan Will Only Deepen Recession-O'Leary
Sinn Féin Councillor Chris O'Leary has said the government’s four year plan for the economy is an attempt to make the unemployed, the sick, the low paid and students pay for the sins of the wealthy, and will only deepen the recession.
Councillor O'Leary said:
“This plan lets the wealthy off the hook, while hitting low and middle income earners hardest once again. And for what? Every penny of every tax increase and every spending cut will go to paying off the debt incurred for bailing out the banks."
“Not only is this plan morally wrong, it is economic lunacy. Nearly €14.5 billion was taken out of the economy in the past two years and the result is the recession is worse. Now they want to take out another €15 billion."
“Increasing VAT will not grow the economy, it will see people flooding across the border to shop and kill business in this state."
“Reducing the minimum wage and social welfare will reduce disposable income and lead to decreased consumer confidence and further job losses. The Government should be concentrating on getting people into jobs in order to lessen the social welfare bill."
“Reducing the tax band to €15,000 will bring thousands of low earners into the tax net but they are not increasing the top tax rate or targeting high earners."
“Increasing student charges from €1,500 to €2,000 will exclude thousands of students from college – parents will be faced with choices of ‘do we pay our mortgage or do we send our children to college?"
“There are alternatives. A 1% wealth tax on the assets of Ireland's 33,000 millionaires, for example, would bring in €5 billion over the next four years. However the government have chosen not to follow them."
"This is not a plan for recovery - it is an attack on the poor, the sick, the low paid and the young which will only prolong the recession and delay recovery."
For further information or comment contact Cllr Chris O'Leary 087-2794307.
Sinn Féin Councillor Chris O'Leary has said the government’s four year plan for the economy is an attempt to make the unemployed, the sick, the low paid and students pay for the sins of the wealthy, and will only deepen the recession.
Councillor O'Leary said:
“This plan lets the wealthy off the hook, while hitting low and middle income earners hardest once again. And for what? Every penny of every tax increase and every spending cut will go to paying off the debt incurred for bailing out the banks."
“Not only is this plan morally wrong, it is economic lunacy. Nearly €14.5 billion was taken out of the economy in the past two years and the result is the recession is worse. Now they want to take out another €15 billion."
“Increasing VAT will not grow the economy, it will see people flooding across the border to shop and kill business in this state."
“Reducing the minimum wage and social welfare will reduce disposable income and lead to decreased consumer confidence and further job losses. The Government should be concentrating on getting people into jobs in order to lessen the social welfare bill."
“Reducing the tax band to €15,000 will bring thousands of low earners into the tax net but they are not increasing the top tax rate or targeting high earners."
“Increasing student charges from €1,500 to €2,000 will exclude thousands of students from college – parents will be faced with choices of ‘do we pay our mortgage or do we send our children to college?"
“There are alternatives. A 1% wealth tax on the assets of Ireland's 33,000 millionaires, for example, would bring in €5 billion over the next four years. However the government have chosen not to follow them."
"This is not a plan for recovery - it is an attack on the poor, the sick, the low paid and the young which will only prolong the recession and delay recovery."
For further information or comment contact Cllr Chris O'Leary 087-2794307.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Residents to be updated on Knocknaheeny Regeneration Plan
Residents to be Updated on Knocknaheeney Regeneration Plan
A meeting will take place next Thursday in Knocknaheeney to highlight the growing housing crisis in the city and to update local residents on the Knocknaheeney Regeneration Plan. The meeting is hosted by local councillor Jonathan O'Brien and will take place on 2nd December at 7.30 in Terence MacSwiney School.
Encouraging people to attend the meeting, Councillor O'Brien said:
"This is the fourth meeting Sinn Féin has organised as part of our city-wide housing campaign, "Lets End the Wait". With over 8,000 people on the waiting list for housing, and the prospect of savage cuts in the housing budget in this year's estimates, it has never been more important that people come together to demand decent housing for all."
"Cork Sinn Féin has published a detailed set of policy proposals on how to end the housing crisis in our city, and we will continue to campaign until they are implemented by the council."
"I will also be taking the opportunity of this meeting to update local residents on the council's proposals for the Knocknaheeney Regeneration Plan. This project is critical for the future of the area and will have an impact on everyone who lives here. I think it is important that residents are consulted on the plan and given as much information as possible. Next Thursday night I will lay out what the council is currently proposing and listen carefully to the comments and feedback of local people."
"I would encourage anybody living in Knocknaheeney to come to the meeting and have their say on the future of their area."
For further information or comment contact Councillor Jonathan O'Brien @ 085-2133907
A meeting will take place next Thursday in Knocknaheeney to highlight the growing housing crisis in the city and to update local residents on the Knocknaheeney Regeneration Plan. The meeting is hosted by local councillor Jonathan O'Brien and will take place on 2nd December at 7.30 in Terence MacSwiney School.
Encouraging people to attend the meeting, Councillor O'Brien said:
"This is the fourth meeting Sinn Féin has organised as part of our city-wide housing campaign, "Lets End the Wait". With over 8,000 people on the waiting list for housing, and the prospect of savage cuts in the housing budget in this year's estimates, it has never been more important that people come together to demand decent housing for all."
"Cork Sinn Féin has published a detailed set of policy proposals on how to end the housing crisis in our city, and we will continue to campaign until they are implemented by the council."
"I will also be taking the opportunity of this meeting to update local residents on the council's proposals for the Knocknaheeney Regeneration Plan. This project is critical for the future of the area and will have an impact on everyone who lives here. I think it is important that residents are consulted on the plan and given as much information as possible. Next Thursday night I will lay out what the council is currently proposing and listen carefully to the comments and feedback of local people."
"I would encourage anybody living in Knocknaheeney to come to the meeting and have their say on the future of their area."
For further information or comment contact Councillor Jonathan O'Brien @ 085-2133907
No to Bailout, No to Cutbacks- Protest this Evening
No to Bailout, No to Cutbacks - Protest this Evening
Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan O'Brien has invited people to support the protest the party is organising this evening against the EU/IMF bailout for the banks and the proposed budget cuts. The protest will begin at 5.30 at the National Monument and will proceed to City Hall where councillors will be leaving a budget meeting at 6pm.
Cllr O'Brien said:
"The Fianna Fáil government are clinging to power despite having lost the confidence of their coalition partners and the people. They are determined to conclude a deal with the IMF to bail out the banks and to pass a hairshirt budget before they leave office. If they succeed, the consequence will be to load the Irish people with billions more in debt for the benefit of international bondholders, and to kill any prospects of growth in the economy."
"It is time to take a stand and to demand that Fianna Fáil go. We need an election now with the people given the opportunity to have a meaningful say in the future direction of this country. We are asking people to turn out tonight to send Brian Cowen and his ministers a message that is loud and clear; your time is up, you have no mandate to sell out this country to the IMF, it is time to go."
For further information or comment contact Jonathan O'Brien @ 085-2133907
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Hundreds Attend Protest Rally in Cork
Hundreds Attend Protest Rally in Cork Around 200 people attended a rally last night to protest against the government's economic policies and the IMF/ECB intervention in our affairs.
Sinn Féin had originally invited people to attend a protest vigil at the National Monument at 6pm. However when large numbers turned up it was decided to march through the Grand Parade and Patrick Street, in the course of which many more members of the public joined in. The rally was addressed by Sinn Féin Cllrs Jonathan O'Brien and Chris O'Leary, as well as economist Tom O'Connor. Speaking afterwards, Cllr O'Leary said: "The turnout for last night's protest, which was organised at less than a day's notice, demonstrates the anger that is out there at the way the government, having brought the country to its knees, has now sold our sovereignty to the EU and IMF to rescue the banks."
"The location of the vigil - at the National Monument, inscribed with the names of those who led the struggle for Irish freedom from 1798 onwards - was particularly symbolic." "People do not want Brian Cowen clinging to power until some time in January, so that he can wreak even more devastation on the country with a slash-and-burn budget. They want Fianna Fail out and an election now." "People deserve the chance to choose alternative policies that will stimulate the economy and provide jobs, not more of the same failed policies of the last two years."
"We will be protesting again outside City Hall Wednesday night, where councillors will be considering a budget that looks set to impose savage cutbacks in local services. Once again we invite the people of Cork to join us. It is time to stand up. We cannot sit on our hands and watch as our sovereignty is pawned in the interests of foreign bondholders and the economic prospects of our children are destroyed." For further information or comment contact Cllr Chris O'Leary 087/2794307
Sinn Féin had originally invited people to attend a protest vigil at the National Monument at 6pm. However when large numbers turned up it was decided to march through the Grand Parade and Patrick Street, in the course of which many more members of the public joined in. The rally was addressed by Sinn Féin Cllrs Jonathan O'Brien and Chris O'Leary, as well as economist Tom O'Connor. Speaking afterwards, Cllr O'Leary said: "The turnout for last night's protest, which was organised at less than a day's notice, demonstrates the anger that is out there at the way the government, having brought the country to its knees, has now sold our sovereignty to the EU and IMF to rescue the banks."
"The location of the vigil - at the National Monument, inscribed with the names of those who led the struggle for Irish freedom from 1798 onwards - was particularly symbolic." "People do not want Brian Cowen clinging to power until some time in January, so that he can wreak even more devastation on the country with a slash-and-burn budget. They want Fianna Fail out and an election now." "People deserve the chance to choose alternative policies that will stimulate the economy and provide jobs, not more of the same failed policies of the last two years."
"We will be protesting again outside City Hall Wednesday night, where councillors will be considering a budget that looks set to impose savage cutbacks in local services. Once again we invite the people of Cork to join us. It is time to stand up. We cannot sit on our hands and watch as our sovereignty is pawned in the interests of foreign bondholders and the economic prospects of our children are destroyed." For further information or comment contact Cllr Chris O'Leary 087/2794307
Government Has No Authority To Pass Budget- O'Brien
Government Has No Authority to Pass Budget
Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan O'Brien has said the government has no authority to pass a budget on 7th December and should resign and call a general election. To take such fundamental decisions on the economy now without consulting the people would be tantamount to treason.
Cllr O'Brien said: "Brian Cowen's statement yesterday evening beggars belief." "This man his lost the confidence of his coalition partners, his own backbenchers and the independents who had been supporting his government. Due to his monumental mismanagement of the economy, the IMF are sitting in the Department of Finance, dictating the terms of our next four budgets. Yet he is determined to cling on to power until he has completed the job of wrecking our economy by intorducing a deflationary budget and tying us into a deal with the EU and IMF." "Brian Cowen and Fianna Fáil no longer have the authority to do this. Their mandate has run out.
They are a shadow government which has lost any shred of respect or trust from the people." "To pass a budget now without an election first would be an act of treason." "The people must be given an oportunity to make themselves heard. There needs to be a general election where voters are offered a real choice - between the failed policies of austerity and a strategy of stimulating job creation and gowth." "There is still time to choose a better way.
The IMF are coming in to bail out the banks and their bondholders, not the state. We can force the bondholders to take their losses and maintain our economic sovereignty. We need an election now before Brian Cowen forces us into an economic straightjacket for the next four years." For further information or comment contact Cllr Jonathan O'Brien @ 085-2133907
Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan O'Brien has said the government has no authority to pass a budget on 7th December and should resign and call a general election. To take such fundamental decisions on the economy now without consulting the people would be tantamount to treason.
Cllr O'Brien said: "Brian Cowen's statement yesterday evening beggars belief." "This man his lost the confidence of his coalition partners, his own backbenchers and the independents who had been supporting his government. Due to his monumental mismanagement of the economy, the IMF are sitting in the Department of Finance, dictating the terms of our next four budgets. Yet he is determined to cling on to power until he has completed the job of wrecking our economy by intorducing a deflationary budget and tying us into a deal with the EU and IMF." "Brian Cowen and Fianna Fáil no longer have the authority to do this. Their mandate has run out.
They are a shadow government which has lost any shred of respect or trust from the people." "To pass a budget now without an election first would be an act of treason." "The people must be given an oportunity to make themselves heard. There needs to be a general election where voters are offered a real choice - between the failed policies of austerity and a strategy of stimulating job creation and gowth." "There is still time to choose a better way.
The IMF are coming in to bail out the banks and their bondholders, not the state. We can force the bondholders to take their losses and maintain our economic sovereignty. We need an election now before Brian Cowen forces us into an economic straightjacket for the next four years." For further information or comment contact Cllr Jonathan O'Brien @ 085-2133907
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