REPUBLICAN SINN FÉIN PRESENT AT ARAS RUALACH JI / CE MEETING IN CLONDALKIN , DUBLIN ,THURSDAY 9th SEPTEMBER 2010.

Members of the local Maire Drumm / Kevin Barry Cumann of Republican Sinn Féin Poblachtach , Clondalkin , were present at the 'CEEDS' Open Day in Aras Rualach , Clondalkin , at which (some) local politicians were present - all local politicians were invited , but only John Curran (FF) , Paul Gogarty (Greens/Yellows) , Joanne Tuffy (Labour) and Derek Keating (FG) took up the offer , with Frances Fitzgerald (FG) noticable by her absence , having stated that she would be present.




Paul Gogarty and John Curran under questioning in Clondalkin on Thursday 9th September 2010.


A member of the local RSF Cumann - and a current JI employee - was asked to give an outline at the meeting on just how Community Sector (JI/CE) services have already been badly affected by the cutbacks , which he did, and he then highlighted how any extra cutbacks will almost definitely result in some of those services (ie employees in Community Centres , creches , local sporting organisations etc) closing altogether or being forced to scale back their opening hours and/or services offered , resulting in more suffering in the communities that depend on those services and more 'anti-social behaviour' on the part of those who were otherwise being kept occupied when those services were running properly.

That same speaker was recently interviewed (page 5) by a local newspaper regarding this issue , as part of an article dealing with proposed future cutbacks in the overall Community Sector workforce.

Paul Hansard (SIPTU) , Paul Gogarty and John Curran at the Aras Rualach 'Open Day' , Clondalkin, Dublin , 9th September 2010.

The State politicians present were , as expected , 'in agreement' with all those who spoke in favour of the work being done by JI and CE workers and who wanted , at the very least, an end to Community Sector cutbacks and previous cuts to be reversed , but it was not lost amongst those present that it is politicians like that who have presided over and/or 'signed-off' on previous cutbacks , a fact reflected in the questions put to and comments directed at the politicians in the room , resulting in a 'Stagg Moment' for Mr Gogarty , who had to be told that he was not in Leinster House and that his language was not necessary or acceptable.

This is the text of the letter of protest which an RSF representative handed to the politicians present -

Thursday , 9th September 2010.

RE - COMMUNITY SECTOR (JI / CE / SE) CUTBACKS .

The threatened closure of Community Sector-based jobs will be felt in Clondalkin more so than in any other part of the State , as there are more than 50 JI employees alone based in over 30 community organisations in the area. The types of projects supported range from football clubs, community centres, educational services and caring organisations. JI employees provide relevant and essential supports to their sponsor organisations such as childcare, caretaking, maintenance, security and administration/clerical roles and, were it not for the input of JI and CE staff , those projects would not function as they now do , if at all.
Considerable resources have been invested in community development as a means of understanding and responding to social exclusion and poverty in disadvantaged areas and amongst disadvantaged groups in the State.

The history of the Community Development Programme in particular is one of building up a social and economic infrastructure in the most deprived areas – involving the most disadvantaged in a process that allows for ongoing needs assessment and the development of appropriate and effective local responses to social exclusion and poverty issues.
It is easy enough to calculate this investment in financial terms. It is a bit more difficult to quantify the resources invested in terms of the thousands of volunteers and low-paid workers who have given their time and expertise to managing and delivering local projects, services and programmes. These thousand of hours prove excellent value for money and contribute hugely to the stabilisation of the local community structure by providing focus, services and responses where they are needed most.
It is deeply worrying to imagine the inevitable cost that will result if this whole infrastructure is dismantled - if the 'spaces' created for the most excluded to participate are closed down - and if all the volunteers and low-paid workers now involved in managing and delivering projects are told they are no longer required.

A good example of the position that JI workers , for instance , now find themselves in can be seen in the fact that , in 2007 , take-home pay (nett pay) averaged €423.86 cents per week whereas today , three years later , that figure is €425.96 cents - two Euro and ten cents more than they earned three years ago. Also , CE workers now earn 12 Euro less per week than they did in 2009.

The Leinster House administration has confirmed that the Community and Voluntary (C and V) sector will be the principal target for severe cuts in the forthcoming December 2010 State budget and, considering that in the time period to date ie between 2009 / 2010, the 'C and V' sector suffered headline cuts of 18% - 20% , it is obvious that these organisations have absorbed enough 'pain' , as these cuts were obtained through redundancies, 3 day weeks, pay cuts and service reductions.
They were not over-paid employees to start with , and they cannot afford to be made pay for the mistakes and incompetence of State politicians and their business friends.
Republican Sinn Féin Poblachtach in Clondalkin , and throughout this State , will continue to support the Community Sector workers as they face into even more undeserved vicious cutbacks.

Signed -
Matt Mullen (Chairperson)
Maire Drumm/Kevin Barry Cumann ,
Republican Sinn Féin Poblachtach ,
Clondalkin,
Dublin 22.


"JI / CE paying for the mistakes of the Fatcats...." : RSF protest , Clondalkin, 9th September 2010.


This blog congratulates the local community in Clondalkin for voicing its objection to the already imposed and future cutbacks , and for doing so directly to some of the politicians responsible , to the Management and Staff of CEEDS and Aras Rualach , to the local JI and CE workers who made sure they were represented at the meeting , and to Republican Sinn Féin Poblachtach for taking the time and making the effort to assist the local community.
In that sense it was a good day all round except , perhaps , for the politicians and especially Mr Gogarty , who got angry at the wrong people for the wrong reason.....
More comment and photographs here (post dated Friday 10th September 2010).
Thanks!
Sharon.

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AN EXPERIMENT IN JAMES STREET : THE DEATH OF NIALL RUSH.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1984.
By Derek Dunne.

It was coming up to eight o'clock on the morning of Monday May 28th. At 23 Iona Road , John Kennedy was on the point of leaving for work , making van deliveries across the city and into the country. Shortly before he left the house he went into Niall Rush's bedroom to call him. Niall mumbled something to John , fell back to sleep.

About two hours later , he was woken up by Shay O' Brien , a friend of his who called to the house. Shay went down to boil the kettle , make some tea. Niall and Shay sat in the kitchen , had tea and toast , and discussed what they were going to do over the long weekend coming up. Shay was going to Kerry , other people in the house were thinking about going to Donegal , but Niall was undecided. He still had five days to make up his mind. The next five days he planned to spend in the 'Institute of Clinical Pharmacology' in James Street , Dublin.

Around 11.30am , the two left the house to walk into town . Niall was expecting to meet some Spanish students in Bewleys Cafe and talked about going to Burton Hall in Stillorgan , Dublin , meeting Joe Claffey in White Cross Clinic on the way back and made an arrangement to meet Shay in Bowe's Pub in Fleet Street in the city centre at about 5pm.

He then headed-off for Burton Hall in Stillorgan.......
(MORE LATER).





THE PETER BERRY PAPERS....... The Top Secret Memoirs of Ireland's Most Powerful Civil Servant : Dirty Tricks, Election '69/ Spying on a Unionist Politician/ Keeping the (State) Taoiseach informed/ The Garda Fallon Murder/ Advice to Jack Lynch- 'Fire the pair of them...'/ Vivion De Valera's advice to O'Malley/ Rumours of a Coup D'Etat/ The Internment Plot, November 1970/ Secret Meeting with William Craig.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1980.

Peter Berry was incensed by the failure of one of his former (State) Ministers , Brian Lenihan, to accept ministerial responsibility for a decision about the disposition of the Secret Service Fund which was to cause uproar in the Dail (Leinster House) in November 1968. He was also gravely disillusioned by the handling of the arms crisis, at all its stages and , finally, he was dismayed that the (State) Government failed to provide him with the recompense for his premature retirement , which he himself precipitated to ease the pressure on the Government over a kidnap plot which involved him.

Mr Berry's stature as a public servant is not in doubt. (State) President de Valera once referred to him as "an outstandingly fine person". Desmond O'Malley, when (State) Minister for Justice , repeatedly expressed his and the (State) Government's admiration and appreciation for his contribution to the State. In the Dail (Leinster House) on May 9th , 1970, Jack Lynch paid public tribute to his service. His original intention was to retire in January 1970 but he was prevailed upon to continue in office . He made known his fixed intention to retire in July 1970 and reiterated this when the kidnap plot was uncovered in November 1970 but, even then, Jack Lynch attempted to prevail on him not to go but Berry's disillusionment by then had run too deep.

While the narrative on the arms crisis is done in chronological order, his papers on his earlier career are diffused. He had only begun to work on this part of his life story when he died suddenly of a heart attack on December 14th, 1978.......
(MORE LATER).






'LANDLORD' ISSUE TO INCREASE ELECTRICITY PRICES IN 26-COUNTY STATE ?

The main supplier of electricity to houses and business premises in this State , the 'ESB', may soon be increasing its prices - apart from this already-announced 1st October 2010 increase - due to its own administrative incompetence in relation to where its approximate 50,000 substations are built.

Most , if not all, of those substations are built on land not 'owned' by the ESB - five such parcels of land with ESB substations on them are 'owned' by a firm of Dublin solicitors who recently found themselves in the State Circuit Court to answer a case brought against them regarding rent issues by the ESB .

As far as this blog understands ,the ESB took the case in order to , as it thought , 'clear the air' regarding it having to pay rent to the 'owners' for the land or , if instructed by those 'owners' to do so , that it would not be legally obliged to remove its equipment from that parcel of land - if the ESB had got a 'ruling' to that affect it could have used same as a precedent in case any of the 'owners' of the other approximate 50,000 parcels of land got 'uppity' re not having the use of , or proper access to , 'their' land.

The ESB , a semi-State organisation, attempted, we believe, to use 'the Landlords and Tenants Act' to obtain a ruling that it did not 'owe rent' for the land and that it could not be placed under an obligation to remove the substation structure/building if told by the 'owners' to do so - but it lost the case.

The State Court decided that the ESB substation should be classed as 'machinery' which was , in this instance, (stored/kept/housed ?) on land on which rent could be charged , if the 'owners' so decided or , again, depending on the 'owners' - land which could be cleared of that which presently occupies it. The owners of that parcel of land have since begun legal cases in relation to the other ESB substation-landparcels it also 'owns'.

This blog believes that the ESB has appealed to the State High Court in relation to that State Circuit Court decision and we have been told by a 'Legal Eagle' friend of ours that the 'landowners' ".....appear to be on safe ground.." (pardon the pun!) re any 'pay rent/vacate the site' instruction from the 'landowners' : if our friend is correct , and the State High Court supports the decision made by the State Circuit Court , then the ESB will either have to pay rent (and 'back money' ?) on possibly all fifty-odd thousand sites or move its equipment - either way , it's more than likely that the expense incurred by either option will not be paid for out of whatever savings or profits it has ; instead , that cost will be borne by its customers.

If we hear more - before or after your next ESB bill arrives in the post - we'll let you know.......




AND FINALLY.......

.......two Republican events taking place this Sunday , 12th September 2010 ,and one postponed event.....

a 1798 Remembrance Day will be held at the Fordtown Memorial Site in County Meath ; those attending are asked to assemble in Fordtown at 3pm. More information regarding this Commemoration can be had by 'phoning 086-7326922.

Republican Sinn Féin in Dublin will be holding one of these in a Dublin hotel - over 600 tickets have been sold already , and about 50 more will be sold between now and Sunday 12th September next.

Due to a double-booking in the 79'r Pub in Ballyfermot , Dublin , the advertised Ballad Session which was to be held on Saturday 25th September 2010 has been postponed untill Saturday 16th October 2010 ; other than the change of date , all details are as were ie group , admission price , raffle etc.


....AND one event to be held on Monday 13th September 2010 -
The Annual Bobby Sands Lecture will be held on that Monday at 7pm in Wynns Hotel , Abbey Street , in Dublin , at which the main address will be delivered by Republican Sinn Féin Poblachtach President , Des Dalton. All Welcome , no admission charge.
Thanks!
Sharon.

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