tyranny unchallenged

national | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis Sunday April 11, 2004 17:12 by john mc dermott Ashtown,Dublin

Fianna Fail-A Dictatorship in all but name.

The basic freedoms of our democracy are being eroded ,one by one.The ultimate coup for the Builders/Land Speculators Party(Fianna Fail )is ready .Legislation enabling their cronies all across the land,in every county council,
The power to build anything,anywhere,without right of appeal against -by any citizen.!

Minister Cullen proposes to remove decision-making on all major infrastructure projects from both the local planning councils and An Bord Pleanala.
On the surface, this might seem like an isolated proposal to smooth the way forward for controversial projects.
But look a little deeper. Look at a succession of decisions taken by Minister Cullen and his predecessor, and they all have one common thread.
Taking the cue from his predecessor, who removed waste management decisions from elected officials and granted them to unelected city and county managers, Mr Cullen is systematically removing checks and balances to preserve and protect the environment, and removing the democratic right of every citizen to voice their opposition to or concern about certain projects.
First, he subsumes a formerly independent agency, Duchas, into the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, from where it will be answerable to Departmental objectives rather than being independent.
He then takes a second independent agency, An Bord Pleanala, and removes the appeal mechanism to An Bord Pleanala for planning application objectors where the applicant has been approved by the local planning board and that applicant is connected to or has contributed to the local community (whatever that means!)
Wasn't An Bord Pleanala established to be an honest broker to take local politics and connections out of the planning process?
Isn't this why the current planning tribunal is investigating past planning decisions involving Quarryvale, Mr Lawlor, Mr Gilmartin, elected politicians etc?
Now he proposes to create a whole new review board, the Strategic Infrastructure Board.
That's just what we need right now - another review board.
This way, the government can appoint the board members and there will be no avenue for review or appeal on major projects that affect hundreds of thousands of people. This is dictatorship.
(letter recently sent to national newspapers)

The breathtaking arrogance of the, infamous, Martin ‘Cu’Cullen’s(The Hound of Ulster -or The Hound of Hell’s) proposed legislation to emasculate ‘An Bord Pleanala’and subsume the rights of unhindered execution of Fianna Fails ‘One Off Housing Blitz’,must meet with a measured response from all of the Media(while they are still free!) and all other responsible and authoritive citizens of this state-whatever their politics or role in the nations affairs,may be.
The public must be alerted to the Nazi-style tyranny which is currently in train,and respond accordingly.This is a challenge to the checks and balances of our democratic state.
Why ,for example, is the mass deportations plans for unwilling Civil Servants ,not meeting with an appropriate response from those directly affected?
Are they really going to pack their bags like so many sheep and move to their appointed green pastures without so much as whimper/
Can Fianna Fail drive a coach and four through everything we hold sacred,-including the Hill Of Tara, itself?
People power, taking to the streets, removed Marcos,and other dictators from office.
Is this what it takes to get Bertie ,’Cu’ Cullen and their henchmen off our backs for good?