Labour councillor elected Dublin Lord Mayor

by LM Tue Jun 22, 2004 01:21

Nice to see that labour has stuck to its socialist principles.

Wonder what will happen with the bin tax issue

by chris bond Tue Jun 22, 2004 02:46

Although i have always been an admirer of his i think that Pat Rabbite has to go,he should still play a key role in party affairs but he seems intent on turining labour into a workers branch of Fine Gael whilst at the same time discarding our socialist roots. We should of gone inwith sinn fein on this one. It would have been a good stepping stone for success in the 07 elections.

by Council watcher. Tue Jun 22, 2004 04:07

Labour had a chance tonight to give the dublin voters a real left wing alternative, instead they ignored the wishes of the electorate who voted by 65% - 35% for left wing candidates (of whatever hue) and looked for support from FG and the PDs!!

There lack of gumption is quite outstanding sometimes.

I can't help but think that this is a short term gain (next GE) that will come back to destroy Lab in 2012 election.

by SPySPotter Tue Jun 22, 2004 10:59

Now where could this be coming from? If Labour had joined up with SF the same attacks would be made. The real question is how many SP councillors were elected in Dublin City? None!

What % of the vote did the SP get in Dublin City? 0.01%!

by Quizmaster Tue Jun 22, 2004 11:26

"Give them the red card"?

And who is relying on the vote of the odious part of the FF/PD coalition?

Labour that's who!!!!

by Canteen Kevin Tue Jun 22, 2004 11:32

How can Labour ever deny that they are a centre right party indistinguishable from the rest of the FF/FG/PD shit. How quickly they forget the lessons of 1993 when they gained 33 Dail seats on the back of a wave of voter outrage against FF. What did these centre-right shitbags then do? Behaved exactly like FF, stuffing jobs with relatives, using Ministerial influence to favour their own power base.

It is no real surprise though I was hoping Labour would stop giving FG a lifeline, some chance. Wll done lads, ye've covered us all in the shit again, no doubt you're getting the cells ready to lock up the "0.01%" of SP sympathisers who will be forced to protest the bin tax again when Labour and their PD/FG buddies start implementing non-collection

by Sell out spotter Tue Jun 22, 2004 11:40

Is this all that you have to say.
How about you? Do you feel no shame about your party doing a deal with Fine Gael and the PD's? Well?

by merrovininggñññvanjans Tue Jun 22, 2004 11:41

can I take my Dublin Corporation mug out of the packing cases, and put it with pride back on the display case in the livingroom?
Has the wrong been righted? I hope so, been running out of mugs over the last years, my darling wife almost ex-wife, suggested we register our displeasure by boxing the bad 'un mugs. MAssive box under our bed, "the bed", Charles and Lady Di, the Phoenix caricture of Charley Haughey, Presidents Kennedy Reagan and Clinton, Gay Byrne in his eurovision appearances, all of them, gone to the box of dissaproval.
Might have had something do with the divorce. Can't have a happy normal relationship when the only mug you can drink from is the Mammy Theresa of Calcutta.
Breakfast was a very stressful affair.
-are you finished with the mug yet?
-No leave me alone it's still very hot.
-would you fucking knock it back now, I've to go to work.
- shocking language you're using shocking language, I'll have to wash the MAmmy Theresa now.
- well if you hadn't fucking boxed the Rosyton mug, we'd have two you useless bastard, why didn't I listen to my mother.
- she was abducted don't you remember? You couldn't listen to her, she had her head chopped off by the jihad in 2009.
- no she fucking didn't! IT wasn't the jihad, it was the loyal Saudi crusade on jihadders, and anyway they didn't really chop her head off, it just looked like that on the video.
-Ah fuck off you C**** I should have listened to my friends, told me I was getting into a shitty relationship with a snuffpeddlar. Here take the Mammy Theresa. And fuck off now, go to work. What you doing today?
- I'm trolling. I'm on counter zionazi troll duty.



-

by SPySPotter Tue Jun 22, 2004 11:44

Labour are the biggest party on Dublin City Council. They oppose the Bin Tax but disagreed with some of the methods used by the campaign. The people have spoken by showing that Labour was adopting the correct policy towards fighting the Bin Tax. Only one member of the Anti Bin Tax campaign was elected to DCC, Joan Collins. Its worth noting that she disagreed with the mainline confrontational position of the campaign and was villified for this. Yet she was the only one elected.

by grateful. Tue Jun 22, 2004 11:49

:-)

by Sell out spotter Tue Jun 22, 2004 11:51

"They oppose the Bin Tax but disagreed with some of the methods used by the campaign. The people have spoken by showing that Labour was adopting the correct policy towards fighting the Bin Tax."

Outline your policy. Don't remember it including doing cosy deals with the PD's!!
Anyway your figures are wrong. Nearly every ward had a larger vote for the stance of the bin tax campaigners than the Labour Party. That's if you include SF and independents. You would want to watch your flank.

by Ray Tue Jun 22, 2004 11:56

but wasn't the line a couple of weeks ago that SF weren't really anti-bin tax campaigners?
So which is it - did they campaign against the bin tax or not?

by John Tue Jun 22, 2004 12:01

This makes perfect sense. Why should Labour align with tiny minorities? In Ireland about 65% vote for solid bourgeois centre-right parties (FF, FG, PD), a miserable 10% for left-wing parties (SF, SWP, etc), and about 14% for various independents, many of whom are far-right. Labour, with its 11% share, has a simple choice. Align with the 10% socialist bloc and be forever in the wilderness. Or try and make deals with the centre-right parties and achieve the odd spell in power as a junior (very junior) coalition partner. Sensibly, from their point of view, they have opted for the latter. It isn't much, but its the best they can do, as Ireland is and always will be a conservative, property-owning, pro-business country, no matter how much noise left-wing extremists and other cranks make. Face facts, leftists. Ireland is the last country in Europe that will ever succumb to your charms. You are wasting your time here. In its religious values, social structure, enterprise culture, desire to be free of state regulation, love of the motor car, indifference to the bogus and alarmist claims of the environmentalist movement, opposition to abortion, even its love of country music, Ireland closely ressembles the typical southern state in America. The only difference is the latter are protestant, while Ireland is catholic, but thats a minor difference these days. Ireland is not so much closer to Boston than Berlin, but closer to Dallas than Berlin.

by Sell out spotter Tue Jun 22, 2004 12:07

If he says people voted for the Labour Party because of their stance on the bin tax, well then I am saying that SF and the independents in their literature opposed the bin tax. No semantics about reforming it.
Therefore those putting up an argument against the bin tax garnered more votes than the Labour Party.
And I don't remember Labour saying anything about cosying up to the PD's.

by Ray Tue Jun 22, 2004 12:27

Did SF campaign against the bin tax or not?
The SP, SWP, and some independents did, no question, campaign against the bin tax.
FF, FG, and the PDs didn't oppose the tax, so implicitly supported it.
Labour and SF both said they opposed the bin tax, at least in its present form, but neither made a big deal about it.
I'm just wondering if you were so eager to describe SF as campaigning against the bin tax last month?
And what makes their actual position on the tax - the position they'll take on the council - so differet to Labour's?

by Mary Tue Jun 22, 2004 12:30

If Sinn Féin are left wing could someone explain to me why:

- they took money from Coca Cola?
- their members in SIPTU are against the boycott Coke campaign?
- they take money from the ancient order of Hibernians who won't let Gay people march in the St. Patricks Day Parade in New York?
- hospital waiting lists went to their highest ever levels under SF in the North?
- they didn't produce a single poster calling for a NO vote in the citizenship referendum?

by Observer Tue Jun 22, 2004 12:45

Glad to see you are using the same logic that organisations used up north. The result is that SF managed to break out of the ten per cent. SF have shown that they can take votes from both the Labour Party and FF in the last local elections. The best thing that could have happened to SF is being excluded from the wrangling for council power. Shutting out SF leads to more support. Thanks Labour, FG and FF. Watch them grow.

by Correction Guy Tue Jun 22, 2004 12:51

Sinn Fein actually polled 18% in the Dublin City area.

It's also not up to some nameless SP activist to decide or judge whether SF is opposed to the Bin Tax or not.

by chris bond Tue Jun 22, 2004 13:12

I have always voted for labour even though i am a huge sypathiser with SP,SWP and SF policies.Although i dont like they way they are going in wit fine gael but i think that if it gives them a chance to seize important ministerial positions and to help spread the wealth of this country in a fair and equitable manner it will be justified.

by Me Tue Jun 22, 2004 13:41

"I think that if it gives them a chance to seize important ministerial positions and to help spread the wealth of this country in a fair and equitable manner it will be justified."

If this is all their politics is about 'the seizing of ministerial positions' well then the LP are going to make the same mistakes that they did when they last had a decent amount of td's. Doing a deal with the PD's will only lead to cynicism and SF and the anti-bin tax campaign will highlight this very well.

by John Tue Jun 22, 2004 14:01

Mary is quite correct. I included Sinn Fein under the total left-wing vote in my earlier comment in order to be generous to the Left, as without including Sinn Fein the left vote is quite embarassingly small. I'll accept that a few Sinn Fein voters in the inner cities in Dublin, Belfast and Derry are quite left-wing, and actually believe all this marxist-leninist claptrap, but to describe the rural Sinn Fein vote as left-wing is ridiculous. Most rural Sinn Fein voters couldn't tell Karl Marx from the Marx Brothers. Take the North-West constituency in the Euro elections. Sinn Fein are making a big song and dance because they got 15% of the vote. But, this constituency was actually held by the Neil Blaney dynasty from 1974 to 1999, which was rural Sinn Fein under another name. All that Sinn Fein did there was pick up the votes of the rural catholic-nationalist fringe, that previously went to Blaney and his dynasty, a more conservative grouping you could not find. Look at where transfers from Sinn Fein go to in rural areas. They don't go to socialist parties. They go to Fianna Fail and far-right catholic parties more than they go to left-wing parties. In rural Ireland Sinn Fein voters totally ignore the leadership in every referendum, including the abortion referendum and the citizenship referendum. What Mary said about hospital waiting-lists in Northern Ireland is quite correct. The same also applies to education in Northern Ireland when it came under the ambit of Martin McGuinness. For a full critique of his record, see the comments by socialist leader Eamon McCann in his columns in the Belfast Telegraph. While not pretending to be a socialist, I admire the way socialist parties stand up against Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland, where they can actually see Sinn Fein running things and find they are not in the least left-wing. At fund-raising dinners for Sinn Fein in New York, it is quite common to find the New York Emerald Police Band playing. Now tell me another left-wing party in the world that has ever had a New York Police Band helping to raise money for it. Sinn Fein are a typical nationalist/socialist party, similar to those founded by LePen and Hitler, that makes left-wing noises to recruit among the deprived, but is first and foremost a nationalist party. The only decent socialist leader that Ireland has produced in modern times, Dr. Noel Browne, he of the Mother and Child Scheme fame in the 50s, was opposed to everything Sinn Fein stood for, and would turn in his grave to find working-class areas of Dublin, that he fought for all his life, now turned into minor Sinn Fein strongholds (if you count 15% of the vote in those areas as strongholds).

by Sell out spotter Tue Jun 22, 2004 14:09

In some areas they did. Whether you like it or not Doolan, Ellis, O'Toole and others while probably doing very little were perceived in their areas to be against the bin tax. In Mulhudart, Cabra, Finglas and Ballyfermot their supporters were amongst those hauled before the courts and in some instances their supporters went to jail and at least one was a member. In some of the SF election literature that I saw they had a clear positon of opposition to the bin charges. This contrasts with the Labour mantra of reforming the bin tax. It should be interesting to see how they do this with FG, GP and PD support.

by angryliberal Tue Jun 22, 2004 15:08

So we didn't go in with sinn fein.....and how left wing are sinn fein?Not fucking very plus of course the added no no of having a private army.If sinn fein were actually left wing and stopped apologising for those who kill in the name of nationalism then maybe reasonable people in the labour party might not be forced into a deal with the centre right.

by Angry Dublin resident Tue Jun 22, 2004 15:14

"................of course the added no no of having a private army."

Didn't stop Pat Rabbitte, Liz McManus, Prionsias De Rossa, Eamon Gilmore, Eric Byrne or Joe Sherlock in the rise of their careers. I wonder what helped to pay for all their posters and election literature when they first got elected. Coffee mornings?
Catch yourself on - angryliberal (no such fucking thing btw.)

The Labour Party showed their true colours last night. They would rather stand by the type of voter that votes for Dermot Lacey or Oisin Quinn than those who are really angry with the fact that they never saw the Celtic Tiger.

by North Couty Leader Tue Jun 22, 2004 16:14 foxybrowne at btinternet dot com 0863787395 (TXT only - phone damaged)

Ok, so there's a Lab/FG/GR/PD alliance in the city, but the countys not a done deal.
The Fingal county AGM is next Monday and a week is a long time in politics.

E-mail me for the details, and lets support the Labour councillors in arranging a left alliance in the North County.

There is interest among the parties but the councillors need to know that people would support it.

by Insider Tue Jun 22, 2004 16:25

The fact that there was an FF and Labour Party pact on Dublin City Council since 1999 seems to have passed by a lot of contributors. What happens at local level very often ignores the posturing in Leinster House. As responsibility for setting waste charges rests with the City Manager it will be intertesting to see the stance being adopted when the 2005 estimates come up for consideration. It will be interesting to see also if the new SF members avail of the waiver scheme or pay the charge as did some of their colleagues on the old council.

by Brenners Tue Jun 22, 2004 16:25

All this talk about Labour forming the next government really amuses me. Granted, they did well in Dublin and nobody can take that away from them, but outside the broader Dublin area they have no support. In the Northwest Sinn Fein way out polled them, same story in the South constituency. In the first preference vote Sinn Fein took about 9,000 more votes overall, (Lab 188,132, SF 197,715). The reason for the increase in our vote, (now the third largest party nationally), is quite simple, we are putting in hard work for people on the ground. I know people who voted and also worked for Labour during this election campaign, they will be repulsed that they have done a deal with Wendy Hedermann of the PD’s. The party who brought us the referendum. There are times when you must ask yourself “Is the office of Mayor worth such a compromise of principles?” I think the answer simply is NO.

by North County Leader Tue Jun 22, 2004 16:32 foxybrowne at btinternet dot com

Whats the story with Martin Christie?
Is he resigned or what?

by shinner Tue Jun 22, 2004 16:43

The Matter is currently with the Officer Board of Sinn Fein, Dublin. They are yet to make a formal decision as far as I know. As far as I am aware Mr. Christie has not resigned from the party. He is obviously entitled to due process, as is any member of the party. This indicates the high standards that Sinn Fein demands of all its local representatives. However, I would hope that if he makes the decision to step down that he would also vacate his seat on the council. I know Martins family well; they are strong republicans and are devastated by what has happened, my thoughts are with them also.

by North County Leader Tue Jun 22, 2004 16:51 0863787395 (TXT only - phone damaged)

Well wish him luck and I hope he gets the matter sorted out alright.

by angrysocialist Tue Jun 22, 2004 16:52

Did you see the Panorama programme about Garland? So you see where the money came to fund the careers of Rabbitte and the rest. At least Garland has remained true to his original purpose, while the rest of them were content to take the proceeds of organised crime and then stab him in the back.

by limerick1919 Tue Jun 22, 2004 16:58

John
>> Most rural Sinn Fein voters couldn't tell Karl Marx from the Marx Brothers.>>
You could use the sam patronising observation to describe most rural Labour voters.
>>>>Take the North-West constituency in the Euro elections. Sinn Fein are making a big song and dance because they got 15% of the vote. But, this constituency was actually held by the Neil Blaney dynasty from 1974 to 1999, which was .... rural catholic-nationalist fringe...... a more conservative grouping you could not find.>>
and who got those votes in 1999- Dana of course champion of all the above. Yet when Dana was eliminated last Sunday week, there was four other candidates left and Doherty (SF) only got a meagre 13 % of her votes!
>>>>In rural Ireland Sinn Fein voters totally ignore the leadership in every referendum, including the abortion referendum and the citizenship referendum>>Explanation please of why in the top 5 'NO' vote constituencies in the country we find 3 in the North west, Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo?
I know of a number of SF candidates rural who had included a call for a NO vote in their manifesto. I recognise that SP did this too.
Interesting that in the last Sun Biz post poll on referendum only a majority of SF and Green voters said they would be voting NO. Most Labour voters were voting YES

by John Tue Jun 22, 2004 17:30

limerick1919:

(1) agree with what you say about rural
Labour supporters - no one in rural Ireland
gives a fig for marxism, socialism etc - true
of sinn fein, labour and all others - thats
intended as a compliment by the way

(2) poll in Irish Times monday june 7 showed
sinn fein supporters 2 to 1 in favour of
citizenship referendum

(3) lower 'no' vote in donegal, sligo due to
fact hardly any immigrants there - dublin
was sinn fein's best area for votes, but
'yes' vote was among highest in country
there

(4) in 2002 abortion referendum, the same
counties you mentioned, donegal and
sligo, recorded highest 'yes' votes, despite
sinn fein leadership urging a 'no' vote

(5) dana got 10% of vote - Blayney dynasty
regularly polled 25% - 25 minus 10%
equals 15%, almost exactly the sinn fein
vote in that constituency

(6) said nothing about which parties
transferred to sinn fein - sinn fein receives
negligible transfers from all parties - was
talking about sinn fein transfers to other
parties - do a count of those and post
the percentages here - am willing to bet
Fianna Fail got most, and that other
socialist parties got very few, especially
in rural Ireland

(7) not criticising sinn fein for not being
socialist - am opposed to socialism myself
(as earlier comments make claear) - just
pointing out to other socialist parties the
absurdity of counting sinn fein votes as
socialist

by bored Tue Jun 22, 2004 17:56

What is your point?

You are obviously angry/jealous/embittered/disturbed or whatever by SF's growing support.

My advice: Stay away from election results coverage because it's not going to get any easier for you :))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

by f Tue Jun 22, 2004 18:16

The results of the recent elections in Dublin City Council are quite interesting particularly with regard to the bin tax. On paper at least there is an 'anti bin tax' majority. Labour have 15, Sinn Fein 10 and there are 3 anti bin tax independents.

When pressure comes from central government and the establishment in the council to implement non collection and to renew the bin tax for another year this will be a real test for Labour. Will Labour put at risk their privilages and perks for a principled stand against the bin tax? Watch this space, unfortunately I don't have that much confidence in Labour to take a stand, their previous record and their record in other councils is very very poor on this issue. That is why we need to continue to build non payment and kick off the round of public meeting in the next few months. We can't rely on the cllrs

by Baffled Tue Jun 22, 2004 18:17

Surely liberating equipment from your employer is not a matter for expulsion. (Tongue in cheek) All seems very contrived to me. He doesn't have a criminal record and left his employer on good terms. Weird?

Sinn Fein man sorry for €1,700 incident
By Paul Anderson Last updated: 22-06-04, 16:06

The Sinn Féin county councillor suspended by the party just days after he topped the poll in the local elections has apologised for causing embarrassment to the his family and the party.

In a statement issued through the Sinn Féin press office in Dublin, Cllr Martin Christie said: "During a previous employment a number of years ago I inappropriately failed to register the sale of a supply of goods to the value of €1,700.

"This was a moment of stupidity, which was completely out of character and which I have regretted ever since.

"I made a mistake that I corrected immediately by paying the amount back in full and then parted from the company on good terms. No charges or criminal proceedings were ever undertaken," the statement said.

"I genuinely believed that it was a situation from the past that had been fully and appropriately dealt with and which was now behind me. I apologise for any embarrassment to my family and to Sinn Féin."

Mr Christie, who topped the poll in the Mulhuddart ward, said he would await the outcome of the party's inquiry before making further comment.

A date for completion of the inquiry has not been set.

by playing safe Tue Jun 22, 2004 18:21

I think SF are playing it ultra safe a they don't want to be seen as corrupt as the other big parties.

by Councilwatch Tue Jun 22, 2004 18:54

I suppose for the Shinners there are two issues.

Why didn't he tell them before he was elected, and can they trust him as a councillor in Fingal, the most corrupt Council in Dublin?

I think as well they want to make sure they don't look like Fianna Fail in the way they do things so suspend him and carry out a quick inquiry.

Personally I don't think it's a big enough sin to be kicked out, but the Shinners might sacrifice him so as to appear cleaner than white to the media.

Would be a shame as he seems like a decent sort and puts the work in according to the stuff I've seen about him in the local papers. I gave him a number two after Ruth.

by Limerick1919 Tue Jun 22, 2004 23:08

"lower 'no' vote in donegal, sligo due to
fact hardly any immigrants there"
Never heard this theory before, don't think figures on immigration levels would back it up- might have more to do with not damaging the Good Friday agreement- line pushed by SF
"dublin was sinn fein's best area for votes, but 'yes' vote was among highest in country
there"
Longford recorded highest YES vote- Justin Barrett maybe?
"was talking about sinn fein transfers to other parties - do a count of those and post
the percentages here - am willing to bet Fianna Fail got most, and that other socialist parties got very few, especially in rural Ireland"
In rural Ireland there isn't much more to transfer to. However I can only speak for my own area -Limerick city and county and say that isn't the case. Most commentators seeing the SFein vote as purely protest would argue that those votes would not return to FF cause of government. Only statistics to hand look at east consituency when Dwyer(SF) was eliminated with 46 000 votes -only 4 candidates left two FF- one Lab and a blueshirt. The 2 FF between them only got 19% of Dwyers votes- point proven I think.

by chris bond Tue Jun 22, 2004 23:44

No councillor or Deputy of the PDs or Labour has ever been up before a tribunal or been convicted of corruption. Thats exclusive to Fine Gael and Fianna fail deputies.

by recorder Wed Jun 23, 2004 00:54

Judge Curtin - paedophile and former PD candidate; former PD Councillor in Rathmines - Paedophile; former PD Minister Molloy resigned after exposed for championing scum who raped his daughter; former Labour Councillor O'Halloren appointed to Aviation Authority by Spring - arrested with large cocaine haul; deceased Labour Councillor Dunne - one of biggest land rezoners in North Dublin; former Labour Councillor Cullen in Wicklow - biggest rezoner and corrupt scum in county ...... so don't give us that shite about them not being corrupt

by Insider Wed Jun 23, 2004 10:06

Has the world gone mad.? SF gets it's knickers in a twist because a newly elected councillor may have questions to answer in respect of his former employment. For Christ's sake this is the party that elevates mass murderers, McGuinness, Adams et al to near sainthood! It's o.k. to incinerate men , women and children in indiscriminate bombings. They'll even out you forward for election!

by Angry Dublin resident Wed Jun 23, 2004 10:12

Pat Rabbitte, Liz McManus, Prionsias De Rossa, Eamon Gilmore, Eric Byrne or Joe Sherlock all had their early electoral careers financed by the OIRA. (Where are they now?)
Let they without sin................

by fingallian Wed Jun 23, 2004 11:20

It is simply unbelivable that SF did not know about this in advancd of the election so they obviuosly covered it up, fairly typical FF stuff which is where thay are headed.

I don't see whay people get so excited about deals at local authority level there have been all sorts of alliances down the years and Sinn Fein have and will be involved in plenty of strnage ones. Deals on the Mayor and Committees have no impact on issues like waste charges and manager now has power to impose them...a victory for local democracy?

If we were to believe the postings on this site in advance of the elction the socialist party and others would have had a majority on the council. The reality is Labour emerged as the biggest party...that's democracy, they got 14 seats and the SP got ...eh...0. Rabbitte has made it as clear as Crystal what his preference for government is. If the independent cllrs had opted to support the arrangement the PDs would not have been needed but they choose not to.

by Shinner Wed Jun 23, 2004 11:44

"It is simply unbelievable that SF did not know about this in advance of the election so they obviously covered it up"

This is simply not the truth. Sinn Fein had no knowledge of the incident prior to the elections. Martin Christie was not the only candidate who could take a seat in Mulhudart. Sinn Fein would, i believe, have selected another candidate for the ward had they of known. The contention that they would of covered it up is ludicrous, if you look at the fall-out which has been created since you would understand this. Before the elections the Dublin Directorate met with all candidates and at that stage outlined the level of personnel honesty that is required by local reps. I take at face value Mr. Christie’s belief that the incident had been dealt with and did not warrant disclosure. One wonders if other parties would have simply sought to cover up the incident. The swift decision of the Cuige to suspend Mr. Christie shows level of personal integrity that is required and must be kept by all councilors. I hope the matter is dealt with soon, and satisfactorily. I believe that Martin will make an excellent Public representative.

by angryliberal Wed Jun 23, 2004 14:41

All the replies go on about pat rabbitte and the stickies.NOT ONE SAID THAT THE ITRA DON'T HAVE A PRIVATE ARMY.So am i to conclude that sinners have finally given up the pretence that the ira and sinn fein aren't joined at the hip.
It is better to have the power to effect change than just sitting around complaining about right wing governments.
I await the usual trolling and insults and whatever else this site has become infamous for.

by Puzzled Wed Jun 23, 2004 14:48

Who's that then?

by brian lynch Wed Jun 23, 2004 15:19

And in what way have Rabbitte and the rest effected change? Could anyone tell when the Rainbow govt ended and present one began?

Only reason people keep throwing the OIRA into his face is that he and the rest of the stickies who have taken over Labour built their careers on the sticky army and its criminal racketeering. He is a hypocrite.

by yahoo! Sun Jun 27, 2004 20:31

the only piece of decent analysis in this piece is the bit most missed by the indymedia readers:

"More interestingly, it suggest a Michael McDowell grap for PD power. Wendy Hederman, the sole Progressive Democrat, is a product of her mother and Mcdowell, and it is unlikely she made her own decision in this regard. Her decision to support the 'Civic Alliance' suggests that the Dublin South East wing of the party is looking at, if not exactly embracing, the idea of PD involvement in the anti-Fianna fail government after the next general election. This is the only interpretation of her decision that I can offer, as there is no way that Fine Gael or Labour will give her the position of Lord Mayor or deputy"


People forget on this site that Labour's strongest vote is the civil service vote, that eleceted to give two examples, Humprheys and Lacey. They cannot keep this support and go in to coalition anywhere with Sinn Fein. The real interest is why Hederman went in with FG, Labour and the Greens

by Me Mon Jun 28, 2004 17:48

Wendy is trying to assert the Liz O'Donnell wing of the PD's. Economically right wing as the rest of them but a bit more liberal than McDowell and Parlon. Isn't her brother involved in Grassroots?
Sure the Labour Party has no problems with Partnership with the PD's, sure it's 'military wing' the ICTU can't wait to do deals with them.

by f Mon Jun 28, 2004 20:48

I heard the deputy mayor, who is a Labour councillor, on newstalk recently say that Labour did a deal with other parties that included a common programme as well as a deal on rotating the mayors position. If anyone knows where the details of this programme are published could they let us know. I am interested if this deal includes persuing a policy of non collection.