URGENT Pre-Budget Campaign Underway : Lobby Irish Government To Keep Their Development Aid Pledge

international | miscellaneous | press release Friday November 26, 2004 15:56 by Pollitical Animal - World Development PAC WorldDevelopmentPAC at hotmail dot com

Irish Government lobbied to honour their commitments to the world's poorest

Email and telephone campaign underway to hold the Taoiseach and the government to their development aid commitments on budget day, Wednesday 1st December 2004.

The Taoiseach's pledge to the UN General Assembly to increase our direct foreign aid to 0.7% of GNP by 2005 was instrumental in Ireland's recent election to the UN Security Council.

Contact your political representatives to remind them that your first preference vote in the next general election will (or may) be conditional on their fulfilling
this promise.

Remember many Senators will be running in the next Dáil election.

SUGGESTED EXPANDED CAMPAIGN PLAN

To have the maximum impact the campaign should be co-ordinated to have focused peaks of activity at certain times and upon certain individuals. We need them to get talking to each other about this inside Leinster House.

(1) IMMEDIATELY

If you have not already done so, phone your local government deputies!

Keep calling (once a day is fine) until you get a personal call back from each of the TDs/Senators themselves and they understand how concerned and exercised you are about this issue.

Ministers can be trickier. You are far more likely to reach a constituency secretary or similar at the minister's office rather than the voicemail you'll get
at a TD's or Senator's office. You are likely to get some interference about the minister's portfolio being elsewhere etc. If you do get this line, firmly remind the person you are talking to that you are contacting the minister in their capacity as your local deputy, that you are one of the minister's constituents and stress your voting record if you've ever voted for her/him. Even with a relatively low number of calls, this should bring the matter to ministerial attention and generate a commitment for a follow up letter. You are very unlikely to get a minister on the phone.

If you are unsure of who your local deputies are, you can find them at...

http://oireachtas.ie/ViewDoc.asp?fn=/documents/members/default.asp&CatID=41&m=m

Most of them will have a direct dial number at Leinster House and a constituency office number listed at the above website. If not, dial the Leinster House main switch at (01) 618 3000 and ask for the deputy’s office by her/his name. Be prepared to leave a voicemail stating the reason for your call, your name and return number. Generally all of the above should take no more than 15 mins.

(2) FRIDAY 26th – MONDAY 29th NOVEMBER

Over the weekend many politicians will be conducting clinics and will be available in their constituencies. Our objective is to make sure that we’re on their list of ‘things to do’ on Monday morning.

If you haven’t taken step (1) above, do it now!

Contact Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for Overseas Development and Human Rights

Conor Lenihan TD
Leinster House, Kildare Street. Tel: (01) 618 3000
First Active House, Tallaght Village.Tel: (01) 459 6285

Remember to mention who you have contacted so far and the responses received, also remember to mention your past voting record if it is in any way favourable to the individual deputy, minister, their political party or the government in general.

Contact Minister for Finance

Brian Cowen TD
Office of the Minister, Government Buildings. Tel: (01) 604 5626
O'Connor Street, Tullamore, Co. Offaly. Tel: (0506) 21976

Remember to mention who you have contacted so far and the responses received, also remember to mention your past voting record if it is in any way favourable to the individual deputy, minister, their political party or the government in general.

Email An Taoiseach

There’s an excellent e-mail campaign being run by Oxfam, so rather than start another one, may as well row in behind theirs. World Development PAC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

http://www.oxfam.ie/html/campaigns/prime_minister_action.html

Remember to mention who you have contacted so far and the responses received, also remember to mention your past voting record if it is in any way favourable to Bertie, Fianna Fáil or the government in general.

Contact Your Local Opposition Deputies

We want our agenda to be on the Dáil and Senate agendas... Keep calling (once a day is fine) until you get a personal call back from each of the TDs/Senators themselves and they understand how concerned and exercised you are about this issue.

If you are unsure of who your local deputies are, you can find them at...

http://oireachtas.ie/ViewDoc.asp?fn=/documents/members/default.asp&CatID=41&m=m

Most of them will have a direct dial number at Leinster House and a constituency office number listed at the above website. If not, dial the Leinster House main switch at (01) 618 3000 and ask for the deputy’s office by her/his name. Be prepared to leave a voicemail stating the reason for your call, your name and return number. Remember to mention who you have contacted so far and the responses received, also remember to mention your past voting record if it is in any way favourable to the individual deputy, their political party or potentially allied political parties.

(3) MONDAY 29th – TUESDAY 30th NOVEMBER

Contact An Taoiseach

Private Office, Government Buildings. Tel: 01-6194020 / 4021 / 4043
Private Constituency Office, Drumcondra. Tel: (01) 837 4129

Remember to mention who you have contacted so far and the responses received, also remember to mention your past voting record if it is in any way favourable to An Taoiseach, Fianna Fáil or potentially allied political parties.

(4) IN GENERAL

Does anybody know any other groups, media, clergy that would be morally or practically supportive of this initiative? And/or could be useful in helping to build further momentum between now and Wednesday?

RIGHT NOW IS THE TIME TO GET YOURSELF AND OTHERS INVOLVED! LIFT THE PHONE AND FORWARD THE CONTENTS OF THIS EMAIL ON…

Earlier Press Release at :
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=67637