Wicklow Sinn Féin to Launch the No Campaign to the Austerity Treaty

Wicklow Sinn Féin have said they intend mounting a vigorous campaign
in the county against what they are calling "the Austerity Treaty",
and they plan on launching the No campaign at a public meeting in the
Royal Hotel in Bray on Thursday 26th April at 8pm.

Cllr. John Brady who is the Sinn Féin spokesperson on the treaty in
Wicklow said the treaty was bad for Ireland and stated, "With this
fiscal Treaty and their failure to renegotiate the promissory note,
The EU and the Irish government have essentially signed a repo order
on the Irish Harp. This Treaty seriously undermines Irish sovereignty
by surrendering important Irish fiscal and budgetary matters to
unelected and unaccountable EU officials. This Treaty drafted in
merely 3 days is incomplete. We are being asked to pass a referendum
essentially signing a contract without knowing the finer details
because they haven't as yet been worked out. It is hard to comprehend
how anyone would enter into a binding agreement without knowing the
full workings of it yet our Taoiseach has already signed off on it.
And now the government asks Irish citizens to support a Treaty that
will enshrine policies of austerity in our constitution and
International law in perpetuity. This treaty will impose greater
levels of austerity on citizens for an indefinite period of time. It
will significantly undermine the choices available to future
governments to manage the State's economic affairs".


Cllr Brady continued "Additionally we are being threatened that there
will be no further money from the ECB after next year if we do not
pass it. This is nothing more than an idle threat. The European
Council will not refuse emergency funding to any Euro zone member
state in the future irrespective of their final position on the
austerity treaty. To do so would break the commitment it gave to the
European Council Summit on July 21st 2011 when it said it was
"determined to continue to provide support to countries under
programmes until they have regained market access, provided they
successfully implement those programmes". People need to remember the
jobs and recovery we were promised for voting YES to the Lisbon
Treaty- the threats are as empty now as the promises were then"

"Sinn Féin believes this treaty is bad for Ireland and for the EU and
will institutionalise austerity into domestic constitutional law and
international law in perpetuity. If ratified this treaty will cost
taxpayers at least an additional €6 billion in public spending cuts
and tax increases after 2015. It will mean more cuts to our schools,
our hospitals and our community services. It will also mean more
charges and tax hikes. There will also be significant new powers given
to the European Commission and European Court of Justice. It will also
undermine the Oireachtas and give significant control over economic
and fiscal policy to unelected bureaucrats and judges in Brussels and
Luxembourg. And that is why the European Trade Union Confederation is
opposed to the Treaty. It’s why the French Socialists, the German
Social Democrats and the Dutch Labour Party – all sister parties of
the Irish Labour party, are opposed to this treaty. Austerity policies
will not end the economic crisis. Wicklow Sinn Féin will be vigorously
campaigning between now and May 31st and asking the citizens of
Wicklow to vote No to Austerity” continued Cllr Brady

Brady concluded "On 31 May, the Irish people have the opportunity to
convey their opposition to the policy of economic austerity and stand
in solidarity with those in Europe who are not entitled to the same
constitutional referendum requirement. If we vote ‘no’, we will still
remain in the EU and Euro. If we vote ‘no’, we will send a strong
signal of support to our European counterparts who oppose this treaty
and also challenge Europe’s conservative, austerity agenda. Wicklow
Sinn Féin will be launching the No campaign in Wicklow at a public
meeting which will take place on Thursday 26th at 8pm in the Royal
Hotel in Bray and everyone is welcome to attend to find out more
information on the Austerity Treaty or to get involved in the campaign
to oppose it"

Letter from Dublin Bus outlining cuts to the North Wicklow Network

Dear Councillor,

As you will be aware Dublin Bus met with your council recently to advise you of changes to services on routes in the North Wicklow area. This follows an assessment of customer travelling patterns following service changes in 2010. A key element of the 2010 changes was the improved service on offer in the area, in particular the Route 145. Since its introduction, the high frequency Route 145 has caused significant changes in customer travel patterns with a migration of passengers from other bus routes in the area (45/45a/84/84x) to Route 145. As a result of the success of the revised Route 145, Dublin Bus is revising the bus network in the North Wicklow area.

Following these meetings a number of adjustments have been made which address the majority of requests, where possible.

In summary the revised network will provide the following benefits:

·         Route 145 will continue to provide a high frequency service to Heuston Rail Station

·         A 33% increase in departures on route 84x

·         Additional capacity will be realised on the outbound departures on route 84x for Donnybrook and Belfield as a result of adjusted city centre stopping locations

·         An increase in services from Newcastle/Kilcoole to Bray DART Station

·         An increase in service frequency from Oldcourt (Boghall Road)

·         Improved integration with timetables

·         Direct linkages to Cherrywood Luas & Blackrock with improved frequency of service

Routing summary

• Route 45 & 84 to be amalgamated and operate as follows: Newcastle/Kilcoole to Blackrock (Main Street) via Greystones, Bray, Shankill, Cherrywood Luas, Cornelscourt, Clonkeen Road, and Deans Grange. This service will continue to provide an hourly service between Bray and Kilcoole/Newcastle.
• Route 45a will operate from Old Court to Dún Laoghaire via Boghall Road, Vevay Road, Bray, Shankill, Loughlinstown and Glenageary. It will operate to demand at peak times and twice hourly during the daytime.
• No changes to routes 145,184,185

This application is being assessed by the National Transport Authority. When a decision is made Dublin Bus will advise all locally elected representatives with full details of changes, including timetables and stops.

Yours sincerely

Ray Coyne

Project Manager

Network Direct

Media and Communications Department

Dublin Bus, 59 Upper O’Connell Street, Dublin 1

P: 01-703 3143 E: brendan.cushen@dublinbus.ie

Dublin Bus cuts dressed up as an improvement to local services

Wicklow Sinn Féin councillor John Brady has slammed the decision by
Dublin Bus to cut its 84 and 45 routes in the North Wicklow area. Cllr
Brady described the cuts as a slashing of the service dressed up as an
improvement.

Speaking after receiving the news from the project manager with Dublin
Bus Ray Coyne, Cllr Brady said "I am very disappointed that after the
massive pressure that has been exerted on Dublin Bus they have simply
gone ahead and implemented the cuts to the 45 and 84 routes. They have
dressed the cuts up to look like the new layout will lead to an
improved service for people in North Wicklow, however the cuts will
hit the public transport users hard and will simply act as a deterrent
and force people away from using public transport"

"The cuts will see the 45 and 84 routes amalgamated and the new
service will run from Newcastle/Kilcoole to Blackrock. The result of
this is there will be a huge reduction in buses from Wicklow linking
us to the city centre, anyone looking to do so will have to transfer
over to the 145, it also means vital services such as the National
maternity Hospital in
Holles St. or St. Vincents Hospital have no direct Bus and this will
have a big impact on people reliant on public transport to get medical
treatment and it will get worse if the cuts to the A&E in
Loughlinstown go ahead"

Cllr Brady continued "Students in UCD will also be badly hit. The 84
which had been a hourly service from Kilcoole to UCD will now end and
the amalgamated 84/45 route will terminate in Blackrock. Dublin Bus
are saying they are going to increase the 84x by 33%, even this will
go nowhere near replacing the service of the 84, this is going to see
a huge reduction in the service to Belfield. The 45a in Bray will be
given a new route from Oldcourt to Dún Laoghaire, this means the
entire Killarney Rd area will have no link to Bray DART station, again
a huge disincentive for people using public transport"

Cllr Brady concluded "I had taken hope that Dublin Bus might finally
deliver a service for North Wicklow that people wanted and might use
in larger numbers. Sinn Féin and the public of North Wicklow had put a
huge amount of pressure on Dublin Bus, we had presented them with a
petition containing thousands of signatures calling on them not to
implement these drastic cuts and to ensure that the network was fit
for purpose and that point was hit home with the public protest we had
organised to meet them at the Council meeting in Greystones. However
what Dublin Bus have done is the complete opposite, they have cut the
service to shreds and have dressed it up as a positive move. Students,
Hospital users, commuters and ordinary members of the public who want
to use public transport are the real people who loose out here. This
application is being assessed by the National Transport Authority and
i am urging Labour TD Alan Kelly who is Minister of State, at the
Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport to intervene to stop the
licence being issued. I also calling on Wicklow's 5 TD to use their
influence in Leinster House to save our public transport service in
North Wicklow"

Sinn Féin condemn council censorship of Household charge debate

Wicklow Sinn Féin county councillors John Brady and John Snell have
expressed bitter disappointment at a decision by the council to refuse
to allow a suspension of standing orders to discuss the Household
charge. The councillors tried to bring forward an emergency motion
opposing the charge and demanding that the council does not
criminalise or initiate legal proceedings against anyone for
non-payment of the tax . Sinn Féin had also organised a large public
protest to coincide with the council meeting and over 100 people
gathered outside the council meeting to support the Sinn Féin motion.

Speaking after the council meeting councillor John Brady said
"Minister Phil Hogan and his Fine Gael and Labour colleagues in
Government have failed miserably to persuade, intimidate or coerce a
majority of people to pay the unjust Household Charge, as of the
deadline on the 31st March for registration and payment of the tax,
approximately 1 million households are estimated not to have paid. The
people have spoken and given a resounding rejection to the austerity
tax. Minister Hogan is now getting the county council to do the
enforcement work of the government by policing the payment of the
unfair tax. Myself and my party colleague John Snell tabled a motion
on the council on the 2nd March however council red tape meant the
motion opposing the charge was not on the agenda on the 2nd April. At
the beginning of the meeting on Monday i sought a suspension of
standing orders to try put through an emergency motion opposing the
Household charge"

Sinn Féin county councillor John Snell went onto say "The Sinn Féin
proposal was put to a vote, and unfortunately the majority of the
councillors voted to censor debate on the motion, and the Sinn Féin
proposal was rejected 14 votes to 7. This goes to show how out of
touch the so called public representatives of the council are with the
ordinary people on the ground who simply cant afford to pay the
charge. Minister Hogan is saying it is going to be the responsibility
of the council to follow up the outstanding payments and take legal
action if necessary. However the motion Sinn Féin tried to tabled
demands that the county Manager does not criminalise anyone for
non-payment. We may have been unsuccessful in getting the motion
debated at Mondays council meeting because of the councillors
censorship but we will definitely have it on the agenda for the
meeting in May"

Cllr Brady concluded "The austerity charge is not only unjust its
totally unworkable and Fine Gael and Labour must repeal the charge.
Sinn Féin will be tabling a bill in June to reverse the charge.  The
bill, entitled Local Government (Household Charge) (Repeal) Bill 2012,
aims to repeal the household charge and allow the Department to
reimburse those households that have already paid it. We will continue
to oppose the charge at all levels and we will be organising another
protest outside the council meeting in May when the issue is on the
agenda. I can understand the reluctance of the government parties to
debate this issue in the council by throwing up red tape and voting
against the Sinn Féin proposals for debate, however they will have no
option but to try defend the indefensibly at the meeting in May" Ends

Wicklow Sinn Féin announce details of their 1916 Easter commemorations

Wicklow Sinn Féin has announced details of their commemorations to mark the 96th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Sinn Fein TD Aengus O Snodaigh will give the main oration in Arklow on Easter Saturday and Cllr. John Brady will deliver the main oration in Bray on Easter Monday.

Speaking ahead of the commemorations Cllr Brady said "As we approach the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising it is important more so than ever to honour the sacrifices Irish Men and Women made for the limited freedoms we enjoy today. However it is not just enough to remember them but its important that we re dedicate ourselves to the Republic which was declared on the steps of the GPO on Easter Monday morning1916. The Government parties of Fine Gael and Labour should over the Easter period take time out to read the proclamation of Independence, particularly the section that reads 'We declare the right the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies to be sovereign and indefeasible'. The Government should reflect on that paragraph when they deal with the IMF and the ceding of our economic sovereignty to foreign interests, they should also bear it in mind as they force the Austerity Treaty on the Irish people on 31st May"

"This Easter we are inviting people from right across Wicklow to tie into the Easter commemorations and not just pay tribute to those who fought an empire, but to start the fight back against what is being done in our names by the government. I would also encourage people to wear an Easter lilly to remember or patriotic dead over the Easter time, Sinn Féin members will be out all over the County with them in the coming week"

Arklow, Easter Saturday 7th April, 2.45pm Pettitts supermarket Wexford Rd Arklow, to the park on Main St. Main speaker, Aengus O Snodaigh TD

Bray, Easter Monday 9th April, 12pm, Bray Town Hall to the 1798 monument in Little Bray.

Main speaker Cllr . John Brady

Wicklow County Council red tape will not get in the way of Sinn Féin motion or protest opposing the Household Charge

Sinn Féin county councillors John Brady and John Snell have sharply criticized the decision by Wicklow county council to refuse a Sinn Féin motion on the agenda of Aprils county council meeting which called on the government to reverse the Household charge, and they have labelled it as the ultimate red tape attempt to censor debate on the important issue. However the Sinn Féin councillors plan on pursuing the issue at the council meeting on Monday 2nd and the protest outside the council against the charge and in support of the motion will proceed as planned at 1pm.

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady said " Cllr Snell and i tabled a motion to the council 30 days before the council meeting which is due to take place on Monday next the 2nd of April. The motion called on the council to take a stand along with the many of thousands of people across Wicklow and oppose the unfair and unjust Household charge, the motion also demanded that the council management does not take legal action against any householders for non payment or non registration of the charge. The chairperson of the council informed myself during alive radio debate about the household charge that he was not allowing the motion on the agenda because it was not tabled 31 days before the meeting. This is the ultimate in red tape, to say that debate on such an important issue will not be held because the motion was 1 day late is a joke and smells of censorship. It is no surprise that the chairperson is a member of Fine Gael, the party which is forcing this unfair tax on the ordinary people in the state"

Cllr Snell continued " Thousands of people across Wicklow have taken a stand on this issue and simply said they will refuse to pay the tax.Because the council has refused our motion we plan on seeking a suspension of standing orders to discuss the issue at the meeting on Monday. The council meeting will take place a couple of days after the deadline of the 31st of March for payment of tax and it is very evident that there will be a mass non-payment of it in Wicklow. The council must at this stage take a stand and say to the government and Minister Phil Hogan enough is enough, the tax is not welcome, not working, not just and must go"

Cllr Brady concluded "The protest Sinn Féin has organised outside the council meeting on Monday at 1pm will proceed as planned and we fully intend on taking a stand on the the issue of the household charge and voice the genuine concerns of the ordinary people of Wicklow. I hope all councillors decide to stand with the people on this issue and support the Sinn Féin motion that we will try put forward during the suspension of standing orders. I also hope that everyone opposed to the Household charge can tie into the protest outside the county council offices in Wicklow" Ends

The full Sinn Féin motion to Wicklow county council reads:

Wicklow county council strongly opposes the Household charge and we call on the Government to immediately scrap it. It is very evident that the massive non payment of the Household tax by Wicklow residents who simply can’t afford this additional unfair tax, will add to the huge shortfall in the €160 million in funding which the Government had expected from this tax. We therefore call on the Government to look at an alternative way of funding local authorities.We also instruct Wicklow county council not to criminalise or initiate legal proceedings against people for their inability to pay or their noncompliance with the unfair and unjust Household tax.

Sinn Féin tables motion and plans protest at Wicklow County council meeting opposing the Household charge

Sinn Féin County councillors John Brady and John Snell have tabled a motion on Wicklow County council calling on the Government to immediately scrap the grossly unfair household charge. It also instructs the council not to criminalise or initiate legal proceedings against anyone for non-compliance of the tax. The motion will be debated at the County council meeting on Monday 2nd April and SinnFéin has organised a protest to take place outside the council meeting to coincide with the debate.

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady stated "“Sinn Féin has been consistent in its opposition to this unfair charge. It’s now obvious that the charge is unworkable as much as it is unjust and the level of opposition is growing on a daily basis. Not only have 85% of the population decided not to sign up so far but it now looks likely that the legislation will be unconstitutional. The household charge is grossly unfair and much of the money raised will end up paying off private debt. There are progressive revenue raising alternatives that would raise equal amounts of funds if not more. The government’s plans to introduce the household charge are in disarray and they need to withdraw it"

"Sinn Féin have tabled this motion on Wicklow county council calling on the government to scrap the tax, it is quite evident that there is mass opposition to it and rightfully so, Wicklow county council must send the government the message to go back to the drawing board and implement a fairer tax that targets the wealthy in our society" Brady continued

Cllr Snell went on to say “People see this for what it is – a bank bailout. This money will not be invested in our local authorities - it will instead be handed over to the promissory note-holders and the bondholders of Anglo Irish Bank. There will be no extra benefits to any areas because of this tax, it just another means of extorting money from ordinary people who simply don't have anything left to give. The entire Sinn Féin team of public representatives in Wicklow have pledged to stand alongside the vast majority of people in Wicklow and refuse to pay the unjust tax"

Brady concluded "The government is stating that the policing of this unjust tax will come down to the local authorities and they will have to take people to court for non-compliance or non-payment of the charge. This is a crazy situation, the government introduced this very unpopular tax and then makes the local authorities do the dirty work.The Sinn Féin motion to Wicklow county council instructs the officials in the council not to criminalise or take any legal action against anyindividuals or households for either non registration or non paymentof the tax. It is very evident that this tax is not just unfair but it is totally unworkable and the government needs to immediately withdraw it. To coincide with the motion to the council, Sinn Féin has organised a protest outside the council meeting which will take place on Monday 2nd April at 1pm at the County council buildings in Wicklow town, and everyone opposed to the tax from whatever political persuasion and non are asked to try in and send a strong defiant message of opposition” Ends

The full Sinn Féin motion to Wicklow county council reads:

Wicklow county council strongly opposes the Household charge and we call on the Government to immediately scrap it. It is very evident that the massive non payment of the Household tax by Wicklow residents who simply can’t afford this additional unfair tax, will add to the huge shortfall in the €160 million in funding which the Government had expected from this tax. We therefore call on the Government to look at an alternative way of funding local authorities.We also instruct Wicklow county council not to criminalise or initiate legal proceedings against people for their inability to pay or their non compliance with the unfair and unjust Household tax.