Ballyfermot Votes NO!

 éirígí Councillor, Louise Minihan has said the people of Ballyfermot have taken a stand for their community and their country by voting NO to the Austerity Treaty.

With Ballyfermot returning a result of 90% against the treaty, Minihan said the local community has completely rejected the austerity driven agenda of the Dublin government.

Speaking from the constituency, Cllr. Minihan said, 'The people of Ballyfermot can hold their heads high. On May 31st, this area took a stand for our community and our country, by overwhelmingly rejecting the Austerity Treaty.

What the referendum result has shown up more then anything, is the clear class divide in this state. It has also shown that the working class, those who have suffered most under the slash and burn cutbacks of the last number of years, have taken a stand and said enough is enough.

By voting NO in their hundreds of thousands, and by hundreds of thousands more not voting at all, the Irish working class has sent the clear message, that despite the perceived victory of the yes campaign, the Dublin government has no mandate to continue to impose austerity.'

Minhan continued, 'While the Ballyfermot community can be proud of the stand it has taken, what is important now is for resistance to be continued and escalated.

In recent months the people of Ballyfermot have been organising against the savage attacks on our community. Through campaigns like the Campaign Against the Household and Water Taxes and the Save Our Services Campaign, this community has shown what it is capable of when it stands together.

Resistance to austerity must now be stepped up and built on a street-by-street, estate-by-estate basis, right across Ballyfermot. People must be ready to take to the streets in defence of our community. We must prepare for the battles that lie ahead. Such battles will include further cutbacks to local services, attacks on our health, education and social welfare systems, privatisation of our public services and the attempted imposition of a water tax.  If we get organised and stand together, austerity can be defeated!

In the coming weeks and months, éirígí Ballyfermot will continue to work with the local community, to build the fight back and make such resistance a reality!

Vote NO to Austerity Stall Ballyfermot 30/5/12

On Wednesday 30 May, éirígí Ballyfermot held a Vote NO to Austerity Stall at the shops on the Ballyfermot Road.

With just a day to go until the Twenty Six County State votes on the Austerity Treaty, today's stall was organised to encourage the local community to reject Austerity and Vote NO.

The stall received a great response with a number of undecideds being convinced to vote NO!

For Your Community and Your Country Vote NO Tomorrow!

Alternative Referendum Commission Booklet Launched

Over the course of the last number of weeks every household in the Twenty-Six Counties has received an 'information' booklet from the Referendum Commission.  This booklet was supposed to provide an impartial and independent critique of the 'Stability Treaty', but in reality it could have been printed by Fine Gael or IBEC. 

Instead of impartiality and independence the booklet delivers staggering bias and preference in favour of the Yes campaign.  It unquestioningly regurgitates the position of those who support the treaty without any reference to the very valid arguments of those who are opposed to it.  Countless independent commentators and even many within the Yes camp admit that the booklet could not be objectively considered independent.

Despite mounting criticism the Referendum Commission has refused to acknowledge their failure to remain impartial, opting instead to act as a proxy-press office for the Yes campaign.  As we enter the final days of the campaign an alternative version of the Referendum Commission's Treaty booklet has now been produced.  It aims to correct the bias of the original version, putting forward the alternative arguments that the Referendum Commission chose to censor. 

A copy of this new alternative version can be accessed at the following link http://www.eirigi.org/pdfs/campaigns/Austerity_Treaty_leaflet.pdf. 

Please read it and then pass it on to your family, friends, neighbours and workmates.  Thursday's vote is of huge importance to the future of our country, so let's make sure everybody gets to hear both sides of the debate before they cast their vote.

CAHWT Press Conference urges a NO vote on May 31st

On Friday May 25,the Campaign Against the Household and Water Taxes held a press conference urging the people of the Twenty-Six Counties to vote NO to the Austerity Treaty on May 31st.
Held under the banner of ‘Councillors for a NO Vote’ the panel consisted of a number local councillors involved with the CAHWT. The meeting was addressed by éirígí Councillor Louise Minihan (Ballyfermot/Drimnagh), Cllr Matt Waine (Castleknock), Cllr Declan Bree (Sligo) and Cllr Hugh Lewis (Ballybrack).

Speaking at the press conference, Cllr Louise Minihan said, “The proposed treaty on ‘Stability, Co-ordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union’ is in reality an Austerity Treaty. This treaty would be more correctly titled the permanent austerity treaty as it seeks to engrain right wing policies across Ireland and Europe.

“Austerity is crippling workers, their families and their communities, right across this state. But all hope is not lost! We have an important opportunity to stand up and say enough is enough by voting NO on May 31st.

“Article 3 of the Treaty requires countries to reduce their ‘structural deficits’ to 0.5%; Article 4 forces countries to pay back debts, that is the bondholders, at an even faster rate. Years of austerity budgets, imposed by the Dublin government, have seen essential public services and vital community and voluntary projects, that are the back bone of many communities, come under sustained attack.
“Funding cutbacks have had a devastating effect on such services, from youth to drugs projects, community childcare to CE schemes.

“In my own community in Ballyfermot, essential local services have had their funding slashed, for example the BCFE crèche, essential for the education of many student parents, will be forced to close its doors in July. Austerity is unacceptable to the Irish working class.

“Local councils will be starved of funds and forced to cut services. They will be under pressure to get costs off their books. They will have to offload services they currently provide and to reduce staff numbers.
“Public services such as bus services, local libraries, and our schools have been downgraded or completely withdrawn. Such attacks on our public services must be seen in the context of the race to the bottom and the right wing golden cow of privatisation.

“Austerity and privatisation are a raw deal for the Irish working class and must be opposed. Anyone looking for an argument against privatisation should look no further then the selling off of Dublin’s publicly owned waste management service to the highest bidder. Privatisation has lead to the disgraceful behaviour of Greyhound Recovery & Recycling, who have put the pursuit of profit ahead of the needs of the community, and have attempted to extort struggling families all over Dublin by demanding increased payments or refusing to collect rubbish.

“The same is planned for water, a core service provided by local authorities for years. The same European bureaucrats who are behind this Treaty have directed that water provision must be taken away from local authorities and charged for, so the Dublin government have set up Irish Water, a centralised company. This would be a social disaster with private companies profiteering from a resource that was previously provided by councils.”

Minihan continued, “A No vote is a vote in defence of workers’ rights, and community and public services. A No vote is a rejection of the failed policies of Austerity that have crippled our communities.
“By voting No on May 31st you are standing up for the People of Ireland and the People of Europe.
“For your Community and Your Country Vote No on May 31st!”

Blueshirts retreat from Ballyfermot!

On Saturday May 26th, Fine Gael's Gay Mitchell accompanied by a couple of his parties finest, descended into Ballyfermot, for a less then convincing canvass in support of the Austerity Treaty.

As the Blueshirts attempted to distribute their propaganda outside the local Tesco's, the reaction from general public would be best described as frosty. The Fine Gael team were left in no doubt that they weren't going to have it all there own way.

Following a phone call  to éirígí from a local supporter, a squad of éirigí Ballyfermot activists arrived on the scene and held an impromtu NO To Austerity picket, urging people to vote NO on May 31st.

With debate never being one of Mitchell's Strong points, it wasn't long before the Blueshirt decided to abandon the canvass and retreat from Ballyfermot, leaving his bewildered comrades behind him.

Speaking from Ballyfermot, Cllr Louise Minihan said, ' Fine Gael, like the rest of the establishment political parties have nothing to offer the Irish Working Class. The irony that such a party is only seen on the ground here during election campaigns, is not lost on people from the area.

For years the people of Ballyfermot and surrounding areas have been ignored by the political establishment, and our community has come under a sustained assault from successive Governments. Cherry Orchard hospital,  local bus services, drugs and community projects along with local schools have all come under savage attack.

For as long as Fine Gael remain wedded to their anti- worker policies or continue with their attempt to surrender our countries sovereignty to European Imperialism, they should met with protests and opposition wherever they go.'

Minihan continued, 'Today éirígí Ballyfermot took a small stand against right wing politicians and austerity. On May 31st the people of Ballyfermot and the people of the Twenty Six County State have the perfect opportunity to give this right wing government a bloody nose and to reject austerity!

By voting No on May 31st you are standing up for the people of Ireland, and Europe. A NO vote is a vote in favour of Irish Freedom and Sovereignty. A NO Vote is a vote on defence of Workers Rights and Public Service's. By Voting NO, you are voting in defence of the unemployed, our youth and our elderly.

A NO vote will strengthen the growing movement which aims to bring about the only viable alternative to the failed capitalist system- an Irish Socialist Republic!

For your Community and your country vote NO on May 31st!

NO To Austerity Picket and Information Stall At Labour Party Clinic, Ballyfermot

On Saturday 26 May, éirígí activists and supporters from Ballyfermot held a No To Austerity picket and information stall on Le Fanu Road.

The picket and stall took place at 11am, outside local Labour TD Michael Conaghan's constituency clinic, in Tim Youngs Pub. éirígí activists received a great response from passers by and distributed hundreds of copy's of the party's 'Austerity Treaty Special' newsletter.

Speaking from the picket in Ballyfermot, Cllr. Louise Minihan said, 'Today's picket is part of éirígí Ballyfermot's ongoing campaign against the Austerity Treaty. Over the last number of weeks our activists have engaged with thousands of people, highlighting the issues in the Austerity Treaty and urging people to vote NO on May 31st. The campaign has received a great response in the local area, where people have had enough of cutbacks in our community.

This weekend the Labour party are attempting to claim the legacy of James Connolly, the great Irish Socialist Republican, at a plaque unveiling in Clonmel.Yet in Government they have presided over viscous attacks on workers, their families and communities. Rising unemployment and emigration, cutbacks to Health, Education, Social Welfare and Public services  combined with attempts to introduce unjust austerity taxes such as household and water taxes, have been the order of the day- a far cry from the vision of Connolly!

Today's picket shows that while the Labour party continue to act against the interests of the communities they are supposed to represent, the will be resisted on the streets.

Minihan concluded, 'The people of Ballyfermot and the Twenty Six County State have a fantastic opportunity to reject austerity and to stand up for the people of Ireland and the people of Europe by voting No on May 31st!

For your Community and your Country Vote NO on May 31st!

éirígí Ballyfermot hold Day of action against the Austerity Treaty.

On Friday May 25th éirígí activists from Ballyfermot held a day of action against the Austerity Treaty, calling for the local community to vote NO on March 31st.

The Day of Action began at 10am with an NO to Austerity information stall outside the post office on Le Fanu Road. éirígí activists engaged with hundreds of people and distributed hundreds of copies of the parties newsletter special edition on the Austerity Treaty.

At 12pm éirígí activists held the second information stall of the day, this time at the shops on the Ballyfermot Road. Hundreds more copies of the party newsletter were distributed, and the stall received a great response with many of the passers by expressing their intention to vote NO on May 31st.

The day of action concluded with a mass leaflet drop. éirígí activists delivered a couple of thousand anti Austerity Treaty newsletters door to door in the local community. 

For Your Community and Your Country Vote NO on March 31st!