Statement from ATGWU re Bin Charge Campaign

by Mags Fri Sep 26, 2003 16:01

Great to see Mick back and fighting!

by Chekov Fri Sep 26, 2003 16:20

I wonder if this will make the front page of the IT like Beggs's statement did, somehow I doubt it.

In other news there is a Workers Party picket outside Liberty Hall now

Just passed by there and saw a picket of 12 WP protestors with party-branded anti-bin tax placards opposite liberty hall.

by Deep Green Fri Sep 26, 2003 16:35

He is not authorised to speak on behalf of the ATGWU. Brendan Hodgers is the ATGWU Regional Secretary.

Deal with waste, ignore the SP whingers.

by miklover Fri Sep 26, 2003 16:40

.

by Elle Fri Sep 26, 2003 17:00

At no point in his statement did he claim to be the "leader" of the ATGWU but as a very senior ranking member of staff surely Mick is entitled to speak for his members....particularly in light of the fact that Hodgers is keeping silent on this serious issue. I for one am glad that the people's view on this issue is being represented to Congress.

by aunty joe Fri Sep 26, 2003 17:21

why do the Irish still cling to the illusion that the states unions will or should come running to their rescue.

They would suffer less stress snd sleep better, if they orginised amogst themselves and left the states unions to stagger into the fine bogs of Co Monaghan.

by joe kavanagh Fri Sep 26, 2003 17:27

?

by Very Anonymous Fri Sep 26, 2003 17:33

Deep Green says:

***Deal with waste, ignore the SP whingers.****

Yes deal with waste - local authorities should be spending their cash on recycling facilities instead of on trying to get bin-tax protestors flung into prison - any idea, Deep Green, how much money Fingal etc have put aside to prosecute all non-payers?

The astounding political naivety of the Greens on this is something to behold. For a party that supposedly represents a break from the right/left political divide they seem to know exactly where they stand when it comes to crushing civil disobedience ie to the right of the Fine Gael "Hand-them-and-flog-them" brigade.

Waste is being dealt with, what the f**k do you think all those lovely incinerators and superdumps are being built for?

What are the Greens going to do about it - f**k all, which all they can do. By sitting on the fence in the hope of not alienating all those nice middle class voters who gave them a go at the last election they have shown exactly the extent to which they are willing to go to defend the indefensible ie the state mobilisation to crush the bin-tax campaign.

When all those incinerators are running full pelt and the cancer wards are filling up at least the Greens will have the comfort of knowing that the media and the middle classes still love them (but not that much).

by pat c Fri Sep 26, 2003 17:35

"oh stoney grey soil of monaghan"

by John Meehan Fri Sep 26, 2003 18:15

From Irish Times Breaking News Site, 26.9.2003 :

"Delegation of TDs visits jailed bin protesters
Sinn Féin has called for the release of the Socialist Party politicians jailed for their part in anti-bin-charge protests last week.

After a five-man delegation of TDs visited TD Mr Joe Higgins and Fingal County Councillor, Ms Clare Daly today, Sinn Féin TD Mr Seán Crowe said both were in good spirits.

He said the one-month incarceration period was particularly difficult for Ms Daly who has been separated from her three-year-old child.

Mr Crowe accused the local authorities who have instructed bin men not to collect refuse from households where the charge has not been paid of being confrontational.

"I am calling the county managers to put an end to their gung-ho attitude to anti-bin charge protesters. They need to pull back from the brink and lessen the tensions around the whole issue," Mr Crowe said.

Protestors have been blocking bin collections and have picketed local authority offices and depots.

Mr Crowe also laid the blame for the jailing of the Socialist Party pair at the feet of the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen.

"Neither Joe or Clare would be in jail now if it were not for the cynical manipulation of the laws of this State and the obvious waste problems that exist by both the Minister for the Environment Martin Cullen and the County Managers of each local authority.

"There is no justification for the continued detention of Joe Higgins and Clare Daly and they should be immediately released," Mr Crowe added.

The other TDs in the delegation were: Mr John Gormley (Green Party); Mr Tommy Broughan (Labour); Mr Tony Gregory and Mr Finian McGrath (both independent)."

by Jolly Green Giant Fri Sep 26, 2003 18:21

Not Gormley. Gormley has only objected to the lenght of the sentence. He is not in principle opposed to Councils seeking the jailing of activists.

Real Greens support the Anti Bin Tax campaign, but there are not very many real greens in the Green Party.

by mean green gnome Fri Sep 26, 2003 18:27

will we unite forces and put real greenies in the greens or leave the real greenies to harvest another time?

by Jolly Green Giant Fri Sep 26, 2003 18:40

I think the Green Party went bad years ago. It became a vehicle for the ambitions of a small number of people. Real Greens should stay outside of what is just another corrupt party, corrupt in so far as they will sacrifice any sort of principles to achieve power.

The statements by Gormley, Cuffe and Sargeant condemning the campaign show that they are part of the establishment. They will not even condemn the imprisonment of activists. Their only objection is the length of the sentences.

Get involved in campaigns, get in involved in GG, get involved in Anarchist Organisations, even get involved in the SP and SWP rather than go near the putrid Green Party.

by Green Fri Sep 26, 2003 21:39

"Real Greens should stay outside of what is just another corrupt party, corrupt in so far as they will sacrifice any sort of principles to achieve power."

that's not true or fair. there's plenty of diversity and there's a big debate going on in the greens at the moment about the bin tax.
the policy is that the polluter pays, but people are asking who is the polluter?
Not all the greens agree with the bin tax. Are you saying that the GP members who disagree should leave the party? that's no way to run things.

by Jolly Green Giant Sat Sep 27, 2003 18:42

No member of the Green Party has openly opposed the Bin Tax.

by pasionaria Tue Sep 30, 2003 04:10

greeens agree with the EU sentiment that the polluter pays.. the gov tried to force the bin tax in by saying that it will finance proper recycling structures. so the greens support this..

but it is obvious that the gov. seems to equate waste incineration with the word recycling.

do in fact the purpose of the bin tax is to fund incineration,,

and the greens still remain quite.

by Eddie Cullen - Union Member Thu Oct 02, 2003 16:29

There's Mick, the working man's hero my backside.

Pal of Brendan Ogle more like!

by What's this Fri Oct 03, 2003 03:22

Who is Brendan Ogle?

by Tony McKenna Fri Oct 03, 2003 11:41

Why can't the dossers, wasters and rent a mob just pay the tax and get on with it? Because they are too busy drinking and smoking and polluting to give a damn.


It makes me sick

by PK Fri Oct 03, 2003 12:32

Sell out by the looks of it.
(Are Impact members doing anything on the ground and harassing their head office, it seems to have had an effect on SIPTU.)

Fingal Manager welcomes union statement

Earlier, Fingal County Manager Willie Soffe welcomed a recent statement made by IMPACT trade union and in particular, their recognition that jobs and services are 'effectively dependent on the domestic charges regime'.

The local branch of IMPACT also condemned the actions of individuals, including elected representatives. The branch has called for an apology for remarks made about Council staff by one of the leaders of the Anti-Bin Tax Campaign.

According to Mr Soffe, the support of the union has been crucial in implementing the waste charges, which are a requirement of EU and Irish law.