PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT SOCIALISM FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Gino
Clondalkin
NEWSLETTER
Kenny TD 085 721 1574
gino.kenny @oireachtas.ie
Gino Kenny TD
@GinoSocialist
SPRING 2022
WORKERS NEED A PAY RISE We are facing a tsunami of price rises. Inflation is at its highest level since the 1980s. It could reach as high as 8.5%. The average household will be losing over €2,000. ● There have been multiple electricity and gas price increases: Bord Gáis recently raised electricity bills by an average of 27% and gas bills by 39%. ● The government refuses to take any action to curb these price increases and control the profits of energy companies. Last year, Energia, which increased prices three times, made an additional €24 million. ESB profits increased by € 63 million.
COVID DELAYS TO LUCAN SWIMMING POOL
● Prices will go up again in May when the government adds the Carbon Tax to household fuels and electricity.
PAUL MURPHY & RISE HAVE JOINED PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT
● Rents went up by 10% in 2021 and transport costs by 15%. Clothes prices went up by almost 7% in February alone. Food prices are also rising. Despite the claims of politicians and economists, it is now accepted that inflation will remain high next year and will at a minimum be 5%.
PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT IS CALLING FOR:
build a stronger voice for workers across Ireland. We want to ycle of Fianna Fail
● Use price control legislation to place a cap on energy prices: no more increases for workers. ● Defer the Carbon Tax ● Free Public Transport
is now the largest ecosocialist party in Ireland and we are ● Abolish College Fees growing every day.
● A rent freeze and rent reductions We are also calling forovernment an Increasewithout in all welfare Fianna Fail payments and a Living Wage of €15 an hour. We People support or Fine Gael today is the day to get involved and join the call to reform and extend the fuel allowance and establish a discretionary fund to help those in hardship. Together weforcan a calling strongfor eco-socialist fora workers To pay thisbuild we are a millionaire’svoice tax and windfall from tax Palmerstown, Clondalkin, Lucan and Tallaght - across the on energy companies. island.
However, the best way workers can protect themselves from inflation is to fight for real pay increases. to the JustDue to stand still, Lev workers’ pay needs to increase by a minimum Lucan Swimming Pool has been halted last few of 7%. In some companies increases in the orderfor of 2the to 2.5% months. are being reported. In the public sector workers are getting 1%. But this means the value of your wages is being effectively cut.
Unfortunately, this means that the swimming pool will not
Some getting more because have hoped. Once beworkers able toare open in the summer asthey originally campaigned for more. Across the six counties, a strike wave is open, however, the pool will pro pushing for real wage increases. We must follow this example. A victory will set a headline for others to follow. on for forsome decades Get your union to lodge a pay claim of at least 10% or a flat rate equivalent.
PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT SOCIALISM FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
COUNCIL VOTES TO BAN DATA CENTRES
South Dublin County Council became the first to ban data centres after a motion put forward by People Before Profit Cllr Madeleine Johansson was passed. South Dublin has been named the data centre hub of Ireland by many, with TikTok set to build one of the biggest Data Centers in Europe in Clondalkin which would use up the same amount of energy in one day than the whole of Clondalkin in three months. In fact, it is estimated that 10% of Ireland’s electricity use is currently consumed by data centres and this is expected to increase to 25-30% by 2030. Data centres consume an average of 2% of electricity globally. Despite what supporters of data centres say they create very few jobs and the average data centre uses massive amounts of water: up to five million litres per day. There is also a massive cost to the state trying to facilitate these centres by rejigging its electricity network. The Irish Academy of Engineering has estimated that data centre expansion will require almost €9 billion in new energy infrastructure and add 13% at least to Ireland’s carbon emissions by 2030. This is not sustainable. People Before Profit proposed a nationwide ban on data centres in 2021 which unfortunately was voted down by the Government. However, it is great to see this motion being passed at the local council. If we are serious about reducing emissions, then we need to curb the growth of data centres.
ANTI-EVICTION BILL
BREAST CANCER MOTION In 2020 Ireland had the 5th highest mortality rate for female breast cancer in the EU and the 8th highest incident rate. This is unacceptable and something we can change. To combat this Gino Kenny TD is bringing a motion before the Dáil around breast cancer. People Before Profit is calling on the government to: ● Introduce screening for breast cancer from the age of 40 through publicly funded & run programmes ● Guarantee immediate access to diagnostics services for young women at risk of breast cancer & ensure access to a triple assessment for young women who present with possible breast cancer ● Immediately revise the criteria for access to genetic testing so that all women at high risk of BRCA related breast cancer have access to genetic testing and counselling in the PUBLIC health system ● Initiate a publicly funded education programme in schools around breast examination These changes are vital and if implemented they will save lives. Cancer screening services have been severely impacted over the course of the covid pandemic, it is important that we make sure the government prioritise women’s health.
COVID SPIKE EXACERBATES TROLLY CRISES People Before Profit is calling on the government to: ● Take private hospitals into public ownership to relieve the strain in our health service ● Provide free antigen tests to anyone who needs them Covid is once again on the rise in our communities with experts estimating hundreds of thousands of new infections occurring every week. This has caused a huge strain on our health service with large numbers of staff absent due to Covid infections and vast amounts of hospital resources taken up by patients quarantined with Covid. The latest Covid spike has further exacerbated the trolly crisis with over 11,000 people left on trolleys in March, the highest number ever recorded in a month. This is a huge problem as a five-hour wait to be admitted to a bed results in one additional death for every 82 patients. The IMNO has stated that “hospitals are currently not safe for patients or for staff because of the level of overcrowding and Covid infection levels.”
● Reintroduce mask-wearing in crowded and public indoor settings to ease the pressure on frontline staff. These problems are not the result of covid but come from a legacy of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael underfunding our health service. Ireland saw some of the longest lockdowns in Europe because of our lack of ICU capacity. In order to bring us in line with OECD averages we would need at least 250 more ICU beds however, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have committed to providing only 19 more next year. Covid has exacerbated the problems in our health service but it did not create them. People Before Profit is committed to fighting for a single tier all Ireland NHS which provides healthcare based on need and not wealth.
People Before Profit Occupied Territories Bill. MEDICAL CANNABIS ACCESS PROGRAMME
NEWSLETTER
DYING WITH DIGNITY BILL Last summer the Dáil’s Justice Committee recommended that a special Oireachtas committee should examine the topic of assisted dying following the scrutiny of the Dying with Dignity Bill which People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny put forward in 2020. The special committee will convene this year and run for a period of nine months.
Late last year the long-awaited Medical Cannabis Access Programme finally commenced. This was after a long campaign by families and campaigners which culminated in changes to government policy.
Recent opinion polls have indicated that a clear majority would support a change in legislation to give those with a life-limiting terminal illness a choice to avail of voluntary assisted dying. I hope with cross party support and the recommendations from the special committee that legislation can be enacted in the lifetime of this government.
To date only four families have been given access via prescription. Given the restrictive nature of the programme and some concerns regarding the medical cannabis products available for prescription for the first time, those that can benefit from this treatment can now obtain these medicines by prescription. People Before Profit will continue to lobby the government for the expansion of the programme to include other conditions in the forthcoming review of the MCAP.
Launching the Dying with Dignity Bill with Vicky Phelan, Tom Curran and Gail O’Rorke outside Leinster House.
DEFEND IRISH NEUTRALITY In the wake of Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, we have seen an outpouring of solidarity from the Irish people to the people of Ukraine, with many opening their homes, volunteering, donating and sending messages of support. Ireland has a strong and proud tradition of anti-imperialism and fighting for the right to self-determination. However, those in the political establishment are cynically using this goodwill to try and erode Irish neutrality. Irish neutrality is part of an anti-colonial legacy that has deep roots in Irish society. It was originally invoked against the hypocrisy of Britain who claimed to be fighting for ‘freedom’ – yet was keeping countries like India in bondage. Far from being obsolete, it is even more relevant today. The Western powers claim the mantle of ‘democracy’ against the ‘authoritarian’ regimes, yet their hypocrisy is abundantly evident. At the end of March, People Before Profit launched a bill that sought to enshrine neutrality into the Irish constitution through a referendum. However, this bill was defeated by government parties, including the Greens who have previously been in favour of neutrality. People Before Profit will continue to fight for Irish neutrality and work toward building an Irish anti-war movement to say no to war and militarism in all its forms.
People Before Profit CONCERNS ABOUT PLANNING IN CLONDALKIN
NEWSLETTER BUSCONNECTS D SPINE COMING IN 2023
I’m concerned about several developments in Clondalkin that have been granted planning permission. I submitted an objection to the demolition and development of apartments at Floraville Cottage. South Dublin County Council decided against granting permission, however, the decision by local planners was overturned by An Bord Plaenala. Another concerning development is that of 78 apartments at the Clondalkin Enterprise Centre on Watery Lane. It’s owned by Clapton Ltd, a company that has previously breached planning regulations at Larkfield House (former Liffey Valley Fitness). I submitted an objection to this development based on the previous disregard of planning rules by the owners. Unfortunately, the development got planning permission by SDCC in 2021, which was upheld by An Bord Pleanala. There are serious questions to be asked about the current planning system and the accountability of An Bord Pleanala.
NEW PRIMARY CARE CENTRE UNDER CONSTRUCTION
BusConnects is being rolled out across Dublin with the D spine changes coming in 2023.
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Your Local
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The new HSE Primary Care Centre on Boot Rd is currently under construction. It is expected to be completed in 2023 and will house a range of health services such as primary health care, physical therapy, occupational therapy and counselling services. The move to primary care centres where patients can access a range of public health services is an important step. We need to continue this by moving to a single tier 32 county national public health service free at the point of access.
This means some changes to the Clondalkin area. The 13 will be replaced by the D1 and D3 which both will go down the New Nangor Rd (similar to 151 route). There will be a new bus G1 which will start at Red Cow, go through Woodford then to the city centre via Cherry Orchard/ ParkWest. The new local bus L54 from the Red Cow to Leixlip via Clondalkin Village and Lucan Village has already started and is currently running every 60 minutes. This new local bus is very welcome as it connects the local villages and the Luas line.
Dublin Mid West Representatives
People Before Profit Constituency Office Unit 3 Monastery Rd, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. 01-4030007 Open to the Public. Constituency offices times are now 11am to 1pm on Monday and Friday. All Other Times by PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT SOCIALISM FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Cllr. Madeleine Johansson 087 3630242 mjohansson@cllrs.sdublincoco.ie Cllr Madeleine Johansson
People Before Profit Gino Kenny T.D. Rep 085 7211574 Darragh Adelaide www.ginokenny.com 085-1754334 gino.kenny@oireachtas.ie
For More Information on People Before Profit Contact 087 2839964 or visit www.pbp.ie