Newsmedianews | archived News from Socialist Party, Ireland

14 October 2011
Packed attendance at candidate debate last night prooves Blanchardstown Hospital is major by-election issue
People can take no comfort from evasion and denial of government parties
A packed meeting in Blanchardstown Crowne Plaza Hotel last night vowed to resist any attempts to downgrade the hospital and to fight ongoing cuts which have most recently seen the closure of 28 surgical beds. Consultants and nurses made presentations to the meeting outlining the realities of working with reduced staff and resources. All of the Dublin West by-election candidates and TDs, inlcluding Minister Leo Varadkar, were called on to give their views on the hospital cuts.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Ruth Coppinger, the Socialist party/ United Left Alliance candidate said: "Nobody is reassured by the Minister's political-speak when he says tonight the hospital or A&E will be 'reconfigured', not downgraded. This is on the same day that Cork city's second busiest A&E (South Infirmary) reduces to 12 hours and will close totally in April. He says Connolly Hospital must stay under budget, but the budgets have been slashed by 20% when the population has risen by 10%, so more bed closures or A&E reduction is inevitable.

"The HSE instruction to 'reduce activity' at the hospital is reprehensible. It means turning sick people away. To where exactly? 28 surgical beds close at Connolly this week. That means hundreds of cancelled operations and suffering for patients, while skilled surgeons and operating theatres lie idle.

"The attendance of hundreds of people here tonight sends a powerful message to Labour and Fine Gael that this community will not stand for the cuts to our hospital. Any candidiate, including Labour, willing to go into the Dail and vote through a Budget in December of €3.5 to 4 billion in cuts cannot claim to defend the hospital. They are voting for health cuts and bed closures.

"I commend the work of the Defend Blanchardstown Hospital Campaign and support the demonstration called for Saturday 22nd October at 1pm."

October 12, 2011
Socialist Part MEP dismisses Minister Creighton’s claim that Commission is the ‘best friend of small Member States’
Commission is no friend of the working people across Europe
Further drive towards austerity will have devastating effect
Socialist Party/United Left Alliance MEP, Paul Murphy, has spoken out against Minister of State for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton’s comments on 'Morning Ireland' this morning that the European Commission is the ‘best friend of small Member States’

“I found Minister Creighton’s comments to be delusional. The Commission is the driving force behind austerity. This can be seen in the institutionalising of austerity through the passing last week of new 'economic governance' regulations which will see huge powers handed over to the Commission to act as a policeman for austerity in the EU. They will now have the power to impose massive fines on states deemed to contradict their neo-liberal agenda. The new economic governance regulations also see the erosion of democracy in the EU with Member States potentially being stripped of voting rights at European Council meetings, therefore I find the statement from Minister Creighton that the Commission is a 'best friend' as ridiculous".

"This drive towards austerity will see at least €3.6 billion cut from the Irish state’s budget this year which will hit the people who rely on state services hardest. Reports in the press state that €1bn will be cut from Social Welfare alone. If this is what our best friend demands of us, I would hate to think what an enemy would do."

“Today will see Commission President Barroso announce his bank recapitalisation plan. This will inevitibly see billions more in public money being pumped into the banks to cover the private gambling debts of these institutions. Minister Creighton’s own party, Fine Gael, promised to not pay unsecured senior bondholders before the election. Now, they are the Commission’s lap-dog and next month will pay €3.5 billion in unsecured loans from Anglo-Irish bank. This will be paid for courtesy of the Irish people who will pick up the bill in December’s budget through cuts and more taxes."

“The Commission is unelected and does not represent the views of ordinary people in Europe but instead big business and the tiny financial elite. That the Minister views the Commission as our ‘best friend’ says a lot about whose interests the Minister acts, and it’s not the interests of the Irish workers or unemployed.”

October 12, 2011
Keane Report on Mortgage Crisis
Grudging and Insulting Response to Victims of Developer's/Bankers' Greed
Echoes of Victorian Prejudice towards 'Undeserving Poor'
Cllr Ruth Coppinger, Socialist Party/United Left Alliance Candidate says the The Keane Report on mortgage arrears will be deeply disappointing for the tens of thousands of homeowners trapped in negative equity and unsustainable mortgage repayments.

The Report is informed by conservative right-wing, neo-liberal thinking. Its attitude towards mortgage holders in distress echoes the Victorian prejudice toward the "undeserving poor". There is no acknowledgment whatever that tens of thousands of ordinary workers were forced to pay exorbitant prices for the right to have a home by virtue of the activities of speculators, developers and Irish and European bankers - all legislated for, and facilitated by, an Irish Government and regulatory agencies. They are victims of the property bubble, not cheats waiting for a chance to renege on their mortgage payments which seems to be the attitude in the report.

A real solution to this crisis is to mark down the speculative prices home-owners were forced to pay to the real value of their homes today and to adapt the monthly payments accordingly. This would not only resolve many of the problems, but would free up massive funds now going to the banks, for buying goods and services in the Irish economy helping to create tens of thousands of desperately needed jobs.

Such an approach would be entirely possible on the basis of a banking system in public ownership and run under democratic control - unlike the bailout type nationalisation carried out to date for the purpose of rescuing the diseased financial markets system.

3rd October 2011
Green light from Noonan for €1 million pay pack for new AIB chief a slap in the face for workers and unemployed
Responding to the news today that AIB, with the government's consent, will circumvent the €500,000 cap on the CEO salary at the bank by supplementing David Duffy, Socialist Party/United Left Alliance TDs Clare Daly and Joe Higgins in a joint statement said:

"We are still told, with a straight face that obscene salaries must be paid to top banking executives to ensure that we get the 'best and the brightest'.

"Yet it was these same geniuses on seven figure sums at the top of our banking system who landed us in the mess we are in. For the 2,000 ordinary AIB employees facing redundancy and the millions out there who have suffered cuts and other impositions this is a sick joke.

"€ 500,000 is itself too much. The Socialist Party sees no cause for anybody to be paid more than €100,000 to do any job in society. We again call for the nationalisation of our entire banking system but shorn of the major private debts. Such a banking system should concern itself with safeguarding deposits and credit to small and medium enterprises and investment in major state run projects to provide employment."

October 27, 2011
Another Fighting TD to combat the disastrous austerity of the Government 113!
Ruth Coppinger the Socialist Party and the United Left Alliance will mount a major campaign to win the Dublin West By election. The ordinary working people, pensioners, the unemployed and young people will ask themselves what point there is in sending yet another government TD into the Dáil to join the 113 Fine Gael and Labour members who are already there and voting for the disastrous policies begun by Fianna Fáil. To vote for a further savaging of the incomes and services of workers, pensioners and the unemployed and bringing in new burdens such as the Household Tax - all to send tens of billions of Euro into the coffers of the Irish and European bankers who speculated recklessly in their greed for super profits.

Ruth Coppinger has been a Councillor for the Socialist Party on Fingal County Council since 2003, representing the Mulhuddart Ward in Greater Blanchardstown, Dublin West. and is a parent living in Mulhuddart and an active member of the ASTI.

Ruth Coppinger took leave of absence from teaching position and wage cut of over €10,000 to work as Parliamentary Assistant with Joe Higgins TD Will NOT formally take up position and draw salary until AFTER Dublin West By election (unless she is successful in bye-election campaign Ruth Coppinger had agreed to take up the position of Parliamentary Assistant in the office of Joe Higgins, the Socialist Party/United Left Alliance TD for Dublin West at the start of September at his and the party's request as an experienced political person, fully conversant with the political analysis and policies of the deputy and the party. Taking this position would involve a pay cut of €10,000 per year.

This decision was taken before the death of Mr Brian Lenihan which has precipitated the By-election in Dublin West. When she was nominated to contest the By-election, she and the Socialist Party decided that it would be inappropriate to take up this position until after that election on 27th October if she does not win the bye-election. This means she will not be paid by the State for the months of September and October.

Despite a blatantly wrong claim in one newspaper that Ruth Coppinger would have pension entitlements accruing from the Department of Education while on leave of absence, Ruth Coppinger will have NO such entitlements. The career break scheme for public sector workers is very specific on this, 'A period of unpaid leave of absence does not reckon for pension purposes.' As a Councillor, Ruth Coppinger receives the relevant allowances for members of local authorities. The Socialist Party has a strict policy that its public representatives do not benefit financially from public positions. A portion of any public allowances go toward costs incurred doing public work such as extra child care costs while attending Council meetings and the many community meetings that are involved in the work and toward such activities as the printing and distribution of information leaflets to constituents. The balance is donated, some to the Socialist Party, which accepts no funds from big business, and more to campaigns by ordinary people fighting for a better community.

Public representatives present a full account of these transactions to the Socialist Party Conference each year.

If elected to the Dáil, Ruth Coppinger will live on the equivalent of the average industrial wage and donate the balance of salary to the fight to build a left and socialist alternative and to solidarity campaigns.

Ruth has a long record of fighting for the interests of workers and ordinary people.
On the Council fought against big builder-led development in Fingal which left communities without essential infrastructure, especially schools and transport. Fought for proper planning in the interest of the community; Campaigned to preserve vital green belts in west Dublin against unjustified rezonings in Kellystown, Barnhill and Navan Road / Tolka Valley against a rezoning coalition of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and some Labour councillors; Highlighted the scourge of Pyrite destabilising thousands of homes and is working with the Pyrite Action Campaign for a scheme to fix homes suffering this problem; Organised meetings and demonstrations with the Ongar/Clonee community to pressure for the immediate opening of Hansfield train station; Is actively involved in the campaign to reverse damaging cuts in the budget of Blanchardstown Hospital and to prevent any downgrading of its 24-hour A&E or other services; Campaigned for private management companies in residential housing estates to be abolished and for strict regulation and democratic control over these companies in apartments; and led the change of Fingal County Council's policy on this; Is working with residents in mortgage arrears and negative equity for a government response to this problem and advocates a write-down of mortgages to the real value of homes as one key way to lift the debt burden on home-owners. Supported the building of a women's refuge in Blanchardstown; Will actively organise with the community to build a mass non-payment campaign of the new Household and Water Taxes; Opposes all cuts in health, education and public services being done to bail out the bondholders and speculators; Assisted in the establishment of SNAPT (Special Needs Assistants, Parents & Teachers) to fight the cuts to learning resource and special needs education; Calls on the Councils / government to acquire vacant housing for immediate use by those on the housing list and a scrapping of the costly rental accommodation programme which subsidises landlords and developers; Implacably opposes wage cuts and levies on both public and private sector workers

20 September 2011
Socialist Party TDs sign David Norris' Presidential nomination papers
Today Socialist Party TDs Clare Daly and Joe Higgins signed David Norris' Presidential nomination papers.

The Socialist Party stands for the abolition of the Presidency which we believe is an unnecessary elitist institution with undemocratic restrictions in terms of who may stand for the office.

However while the institution exists we are prepared to facilitate the candidature of those who we feel are broadly progressive and stand outside political establishment and who clearly have support in wider society.

The Socialist Party had until recent days withheld its nomination from all of those who declared their intentions to run as we hoped for the emergence of a radical left candidate who could have used the campaign to raise the level of political debate about the critical issues facing Irish society.

No such candidate emerged and therefore while we have profound political differences with David Norris and would not campaign for him if he is successful in obtaining the 20 required nominations we feel he is a candidate who deserves to be allowed to run.