ELECTION STATEMENT #be19
to Make Government Relevant and Accountable
It is time that our politicians did their job, we must ensure that they do.
The Political Party system (old politics) has left us in crisis, controlling both Government and Councils, supporting the vested interests of our society.
We have huge housing lists, a new bubble in property prices, higher rents than every seen in the history of our state, and ever increasing homelessness. The Party elite have brought us vulture funds and rogue landlords, they have wrecked our health services, our senior citizens live in fear of getting sick, in fear that they end up on a trolley somewhere.
Government has neglected the citizens, they have favoured the rich and powerful and all of the Political Parties currently in the Dáil have allowed this.
Central to our election programme is that Government must setup a National Emergency Committee on Housing and Homelessness, this was done for the bad weather in 2018, it was even done for the Foot ‘n Mouth Disease … why not for housing? Along with the Housing Action Group we have been collecting a petition and organising public protest to support this demand – the idea is gaining popularity.
Our Alliance of independent candidates is focused around three main questions:
1. HOUSING is a critical issue for both Local Councils and Government, in its fullest aspect, including lack of public and affordable housing, high rent costs, insecurity of tenancy, lack of enforcement of housing standards, lack of maintenance in public housing, evictions, the activities of vulture funds and homelessness.
It is near impossible for young couples, even where both are in full-time employment, to find a somewhere to setup a family home, to either rent or buy.
The scandal of boarded up houses continues, public land lies idle, whole housing estates are empty due to NAMA (Government) ownership.
Government policy of ‘Rebuilding Ireland‘ has failed to provide housing for our families, when the Councils built houses there was little or no homelessness, there was no such concept as ‘emergency accommodation‘. Building public and affordable housing would calm the housing market and cause price reductions, it would also ease demand for rental property and therefore cause a reduction in rents – it would be good sense.
2. Our system of Government needs REFORM, from top to bottom, decision making must be transparent and both officials and politicians held accountable. The process of public consultation needs to be upgraded, to give voters the ability to make decisions that are binding on management and on planning authorities – at the moment, public consultation puts no obligation on either our Councils or on the Dáil.
We need to reform how budget priorities are set, currently everything is decided behind closed doors by the Party leaders, the same people who divide the top jobs between themselves – management gets its way, compliant Party members get rewarded – and no one is accountable.
3. To end the CORRUPTION in public administration and Government systems, we need to stop the wasteful expenditure, delivering big-money contracts to private developers, promoting corporate image and organising junkets. So long as basic needs exist in housing, or the provision of essential supports to disabled people, they should have top priority in any spending.
These issues are central to the work of Local Authorities, and they are issues where the people have been badly failed.
We are a professionally organised Alliance, and we are of our own communities, in every sense of the word. Our Alliance will bring new life and ideas to Local Government. We will not act as the Political Party ‘Noddies‘ have acted, as we have grown accustomed to seeing on Councils, we will tackle the sacred cows and ensure that community interests and development are prioritised.
We invite support from all regardless of other political preferences, ideology or social class, we must stand together to address these crucial issues. If you can help the election campaign please call us.
