Protest – Weds Sept 14th as the Dail re-opens
Enough is enough! The Fine Gael/Labour government came to power promising change from the disastrous policies of Fianna Fail and the Greens.
They have betrayed those promises and are continuing the failed policy of bailing out banks, while crushing ordinary people with cut-backs and austerity.
Their brutal policies so far include:
- Caps on the numbers of Special Needs Assistants and Resource Hours in Schools.
- Cuts to Fuel, Gas, Electricity and Telephone allowance for the most vulnerable
- Privatisation of social housing.
- Raids on the pension reserve fund and personal pension savings
- Abolition of the JLC’s and REA’s, agreements which protect the pay and conditions of the lowest paid.
- The Universal Social Charge that Labour promised to change.
- The introduction of a Household Charge and the coming Water Tax
- The sell-off of state assets
- Plans to shut 24 hour A&E’s in nine hospitals across the country.
Here in Ireland and across Europe, it is absolutely clear that these polices are not working. Our government has been forced to borrow more than €100 billion at over 5% interest, to pay off the gambling debts of bankers and speculators.
This means that billions that should be invested in jobs, schools, hospitals, vital infrastructure and enterprise is going down a black-hole.
Nearly half a million people with skills and ability who want to work and contribute to the development of our society are being forced to rot on the dole. Tens of thousands of other educated young people and workers are being forced to emigrate.
There is an alternative:
- Stop paying the gambling debts of banks
- Take the banks into public ownership & invest in jobs and real economic activity
- End the bail-out of developers and landlords – take NAMA properties and developments into public control for social use.
- Major investment in public works, infrastructure projects and strategic enterprise to create jobs.
- Tax the super-wealthy and cut pay for bankers, top civil servants, and politicians.
- Reverse cuts and taxes on on low and middle earners to boost spending.
- Major investment in up-skilling and education at all levels
- Take natural resources, such as Gas back into public ownership and abandon plans to sell-off key state assets.
We Need People Power:
From Egypt to Greece, from Spain to Portugal ordinary citizens and workers are taking to the streets and challenging the corrupt and privileged elites that have caused the current economic crisis. Here in Ireland we must do the same. We need a mass movement to resist the cuts to jobs, incomes and services.
On Wednesday Sept 14th the Dail will re-open after the summer-break. The government should be met with a sea of protest. The Enough campaign is calling for a day of protest with rallies at 1pm & 6pm outside the Dail.
If you are fed-up with unjust cut-backs, unemployment & continued bail-outs for the banks come along to one or other of the rallies or for the whole day if you can.
Bring friends, family, work or schoolmates. Banners & flags welcome.