Michael Noonan and the Lord mayor of Dublin to attend MIJAG meetings
national |
miscellaneous |
news report 
Thursday April 11, 2002 11:07
by Finghin - Motor Insurance Justice Action Group
Details about tonights Public Meeting
Friends
Michael Noonan the leader of Fine Gael has confirmed to MIJAG that he will
attend the Limerick meeting next Monday 15th in the Royal George Hotel at
8pm.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin Michael Mulcahy is the most senior politician
confirmed so far for the Dublin meeting which is at 8pm tonight (11th) in
the Green Isle Hotel on the Naas Road. Given the precarious situation Mary
Harney finds herself in this new Dublin Mid-West Constituency (Where David
Green will run) and the central role of her Ministerial position on this
issue we are still hopeful that she will turn up. In light of the events
affecting that Party in the past few days the PD head Office and her
Government Secretary could not confirm for certain to the MIJAG National
Secretary if she would be able to make the meeting.
Please ensure that you turn up there on time and be prepared to quiz the
representatives of the Political Parties that will be there. We do expect
all the Dail registered Parties to be represented and most have confirmed
this to us.
Also we heard that the MIAB report was due to be discussed at a cabinet
meeting last night and we expect there to be some announcement soon.
_____________________________________
MIJAG - Motor Insurance Justice Action Group
website: http://www.mijag.com
email: mijag@eircom.net
Comments (3 of 3)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3Finghin,
you still haven't addressed the issue that people that can afford cars are an elite minority of the working class. You are priveleging them over the rest of us that CAN"T AFFORD A CAR!
Add to that the fact that cars are responsible for death (both immediate as a result of vehicular impact and gradual as a result of long exposure to exhaust) and disease (respiratory illness is much higher in people that live near major roads - coincidentally (!) they just happen to be poorer).
Supporting measures like this accelerates the decline in public transport.
You should be lobbying the minister for more buses, more trains and more cycle lanes.
The fact is that alot of young workers are forced to buy a car due to the lack of a proper transport system, they are by no means an elite. And these drivers are being discriminated against because they are young, surely you oppose all forms of discrimination?
Cars are a reality, there will always be a certain degree of car ownership, even as a transitional measure, until we get a proper transport system.
The MIJAG campaign does campaign for a proper publicly funded transport system. MIJAG also calls for proper safety training for drivers, so safe responsible driving can become a reality. Please go to the site and read more about the campaign.
You are NOT campaigning for better public transport, you are clearly campaigning for cheaper PRIVATE transport for people that can afford cars. Here from your own site is the evidence for that:
-----------snipped from MIJAG site-------------
The main Demands of a Campaign are :-
1. Implement in full "the road to safety" strategy as outlined by the Government.
2. Discrimination on the basis of age in the provision of motor insurance to be banned.
3. Insurance premium penalties to apply only after a proven safety related driving offence has been committed.
4. Implement drivers education and a penalty points system, which would trigger disqualification following repeated driving offences.
5. Insurance for young drivers to be provided by a non-profit-making State company at average motor insurance costs.
-------------------------------------------------
Where in that is the call for improving public transport?
You admit that there is poor public transport. and yet your "solution" is to support people getting into cars.
You consistently refuse to address the problem that this puts MORE drivers on the road which disproportionately affects working class people.
You affect our health negatively. You remove our jobs in the PUBLIC transport sector. You create a cadre of elite that can afford cars and thus have a NEGATIVE interest in public transport: they will not be using buses and trains and they won't want their tax to go to them.
You have no strategy.
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