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Anti-Empire
Human Rights in IrelandIndymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.
Lockdown Skeptics
Voltaire NetworkVoltaire, international edition
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Protection of the Environment Bill national |
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news report
 Thursday May 29, 2003 16:14 by flanagan - labour head_office at labour dot ie Ely Place, Dublin 2
 Refuse charges will increase to at least €700 per household Labour to oppose Protection of the Environment Bill
This Bill transfers the power to levy waste charges from elected Councillors to County Managers. In addition it will allow Councils to refuse to collect waste from homes who have paid the charge. This change in the law is being made to facilitate huge increases in waste charges. Some months ago, Minister Cullen told a Dáil Committee that the real cost of the waste service amounted to approximately €11 per collection per house. Over a 52 week period, this would result in an annual charge of almost €700. This Bill is being introduced to allow County Managers to increase charges to this level. Indeed the charge may ultimately be higher than this. Under Section 30 of the Bill, the operator of a waste disposal facility (i.e. a landfill site or an incinerator, will be obliged to charge the full cost of setting up the facility, managing and operating the facility and the full cost of radiation of the facility for thirty years after it is closed. This cost will be passed on to the householder, resulting in massive increases in waste charges. This Bill will cost the average householder in this country more than any single tax measure introduced in the last ten years. The Minister is introducing the measure today, using ‘Protection of the Environment’ as his cover, just a Minister Dempsey attempted to use educational disadvantage as the political shield for re-introducing third level fees. The Labour Party is opposing this Bill. The charges being insisted upon by the Government are a flat household tax, which take no account of ability to pay or the amount of waste being generated. The Government is fundamentally changing the country’s waste management system. They are transforming it from a public service to a commercial business for which the public will have to pay. This Bill means that the individual householder will have to pay for the full cost of dumps, incinerators and all of the waste infrastructure. |
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Comments (16 of 16)
Jump To Comment: 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1That SA involved the SWP, SD and Independents. It did not prosper and eventually withered on the vine, ie the SWP werent recruiting enough people from it.
Was there not Socialist Alliance formed at the time of the first Nice treaty to co-ordinate a No vote? I seem to remember a lefty mate of mine putting up their posters
Here is a SERIOUS issue which we of the "left" SHOULD be discussing seriously. And what do I see? A whole bunch of silly ad hominem attacks having nothing to do with the issues involved.
OK, I'm an "outsider" but THIS particular issue is the same throughout the "developed" world. Comes up all the time at OUR town meetings here (yeah, New England towns still do the local democracy thing). So let me tell you, same thing, some factions wanting it paid out of geenral taxes, some "flat rate", some "per bag of trash".
Here (Buckland MA) we have charge "per bag" of TRASH and free for returnables and recyclables, must be separated out (yeah, some slobs can't be bothered to do that even to save a buck and that does NOT appear to correlate well with whether rich or poor). There is a good argumant in favor of "per bag" because the people whose actions are most critical are those deciding whether to be "wasteful" (produce more "trash" than absolutely necessary).
But I must say, your stated costs seem outrageously high. Most towns around here it's $1 or $2 per bag (40-50 ga). If you are real careful, bother to separate out everything that's recyclable, minimize wasteful packaging that's not, etc. a family could get by on just one bag a month. I base that on our experience -- the kids are gone so it's just us two but we only fill 3-4 bags A YEAR.
There was a protest about this Bill last night. See related link thread for
related topics
I was talking about the mysterious Suzanne, not Pat (who may be full of it, I don't know - that's another day's story). I have to say I'm very suspicious about this 'group', and normally I'm not the suspicious type. The first most people heard of them was the so-called protest and then comments today. Has anyone heard of a group organising protests in Dublin called "Socialist Alliance"?
Especially considering the post deleted earlier (in the link). But if he thinks we're not going to notice holocaust revisionism because its published by a 'woman' who calls herself a socialist, he really needs to start getting up earlier in the morning.
Could "Suzanne" really be Noone (Brian wallace)?
I've never seen any group in Dublin calling itself the Socialist Aliance. In the north, there is/was a Socialist Alliance, but that was part of the UK electoral front thing that appeared in the last couple of years.
Which makes me suspect a wind-up. But if someone is trying to take the piss, they usually try to be a little more coherent.
So my guess is that Suzanne Patterson is sincere, but loony.
come on Suzanne, tell us who the SA are? Why am I beginning to suspect you wear Brownshirts?
This is pure and simple opportunism by the Labour Party. The Party has no problem with Bin Charges or any other local charges in principle. Its opposition on a local and national level is dictated solely by political expedienccy. Thats why they opposed the bin tax in Dublin and made a fuss about disciplining His Pompousness Lord Mayor Lacey, while at the same time they voted for charges in Waterford and elsewhere.
If they are so opposed why dont they vote and campaign against them right across the country? Why dont their activist's play a part in the Dublin Anti Bin Tax Campaign?
Yet another example of the new Pat Rabbitte/Mike Allen plan to sound off in a leftist way while steering steadily right in practice. Sure they'll win votes, sure they may get more TDs and sure they will go into coalition again and sure all the radical sounding press releases will end and sure as hell those genuine people who are now attracted to Labour on the basis of verbal radicalism will be badly burnt. Paddy knows the new regime from a long way back, when they were part of a movement which engaged in direct action of a special kind, and there's few around to beat them for opportunism and cynicism. So enjoy the ride while it lasts, or better still, make the break now!
PS Have'nt heard anything recently about His Lordship, Comrade Lacey being disciplined for his pro-Bin Tax vote. Smell another Labour press stunt or have I just spent too long around the chancers?
Finally we agree - Pat C is very full of himself!
You are really full of it, and around here, that's saying something.
When has Daithi ever made anti gay comments???????????????
Tell us more about SA. I am getting a bit suspicious.
Daithi,
Your open anti-homosexual comments have destroyed any respect we have held for you & your call yourself a socialist - shame on you.
Yes Socialist Alliance has been around for many years and has a few branches in Southern Ireland. We have helped in protests before but your blatant support for British efforts in the North & in riaq have lead us to belive you are a mole on the site.
Good-day to you "Sir"
What ever happened to that protest against the talk with the Israel and Palestinian reps that you and your 'Socialist Alliance' were going to organise? You know, the one that you advertised on the newswire, virtually everyone said it was a stupid idea, but there wasn't a peep out of you in defence of it. Is there even such a group?
You sicken me!! Labour - the party for who'll ever have 'em, you guys are cheap whores. Your happy to associate with your labour hacks at all other times but when they go to war you don;t even dis-associate yourself with 'em. Yeah sure - Labour Youth - Radical. My ass........