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TD Delegation to Visit Joe and Claire

category national | bin tax / household tax / water tax | news report author Thursday September 25, 2003 12:27author by Anon

A group of TDs representing progressive and left wing parties in Leinster House will visit Mountjoy Prison tomorrow and meet imprisoned Bin Tax activists Joe Higgins and Claire Daly.

A group of TDs representing progressive and left wing parties in Leinster House will visit Mountjoy Prison tomorrow and meet imprisoned Bin Tax activists Joe Higgins and Claire Daly.

The visit has been organied by Independent TD Finian McGrath following a suggestion from Sinn Féin TD Seán Crowe.

At time of writing as well as Deputies McGrath and Crowe, Labour's Tommy Broughan, the Green party's John Gormley and Independent TD Tony Gregory have all indicated they will take part in the visit.

The TDs have issued an open invitation to other members of Leinster House to join in the visit and demonstrate solidarity with Joe and Claire and condemn the outrageously harsh prison sentence imposed on them.

Comments (13 of 13)

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author by Very Anonymouspublication date Thu Sep 25, 2003 12:32author address author phone

about John Gormley being on the delegation. Not all Greens are the same!

author by va - .publication date Thu Sep 25, 2003 12:36author address author phone

Maybe they can convince John to support the campaign.

author by Yahopublication date Thu Sep 25, 2003 14:10author address author phone

I understand that Costello, Gregory and Burke form inner city have already visited?

author by pat cpublication date Thu Sep 25, 2003 14:12author address author phone

as long as the greens support bin taxes they share responsibility for joe & clares imprisonment.

author by Januspublication date Thu Sep 25, 2003 14:32author address author phone

If I have it right, Christy Burke visited at the start of the week and then Joe Costello the day after the demonstration. Wasn't aware Gregory was in.

Fair play to them all though, even the Greenies.

author by Jolly Green Giantpublication date Thu Sep 25, 2003 16:34author address author phone

'A group of TDs representing progressive and left wing parties in Leinster House '

What was Gormley doing there in that case? He represents the rich. Just remember. not all Greens are in the Green Party and not all of us support local charges.

Eat the rich!

author by gdkhfhgpublication date Thu Sep 25, 2003 21:07author address author phone

I hope Joe will tell those hypocrites in the Green Party and Sinn Féin to go and fuck themselves!

Sinn Fein has supported bin tax in Sligo and are not active against the bin tax across Dublin in any real way.

author by lilywhite - come on you saffron legends movementpublication date Fri Sep 26, 2003 04:24author address author phone

i have no hopes in the greens...

but as for SF, well lets not jump to anti-shinner conclusions just yet. we'll see when the non-collection fully extends to the areas where sf are majorly prominent. lets not judge them until their action (or inaction) shows itself.

personally i will be majorly disappointed if all their elected reps are not on the front lines. i hope for the sake of the whole island that they are. i mean this in relation to the proposed water tax in the north.

a successful campaign in the south will give confidence to the north. as a successful campiagn in dublin will hopefully see the abloistion of bin tax around the coutry (or at the very least a rise in militancy around the country).

i'd also like to make a brief point that i would love to make on joe duffy. where i live (kildare) on a road of 15 houses we have two or three *different* rubbish collection companies taking our waste. and i can't help but wonder how three trucks doing the same job that one could do is *good* for the environment. the mind boggles wha?

author by lilywhitepublication date Fri Sep 26, 2003 04:26author address author phone

i meant 25 houses, not 15.

author by mattpublication date Fri Sep 26, 2003 15:29author address author phone

One thing is for sure and that is if it were republicans locked up - as is usually the case - Comrade Higgins would not be going to visit them. In fact during one of the major struggles of the last century - the 1980/81 hunger strike - Joe and his comrades took the side of reaction. On any of the other major civil rights/anti-left issues from Section 31 to the Special Courts, Special Branch torture etc, etc, the Militant/SP were silent. Republicans, however, are mature enough to put that to one side and to support ANY left activist set upon by the state.

author by Bang onpublication date Fri Sep 26, 2003 18:33author address author phone

Well said Matt. When Kieran Doherty TD died the radical left were busy sucking their thumbs. When SF members are being hauled into and given a beating in police stations throughout this state, which is still going on, the radical left is nowhere. The only party in this state with any balls is SF as for your radicalness remember joe and clare aren't the first to see the inside of a prison. Three quarters of SF city councillors have been locked up, the other one was shot by a junkie in a church.

author by don't take the name in vain. - i'm a libertarian. and an anarko-pacifist. (that's the Black and White Block.)publication date Fri Sep 26, 2003 18:37author address author phone

You see if you check the prison records, you'll find that by far the majority of political prisoners as in prisoners who were practising the political careers, were either from FF, SF or other groupings that _no longer_ exist.

Joe, comrade Joe, Mr Joe, Deputy Joe, Joe of the eulogy, Citizen on patrol not parole Joe, TD Joe, Trotty Joe, Socialist Party Joe, Famous Joe, Sincere Joe, bit of a hypocrite Joe, banged up Joe, annoying Socialist ranter Joe, didn't look to bad at the GPO Joe, been around a while Joe, very popular in his constiçuency Joe, comes quite close to the Google contemporary ireland Joe, subject of discussion Joe, byword for resistance is he Joe, not going to be able to deal with hero status Joe, down to earth though Joe, dear old Joe, (you know whom I speaking about)
that Joe, you know the one Joe, recongisable Joe, could have affected the opinion polls Joe, safely out of sight now Joe, rabble rouser Joe, demagogue Joe, guttersnipe Joe,

is different.

He's the first RED in prison in EIRE
in the 21st century. That's newsworthy.

author by pat cpublication date Sat Sep 27, 2003 18:54author address author phone

"Well said Matt. When Kieran Doherty TD died the radical left were busy sucking their thumbs."

Apart from militant all of the radical left groups were involved in the Smash H-Block/Armagh campaign. At the demo at the Brit embassy Anarchists,SWPers and other lefties were at the front during the hand to hand fighting. At least one SWPer was seriously injured.


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