Independent Media Centre Ireland     http://www.indymedia.ie

Late Late Show Sidelines Anti Bin Tax Campaigners

category dublin | bin tax / household tax / water tax | press release author Thursday October 16, 2003 13:40author by Anti Bin Tax Campaign

Joint Statement - 16th October 2003
· Dublin City Campaign Against the Bin Charges· Dun Laoghaire/ Rathdown Campaign Against Service Charges· South Dublin Campaign Against Refuse Charges· Fingal Anti Bin Tax Campaign

Late Late Show Sidelines Bin Tax Campaigners

This Fridays Late Late Show on the controversial Bin Charges is unfair and undemocratic in format.

Late Late Show Sidelines Bin Tax Campaigners

This Fridays Late Late Show on the controversial Bin Charges is unfair and undemocratic in format.

The Minister for the Environment is to be interviewed by Pat Kenny while those opposing the Bin Tax are consigned to the audience.

The four Anti Bin Tax Campaigns in Dublin do not feel this is a balanced contest. We can challenge the Minister’s arguments of the last week if we are given the same time and platform as he is. This is not possible with a roving microphone picking up sound bites from the audience.

The Campaigns believe the best way to debate the issues would have been to have a head to head debate between the Minister and Joe Higgins T.D. next week. When this was rejected we were led to believe there would be a panel of four people debating the issue. Now we find the Minister is to be given a platform on his own.

For the last month Joe Higgins and Clare Daly have been gagged, unable to answer the Government propaganda from prison. They are now being gagged again by the Late Late Show. The question has to be asked why the State Broadcaster is censoring the Anti Bin Tax Campaign. Have they been got at by the Government?

We call for a format with a fair and balanced panel to debate the environment, taxation and political issues around the bin charges.

Comments (15 of 15)

Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
author by Simon the piemanpublication date Thu Oct 16, 2003 14:04author address author phone

Sure why would RTE set up a fair debate. It would be their buddies against someone who knows what they're talking about. The Media almost sponsor Fianna Fail.

author by Fpublication date Thu Oct 16, 2003 14:05author address author phone

Aren't you being a bit previous, condemning the programme before its broadcast? Dont you remember McCreevy being booed by the audience not so long ago? I think this format is setting the minister up for a fall. It's the Big Important Politician vs. The Little People, who do you think is going to win that one? Is the default setting of this campaign to whinge and see conspiracies everywhere? Catch yourselves on and turn this format to your advantage.

author by SDRpublication date Thu Oct 16, 2003 14:08author address author phone

I think if Michael D is available he would be excellent. Heard him laying into the PDs on Morning Ireland - absolutely brilliant.

author by action.publication date Thu Oct 16, 2003 14:37author address author phone

why not storm the studio and occupy it until they listen to your side aswell?

or rush the stage from within the audience.

author by Katiepublication date Thu Oct 16, 2003 14:41author address author phone

that's a tactic of the government, shout louder than anyone who objects to what you are doing. The Anti bin-tax campaigners just want a fair hearing.

author by Johnnypublication date Thu Oct 16, 2003 16:33author address author phone

There is no point in whinging about the format of the show. The Late Late is our big chance to get our points across as to why we are against the bin tax.

A lot of the reasons have not been aired properly on the mainstream media, such as:
1. Once the tax is accepted, it will shoot up every year, to about €1000, to be followed by water rates and whatever else.
2. Privatisation will follow as elsewhere and waivers will disappear. With privatisation, the incentive for the private companies will be to make more waste, not less, to make more profits.
3. There is no incentive to recycle in most areas, as it is a fixed annual charge.

If we can get these points, and others, across
forcefully, we may swing public opinion back in our favour.

Who is appearing on the show from the Anti-Bin Tax side?

author by Gaz - libertarianpublication date Thu Oct 16, 2003 20:21author address author phone

RTE is an arm of the state, it relies on the government for its license to broadcast and funding...what do you expect?

author by orpheus - req. broad.publication date Thu Oct 16, 2003 20:23author address author phone

the late late is live, storm the stage or something like what happened on Questions and Answers a few years ago.

author by fukempublication date Fri Oct 17, 2003 00:00author address author phone

Well fuck them. Joe Higgins and Clare Daly are gona be good guests for next week (that's if they are still at liberty!) Fuck RTÉ Joe and Clare should do the Dunphy show instead.

author by PKpublication date Fri Oct 17, 2003 11:13author address author phone

The Star says that more security is being hired tonight because RTE has fears of members of the campaign rushing the stage.
You have to laugh!!

author by Anti bin taxpublication date Fri Oct 17, 2003 11:51author address author phone

Last night I asked a member of the city steering committee if he knew who was putting out these press releases in the name of all four campaigns. He did not. Now the PRO of the city campaign is in Mountjoy so I can see that things are confused but there is still a problem here. The above press release seems to imply that only Joe or Clare could be adequate spokespeople on the Late Late. I've no memory of that decision being made at any level of the campaign. There are lots of other people in the campaign that could do this. And they are not the only campaigners in prison, so are 13 others.

Some within the campaign seem to think it is a good idea if it is presented as the 'Joe and Clare show'. This has done us a lot of damage in the already hostile media as it adds to the impression that the campaign is a front for the Socialist Party. We should start putting up more spokespeople who are not Socialist Party members to counter this. In particular the Fingal campaign should do this. We should underline that most of the 15 in prison are not members of any political party and of those that are a majority are members of parties other then the Socialist Party.

Now the suggestion. If we are going on the Late, Late we should try and get someone from a campaign outside Dublin on the show. Cork or Drogheda both have small but active campaigns. This would be a good answer to the anti-Dublin sentiment the media is trying to stir up. But why am I posting this here? There are no contact details on the press releases posted here so this seems to be the only channel open to me.

author by conor (wsm personal capacity)publication date Fri Oct 17, 2003 16:42author address author phone

Anti bin tax: Last night I asked a member of the city steering committee if he knew who was putting out these press releases in the name of all four campaigns. He did not. Now the PRO of the city campaign is in Mountjoy so I can see that things are confused but there is still a problem here. The above press release seems to imply that only Joe or Clare could be adequate spokespeople on the Late Late. I've no memory of that decision being made at any level of the campaign. There are lots of other people in the campaign that could do this. And they are not the only campaigners in prison, so are 13 others………


Anti bintax makes some important points (tho I wish people would use their real names!!!).
Who IS in charge here?
I was under the (clearly) mistaken impression that activist groups made decisions in the different areas and then communicated with each other
Certainly motions to that effect were passed at any conferences I was at in Dun Loaghaire (Come to think of it hasn’t been one of those for a while).
Activists run the campaign and the committees implemented decisions (in theory)
In this case it seems NOT EVEN any of the existing committees in any council area were consulted let alone say any sort of activist forums that I know off.

The Blockades worked but we were damned lucky

who decided to have them?
Even more important who decided to call em off? I’m not saying whether this was good or bad just that I'd like to have an input !

Similarly for the late late show appearances

(suggestion who ever is “selected” by “whoever” is making the decisions – get a www.stopthebintax.com shirt – the page is worth advertising)

Why do decisions all seemed to arrive “ready made from no where” ?

why are they communicated to the media before activists ?

THIS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

We need planning
We need democracy.
We need accountability.
If we want big blockades that work we need time to build them, notice, discussion, planning, full involvement of as many active campaigners as possible.
We can win but only if we involve people and not if we treat the campaign as the property of any particular political tendency……….

Conor

Related Link: http://www.stopthebintax.com
author by sp member (personal capacity)publication date Sat Oct 18, 2003 01:18author address author phone

The government and the media have indeed tried to make this a fight with the big bad socialist party and did target Joe and claire in the mistaken belief that this would behead the movement and further create the impression that the anti bin tax campaign is just a SP front.

By now that argument is full of holes, the campaign did not fall appart with the jailing of Joe and Claire, other activists have proved that they are ready to go to jail and thousands of people have shown that they are organised and prepared to take to the streets.

From the point of view of the SP we have always believed that this campaign must have broad based support, activist participation and strong local organisation as possible. It is a straight forward fact that it can not be won otherwise.

author by anti bin taxpublication date Sat Oct 18, 2003 13:33author address author phone

Very good composition from our side. Liked the bit where Pat asked for people from Dublin and 'failed' to notice John Jefferies (Cork) who was right in front of his nose.

author by dgpublication date Sat Oct 18, 2003 13:52author address author phone

he told the woman from Waterford that her view doesn't qualify as an "outside Dublin" view ... because she's against the tax!


http://www.indymedia.ie/article/61689

Indymedia Ireland is a media collective. We are independent volunteer citizen journalists producing and distributing the authentic voices of the people. Indymedia Ireland is an open news project where anyone can post their own news, comment, videos or photos about Ireland or related matters.