Sinn Fein show their true colours in SDCC area...
dublin |
bin tax / household tax / water tax |
news report 
Tuesday February 03, 2004 00:19
by bintaxedtodahilt
Another glaring example of Sinn Feinsinactivity on the Bin-Tax issue in the South Dublin County Council area!
Today in various parts of the South Dublin Co. Co. Borough, many bin tax activists (Including myself) were active in trying to thwart the councils plans to leave untagged bins behind. In my particular area we met on the footpath adjacent to the local church.
A Sinn Fein member turned up. As we paced around the area grabbing bags out of untagged bins and dumping them into the back of the trucks, the SF member simply stood on the side of the road staring @ us, every so often making phone calls on his mobile phone.
Repeated requests were made to him that he should help us in our actions, but he sometimes sniggered, other times refused to acknowedge that we were talking to him.
One of the activists then simply told him that if he was simply just gonna stand there @ the side of the road and do nothing else, he should leave. Despite the fact that we managed to ensure that well over 80% of non-tagged bins in the area had their rubbish disposed of in the back of the bin truck, the SF member proceeded to tell us that it was a 'farce', and 'yis are doing nothing', only for him to then say ' I came here to help yis', so we, exhasperated with his actions by this stage, once again asked him to help us dispose of peoples rubbish - he still point blank refused to join us in dumping rubbish into the back of the truck.
In my opinion, the actions of this fellow today, sums up to a 'T' SF's attitude towards the bin tax in the South Dublin Borough. They claim they are active in the campaign, but when the going gets tough, they are NOWHERE to be seen (Escept staring @ campaigners getting ACTIVELY involved in the campaign, as our intrepid amigo saw himself today, as he looked on & nothing else)
Comments (42 of 42)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42I mean which is the more interesting news, the fact that the South Dublin Bin Tax campaign stood up to the council's tagging and non-collection, or the fact that a single shinner didn't join in? The net result is to make what has all the elements of a good article look like a petty sectarian swiple.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't mention the behaviour of the shinner, but surely the headline should have been about the action of the campaign. Or do you see the bin tax as merely a way to score electoral points over SF?
Will somebody save us from these damned mickey-mouse elections!
There is barely a single shred of truth in the first post. The Socialist Party have hijacked the campaign in South Dublin County Council as part of their campaign to elect Mick Murphy, nothing more, nothing less. They couldn't care less about the 'peoples rubbish' if it got Mick elected.
That's why far from wanting members of other political parties involved, the SP want them kept as far away as possible, and are not shy about making this crystal clear on the ground, as a way of trying to score cheap political points. They are nothing but parasites, hoping that by exploiting working class people of Dublin they can elect a small minded politicial incompetent to the Council.
The original report is useless. It consists of an anonymous accuser, an anonymous accused and an unknown location in South Dublin. Which leaves us with no way of checking if these events happened or if this is only yet another anonymous SP member having a go at Sinn Fein for electoral reasons.
If you want us to believe you I suggest you at least provide your name, your political affiliation and the location (name of road/estate) where this event may or may not have happened.
Apart from that this is an excellant example of how left sectarianism turns what should be an uplifiting report of resistance into yet another demoralising petty squabble. As the SP and other micro-groups get hard ons for electoral success this sort of posion has got worse and worse. Ugh
It's been a few weeks now since the High Court decision on the Case Stated.
What's happening to the promised appeal to the Supreme Court?
What has happened to all the money collected at mass meetings to fund a " war chest"?
What has it been spent on? How much is left?
Who is accounting for it?
regret the following remarks.
"Yes, we can be taken to court, and sent to jail if we don't apologise, but people can just go in and apologise in court and that's it, people aren't worried about jailing."
People are worried about the fines for just apologising in court and haven't forgotten that heart attack last time around. And let us not forget the fact that leading members of her own party (not the real working class fighters in her party) felt no need to go through the humilating experience of apologising in court, I hope she can sustain the fighting talk and doesn't fall into the trap of sacrificing ordinary people to further electoral ambitions.
I was in the body of the High Court when some protesters were before the judge arising from blockades etc. When the protesters were asked , by their own counsel, if they were prepared to abide by the injunction, some were and some were not. Of those who were , their own counsel and not the judge, asked them to apologise to the court. The judge seemed almost disinterested. I think the counsel's name was Justin and he seemed embarrassed with the whole affair. Interestingly, one lady who was never asked to apologise in the first place made a show of refusing to apologise. She subsequently got her moment of fame and was feted by the protesters. I am certain, as an eye witness, that neither the council nor the court, sought an apology if someone indicated that they were prepared to abide by the injunction. On each occasion that an apology was offered it was done at the clear instigation of the counsel representing the anti waste charge campaign. Perhaps Justin was a bit more respectful towards the High Court than his clients. I wouldn't want the facts to get in the way of a good rant but maybe some subscribers to this site are interested in the facts as opposed to the propaganda.
All those who appeared in front of that woman judge (the one that jailed nine) had to apologise to the court.
It was Judge Mella Carroll. I say again, counsel for the anti-waste campaign asked for the apology, not the judge! I note that there is no response to the questions posed about the money collected by the campaign. Maybe " activist " can shine some light on the subject.
why the questions about the money? at the conferences of the camapigns there is a financial report. the money collected goes towards paying for rooms for meetings, producing posters, producing leaflets, legal fees, and even fines that have been put down against the campaigners.
Yes the counsel for the bin tax people asked them to give an apology because that is what you have to do to 'purge your contempt'.
No apology then away to jail you go.
As to the money, which campaign do you refer to, there's four. If you are so concerned ask one of the treasurers to the campaign.
Well Joe have I ever seen you at ONE bin tax meeting in Tallaght? - I doubt it!
Not sure who exactly put the original post up, but because I was out WITH THE PEOPLE IN PROTEST yesterday, I have a fair idea whom it might be. I also live in the area mentioned.
The SF guy in question, was wearing a Navy Blue Jacket with 'Tallaght Institute of Technology on it'
Ask ANYONE who is not affilliated to any political organisation (99.9% of people attached to the campaign are not!), and who plays an active role in the campaign and they will tell you how much work Mick Murphy and Lisa, amongst others have put in.
Shall I talk about the many times Mick has gotten home around 10.30 from public meetings, and then set about making more posters for other meetings, & then putting them up, before heading home @ 2 or 3am? He spent 3 weeks in jail for heavans sake! Do you think he enjoyed the fact he was away from his family, whilst also knowing he had to pay off the mortgage and other bills @ the end of the month, whilst not working? Mick is spearheading a campaign which is beign driven by the ordinary people of the SDCC area. He and other SP members stood beside THE PEOPLE when bin trucks were blockaded. We stood beside THE PEOPLE when they were getting worried over threatening letters from the council. I personally dropped over 700 leaflets in my area to inform people what was happening on Monday. I also called into other volunteers in my parish (Dominic's Parish Tallaght, of which I am campaign co-ordinator of), who between them, dropped the remaining 1200 leaflets around their areas. NONE are members of a political organisation. If a member of SF in my area volunteered to drop leaflets etc, I'd gladly give him some to distribute - to date I've never had the privelege of doing that.
I have atteneded over 80% of the meetings that have been held on this issue in the SDCC area to date, be it Tallaght, Rathfarnham Clondalkin etc. I would say that the total is nearly 80 meetings. Sinn Fein members have only turned up to FOUR of those meetings, (@ 2 of them they spent the time they had to speak simply attacking the campaign in whetever way they could!) Not ONCE had any of those people called on people not to pay the charge etc. When the bin trucks were being blockaded in the various parts of SDCC by THE PEOPLE -where were SF? We have always maintained that SF are welcome to help the campaign in any active way they can, but they have refused to do so all along.
So before you come on here trying to bad-mouth Mick Murphy, I suggest you get the finger out and actually do some work for the campaign.
SF the party thats all talk and no walk when it comes to the Bin tax issue in South Dublin.
SURE WHAT DO YOU EXPECT WHEN ONE OF THEIR PUBLIC REPS HAS PAID THE TAX AND HAS TOLD US ALL TO DO LIKEWISE!???
At the start of my last post I mean to say 'Jonah', instead of 'Joe' Sincere apologies to you 'Joe' whoever you may be!
This is the way i see it. SF have a very mixed record on the bin tax. Most of their members are opposed to it including some of their leadership. In Finglas for example Dessie Ellis has played a much better role than most, and is genuinly opposed to the tax. But other SF reps have alot to answer for. In general SF are not active on the ground in the bin tax struggle. Most candidates have and will jump on the issue to exploit some what they would see as easy votes. Mark Daly for example pays the tax and calls on others to do likewise.
BTW
The first post is incorrect to describe South Dublin as a borough it is a fully fledged County. It's an important distinction.
I nearly fired off a very puzzled response but then worked out what had probably happened!
I agree with the comment above that said that the top article put the wrong slant on events.
The interesting thing is that people are out on the streets again standing up to the councils. The behaviour of some SF member isnt really very important.
I can understand the frustration that bin tax campaigners round here are feeling with them. This (Tallaght) is one of their strongest areas outside of the north and they haven't lifted a finger to help. In so far as they have done anything (not very far) it has been bitching about the campaign and in the case of our wonderful local SF councillor telling people to pay up. Now its kicking off again and they are nowhere to be seen again.
So whoever wrote the top article should know that I am very sympathetic to his complaints but I really dont think that this is a good way to air them. The bin tax campaign is back on the streets. Thats the important thing. Tell the world.
I'd agree that it is right to bring up SF's record on bin tax in South Dublin but the way in which it is done is not very constructive.
Sinn Fein's record on the bin charges in South Dublin is, from what I know of it, abysmal, which is curious considering the strength of the organisation there, though there are other areas outside the Six Counties where it is better developed.
As to why they've not been active in Tallaght, they have questions to answer on that and I hope people raise it on the doors, especially to the deeply cretinous Mark Daly.
I had to laugh however when I saw the pious posts from SP supporters about dedicated SP activists looking for and accepting help from anyone and everyone, reaching out across the sectarian divide for help and being spurned. Look, I have said, innumerable times, that the SP has done more on this issue than anyone else.
But I know personally, and have read and heard accounts from members of the SWP and of SF about being kept off platforms, not being informed of meetings, being informed of meetings at extremely short notice, being informed of meetings and then not informed of a change in venue or time. In a couple of cases this has degenerated into screaming matches and bitter rows.
The SP did the groundwork on this, built up the campaign, got it off the ground and then saw other people and parties getting involved. Their response was to discourage this unless it was in a situation they could control. Priority One of the SP has been to defeat the Bin Charges. Priority Two has been to use it to elect councillors in June. Since involvement of other parties and activists would make priority two harder, they have been moved aside whenever possible because at different times, those priorities have switched in importance.
Anyone who thinks otherwise is either extremely, deeply naive, or supports the SP. Obviously there are many who are both.
And before I get attacked, yes I have attended anti-Bin Tax meetings, yes I was at blockades of bin lorries (Only twice I must admit).
Sinn Fein is the SP's target of choice in Tallaght because it is a Sinn Fein seat Mick Murphy wants. No other reason. The SP know that the Shinners have voted against the Charges in South Dublin, that most of their councillors and candidates refuse to pay as does the local SF TD (The only one who does). But it is necessary for electoral purposes that SF be kept as far away from it as possible.
QUOTE: The SP did the groundwork on this, built up the campaign, got it off the ground and then saw other people and parties getting involved.
ANSWER: Does that mean Janus that you don't accept that the majority of people involved with the Anti-Bin-Tax campaign weren't members of (or at all interested in) any political party and were just defending their interests? I wonder if there's a tendency for political activists to only be able to recognise other political activists.
Don't forget Gregor Kerr of the WSM who was in the campaign from the start and did a huge amount of thankless work in building the campaign for years before it hit the headlines. PH: Unfortunately one of the weaknesses of the campaign has always been its failure to get many non-aligned activists to move from passive support to active involvement and from active involvement to decision making and 'leadership'. There are a few areas where this has been achieved, but in many parts of the city it is sadly the case that the policy debates and decision making were almost entirely in the hands of party-political activists (especially in areas where the trots had control at the start).
"But I know personally, and have read and heard accounts from members of the SWP and of SF about being kept off platforms, not being informed of meetings, being informed of meetings at extremely short notice, being informed of meetings and then not informed of a change in venue or time. In a couple of cases this has degenerated into screaming matches and bitter rows."
Janus I always think what you write is interesting. A different slant on the my party, right or wrong stuff that you get from both SF or the SP but the above paragraph I have to say made me laugh.
Whatever you think about the SP or whatever I think about them you've got to admit that you would need to question the accuracy of the above sources.
The secret history of the IRA outlines a SF modus operandi of doing the above to those who were considered 'dissidents' and don't even start me on the SWP. Indymedia for whatever reason hasn't been graced with what I heard was their latest undemocratic antics (Was nobody at the IAWM meeting on Saturday?)
That said you are right to criticise the SP. I am sure there are some legit examples of the above but I would take it with a pinch of salt from the above sources.
SP is obsessed with taking votes and seats from SF, to the extent that SF is the object of their attacks almost to the exclusion of the parties who actually voted to bring in the fcuking charges!!
But then again, this is typical of this pathetic bunch of losers. They are a sad mixture of beleivers in the most naive Battleship Potemkin visions of a socialist revolution, and cynical and seedy characters who have even worse motives for thier involvement.
SF and all other left activists would do well to ignore them. And could do worse than read back over the stuff that Dennis Tourish had up on this site about their nasty internal regime. Bet Dermot Connolly has smiled ruefully over that in the past few months!
"Bet Dermot Connolly has smiled ruefully over that in the past few months!"
You obviously don't know Dermot.
Know him well actually, and for a long time, and always had great time for him. Maybe you should cehck the meaning of the word ruefully.
I think Observer interprets what I write as exonerating SF. I was trying to do nothing of the sort. While I think they deserve credit for voting against the charges, and fair play to Dessie Ellis in Finglas and their people in parts of Dublin City, in South Dublin County Council there are questions to be asked as to why they were not involved in the campaign to the extent they were elsewhere in Dublin considering that they have two councillors and a TD in that constituency. I do think however that as far as the SP is concerned, their prime opponent is often SF, and not the bosses.
DJ, thanks for the compliment, nice to know some people listen. :) I don't think SF have been involved enough in Bin Charges to suggest they're trying to infiltrate the campaign. Certainly the SWP got cut out in certain areas and like you I'm aware of the irony of the blackest of kettles calling the pot black. But even if I ignore the sources and reports, some of whom are admittedly more trustworthy than others, in a couple of cases I know from personal experience.
Anarchist makes a good point about the WSM and the huge involvement that have had, particularly in the City campaign, but also Gregor Kerr in South Dublin. I think it would be fair to say that their size however means that the SP have done more work on the issue.
Phuq hedd, yes local people, with no party affiliation have been hugely involved in the campaign, but who are the speakers, the chairs and secretaries of campaign groups, the people who leaflet and all. The vast majority are associated with a political organisations and in many cases the SP.
Which is that the politicians can be chairs and speakers and leafletters of everything that they want, but all that that makes them is parasites on the back of a mass movement that exists in spite of them.
The Anti-Bin-Tax campaign existed because people saw a chance of defeating a deterioration in their living standard at a low risk to themselves, but still one that required active participation.
Then the politicians got involved and tried to take over things and told people that if they voted for them their "anger" would be made to count in the elections. The combination of this diversion of energy into electoralism with the simultaneous hardball tactics of the councils has fucked the campaign.
Tell me what seedy motives the some SP members have, or is it just mild slander you are putting forward ot make us believe it?
Frankly Phuq, the whole thing was about electing SP people from Day One and, with a bit of luck, beating the Bin Tax.
The notion that thousands of non-political people were flocking to the streets is, quite frankly, bunkum. At the two blockades I attended and half a dozen different demos, the majority of people were party activists.
The barricades have regrettably not gone up comrade.
If the sole motive for SP people is to get themselves elected why did they bother to do bin tax actions in areas in which they are not standing in the elections? For example in SDCC the SP are only standing in one ward yet this week are active throughout the whole of SDCC.
Also if it is only about elections why was it that SP members that are not standing as candidates went to jail?
The Sinn Féin member refered to in this news story is Brendan Fearon. He is standing as a SF candidate in the upcoming local elections in the South Dublin County Council area. Last year he was Eastern Area Officer of USI. In his position he failed miserably to organise any significant action against fees and simply wass completely subservient to the FF President of USI, Colm Jordan. He is also a supporter of the current bureacracy who came out and condemned the anti bin tax campaign despite USI members being served with injunctions and being sent to prison. This guy is a hypocrite and deserves to be exposed as nothing more than a careerist and oppurtunist.
QUOTE: The notion that thousands of non-political people were flocking to the streets is, quite frankly, bunkum. At the two blockades I attended and half a dozen different demos, the majority of people were party activists.
The barricades have regrettably not gone up comrade.
ANSWER: I wrote that people took low-risk action. By that I meant not paying the bin-tax. That's a pretty big deal for a lot of people. Maybe not for the political activists that either enjoy getting out in the streets or have a lot to gain from it that outweighs the discomfort.
I did not suggest that there were thousands flocking to the barricades. The inability to see resistance in anything other than the constructs of electoralism or street-actions can blind us to actual resistance.
I wonder is the last post about the SF person's identity true. I note that there have been no strenuous denials from SF.
"I wonder is the last post about the SF person's identity true. I note that there have been no strenuous denials from SF."
In all of five minutes PH? That is the kind of comment which just makes no sense.
I guarantee that the SF member mentioned in the original post is Brendan Ferron. If he or anyone else from SF can provide evidence to the contrary I would be VERY surprised because it is true and not shit stirring.
I can further add that Brendan Ferron is currently working as a policy development advisor for the HEA (Higher Education Authority). This group this week came out with a report that called for the privitisation of Irish universities. Brendan was involved in the writing of this report. Is the privitisation of Universities now SF policy? Will Ferron have that in his election manifesto?
I remember at one of USI's token occupations during last year Brenda Ferron spoke to the press. Nothing wrong with that in my book, Brendan didn't say anything dodgy to them or anything like that. But I then overheard a contversation between Colm Jordan and Brendan Ferron afterwards.
Colm (the FF USI President) took Brendan aside to give out to him talking to the media. Brendan agreed he was wrong to speak to the press saying something like "yes I know Colm, you're the face to the media in this organisation".
This really reflects how Pathetic USI and Colm Jordan are. The fact is that Brendan was an elected national officer and he should be 'allowed' talk to the press. Colm Jordan is such an egotistical asshole who only really wanted his face on the 6.1 news and didn't really give a shite about students paying fees. And Brendan was also quite pathetic not standing up for himself in front of that careerist git.
As Eastern Area Officer Brendan Ferron of Sinn Féin was the officer to co-ordinate with the 'Vote No' campaign in the UCD disaffiliation vote. Brendan was seen as a bureaucrat type who didn't criticise the like of Jordan and the other right-wingers in his lecture addresses in UCD. I can still remember when Bren was not allowed into the count as he was not a member of the UCDSU and he wasn't invited in by either side. pathetic!
Now this bloke is advising the HEA on privatising Universities. I thought Ann Speed was bad!
Brendan Ferron, have you seen these postings? Where are you? I guess you're too busy drafting up the HEA's privatisation plans to go on indymedia. Or maybe you're working on the HEA budget cuts instead.
Firstly I would like to answer some of the incorrect information, which has been posted about myself. Firstly I have no involvement in the policy side of the HEA. I am employed as a JUNIOR ADMIN OFFICER. I condemn out of hand the notion that Universities should be privatised.
Secondly, to answer the claim that I am some how a careerist Student Union person. I come from a family of seven and am the only one who did the leaving certificate, never mind go to college. My family lived on social welfare and I entered college having gone through a VTOS course as a mature student. My motivations for entering student politics, and being a member of Sinn Fein have always been driven by my background and my belief that one should get involved in order to bring about change in society. I have worked for this in my college, in USI and as member of Sinn Fein. I am absolutely appalled at this suggestion.
Finally with regard to the bin charges, I am and have always been opposed to these charges. I have taken part in many of the protests and attended meetings. I do so both as an individual and as a representative of my party. I believe and have always believed that the cost of waste management must be paid for firstly by the polluter and secondly through real reform of the taxation system. On the day of the protest I had been involved in throwing rubbish into the back of the bin lorry at the lower end of Mountain PK and only stopped when I got a call form Sean Crowe TD asking how things were going. I was told by Mick Murphy, who wasn’t involved in throwing rubbish himself, to “FUCK OFF IF YOURE NOT GONNA DO ANYTHING”. Mr Murphy waited till a large crowd of supporters had gathered around him before he did this. I agree with other posts that the significant thing is that people were out protesting this tax. It should not be party political. Mr Murphy made it so for whatever motivation.
I have never been involved in politics to further my own ambition and I am not about to start now. I will not exploit a situation as a means of getting votes. My record as SU president on working against disadvantage is open to scrutiny as is my work last year in USI. If I am elected as a Councillor later this year I hope it will be as a result of this hard work and nothing else.
Regards,
Brendan Ferron.
Sinn Fein Dublin South West
i couldnt agree more. this about getting SP ellected. nothing more!
Sinn Fein has proclaimed its opposition to bin charges in recent elections and will do so again come June despite at best having a patchy record of opposition (Sligo, Dublin Corpo) and activity, Finglas being an exception to the general rule of Sinn Fein inactivity.
I think its very sad that this person has seen the need to expose Brendan fearons name as if they have suddenly done some great service to the nation. Brendan’s reply seems to refute most of what the SP election merchants have said. It questions the motives of Mick Murphy, Not Resident in Tallaght, and his fellow ilk. I am not a member of Sinn Fein but I hate to see people behave in such an exploitive way.
They should realise that the public in Tallaght are not stupid, they will not vote MICK MURPHY in because he has done nothing for residents in tallaght. Where is he on anti-social behaviour. Where is he on hospital. Where was he on St Killians school. or any other local issue, he hopes that tallaght people will forget this when they see him now getting involved in this one issue. He has done squat for tallaght and this will be reflected in the election results. Mick Murphy tried this with motor taxation and it failed. His vote actually dropped in the ward by 21%, they only polled about 100 votes in tallaght south which is one of the largest working class areas in Ireland. I would rather see FF elected in the area than people like Mick who are pure opportunists. come to Tallaght and do some real work on local issues or "FUCK OFF"
don’t allow tallaght to become another ghetto like fingal and its appalling representation. Mick Murphy is a joke. The people deserve better.
which makes me think a lot better of Ferron and a lot less of M.Murphy. I didn't know anything about Ferron beforehand and his ability to give a straightforward response like this is impressive.
Janus: I don't watch threads obsessively all the time and didn't notice the time/date on the comment. Good to see that a clear response has been made to this allegation which would otherwise have lingered in my mind as an uncontested charge.
If SF in SDCC have such a great record on bin tax why is it the case that their councillor, Mark Daly, along with FF/PD/Fg cllrs was verbally attacked and jeered at by a large protest at the council meeting this week?
SF have cllrs in SDCC and in the City, they have 5 TDs yet they have been completely ineffective on the bin tax issue.
Maybe Gerry Adams doesn't want to piss off his mates in the World Economic Forum
The depths to which certain Sinn Fein members will sink to never cease to amaze me. I suppose that spreading bizarre allegations about the anti-bin tax campaign as "just concerned" is trying to do above is just par for the course for them at this stage.
My advice to "just concerned" and the other anonymous partisans of Sinn Fein on this site is that if they were to actually get involved in the anti-bin tax campaign in Tallaght they might find themselves with less time on their hands for this kind of demented behaviour.
Most people involved in the campaign in the SDCC area are non-party. There are a lot of SP people too - and I would never vote for them but I welcome their involvement as I do everyone elses. The SWP barely exist here but even they have been involved to some extent. Gregor from the WSM, did more on his own in his time in the campaign than the whole of Sinn Fein have managed with their councillors, TD and big organisation in the area!
Tallaght SF have been an embarrassment to their own party on this issue. I'm sure that Dessie Ellis in Finglas would have a few sharp words for our local bozos.
The best way to answer your critics is to get off your holes and actually do something in the campaign. Not try to damage the campaign by spreading mad innuendos about both it and one of the people who went to jail.
I fully expect a whole chorus of anonymous abuse now from the likes of "just concerned" under a dozen different psuedonyms - I'll be called a liar, I'll be called a member of the SP (and yes I regard being called a member of any political party as abuse!), more shit will be thrown and more embarrassed SF heads will do what they can to damage the campaign by smear and lie.
While I don’t agree with the personal attacks, those made by the sp on Mr Ferron or the others made by individuals ( I would note that the posting by concerned declared the person as not a member of sinn fein, possibly the last person who posted has some magic way of identifying the person as such).
The one thing that we have seen in this sordid affair has been an attempt to discredit sinn fein. as a resident of tallaght I am deeply concerned about the bin tax but so am I concerned about the other important issues which have been brought up. has Mick Murphy used this campaign to further his own ambition to be a councillor. What about the allegation that he ran a similar campaign before the last election on car insurance, some might put forward the notion that mr murphy has used what is an excellent campaign for his own benefit. as a person who attended the protest in tallaght during the week I was amazed to find that mr murphy was not actually involving himself in emptying the bins into bin lorries. I feel that the leaders of this protest in the tallaght area would be better served getting rid of such opportunists in order to protect the integrity of the campaign. also those who would seek to attack sinn fein should look at their record in the community and ask what change have they made, a previous post asked this question. when mr murphy goes on the doorstep he cant simply rely on one campaign every two years. He must involve himself in genuine politics on all issues of concern to the people of tallaght. In the 99' election sinn fein took 2,900 votes in the last general election they took 6,400 votes in the two wards. This is not a result of opportunism but honest hard work in the community. there vote is growing while the SP vote is going down. this is because the people of tallaght have seen through this. Mr murphy will not go of his own accord, he sees this protest as last chance to be seen to have contributed to the people of tallaght.
I do believe that those who contributed, myself included at one of the meetings, have right to ask how much funds were raised and a guarantee that the money wont be used to boost the chances of Mick murphy getting elected. Also do they sp actually feel that sinn fein see them as a threat, they are not. sinn fein receive probably more support in this community than any where outside of the six counties.
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