New Events

Dublin

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
A Blog About Human Rights

offsite link UN human rights chief calls for priority action ahead of climate summit Sat Oct 30, 2021 17:18 | Human Rights

offsite link 5 Year Anniversary Of Kem Ley?s Death Sun Jul 11, 2021 12:34 | Human Rights

offsite link Poor Living Conditions for Migrants in Southern Italy Mon Jan 18, 2021 10:14 | Human Rights

offsite link Right to Water Mon Aug 03, 2020 19:13 | Human Rights

offsite link Human Rights Fri Mar 20, 2020 16:33 | Human Rights

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Climate: The Movie is a Perfect Cure for Climate Anxiety Thu Mar 28, 2024 13:00 | Toby Young
Climate Change: The Movie, the new film by Martin Durkin, should be shown at every school in the country to disabuse anxious young people of the idea that we're in the midst of a 'climate emergency'.
The post Climate: The Movie is a Perfect Cure for Climate Anxiety appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link The WHO?s Plot to Seize Power Over Nation States in Future Pandemics Must Be Stopped Thu Mar 28, 2024 11:12 | Will Jones
The World Health Organisation is gearing up to persuade the world's governments to sign a new pandemic treaty that would allow the unelected body to seize power over nation states in future pandemics, warns Matt Ridley.
The post The WHO’s Plot to Seize Power Over Nation States in Future Pandemics Must Be Stopped appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Easter Quiz: Why Are White Things So White? Thu Mar 28, 2024 09:00 | Steven Tucker
It's hard to tell the difference these days between genuine news stories relating to 'anti-racist' ? or, more realistically, anti-white ? ideas and the spoofs and fakes. Pit your wits against our Easter quiz.
The post Easter Quiz: Why Are White Things So White? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Record Ozone ?Holes? Reported Despite 35-Year CFC Ban Thu Mar 28, 2024 07:00 | Chris Morrison
The ozone hole scare of the 1980s and the banning of CFCs was the template for the subsequent alarm promoting Net Zero. Yet the ozone hole is now back as large as ever, even after a 35-year CFC ban.
The post Record Ozone “Holes” Reported Despite 35-Year CFC Ban appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Thu Mar 28, 2024 00:50 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the virus and the vaccines, the ?climate emergency? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Moscow attack reminds us of the links between Islamists and Kiev's fundamentalis... Tue Mar 26, 2024 06:57 | en

offsite link Failure to assist a people in danger of genocide, by Hassan Hamadé Tue Mar 26, 2024 06:32 | en

offsite link Yugoslavia March 24, 1999 The Founding War of the New Nato, by Manlio Dinucci Sun Mar 24, 2024 05:15 | en

offsite link France opposes Russian Korean-style peace project in Ukraine Sat Mar 23, 2024 11:11 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N°79 Fri Mar 22, 2024 11:40 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Prelude to the Vote

category dublin | bin tax / household tax / water tax | opinion/analysis author Monday November 22, 2004 15:59author by Indy Council Corr Report this post to the editors

A week to go, who will crack first?

Excited yet?

It’s November, it’s Dublin, it must be round five of the Bin Tax debate in Dublin City Council. With the new Council proposal of 80 Euros per annum flat rate and 5 Euros per lift after that, the cost to a family putting the bin out every week will break 300 Euros a year.

The first vote on the Estimates is this day week and so far the only declared positions are those of Sinn Fein and the three Independents, all of whom have pledged to vote against the Estimates if they contain Bin Charges. This is a bloc of 13 Councillors.

Currently undecided or fracturing are the loan Green and PD councillors (Both expected to back the Charges) – Fine Gael (The majority of whose ten councillors will back the Charges but ‘mavericks’ like Tormey might break ranks) – Fianna Fail (Who will probably back the Charges with a few breaking ranks for personal political reasons but who might abstain initially. No need to make it easy for Labour and FG) and Labour (Who with 15 Councillors are the key power brokers on the issue.)

Labour are key. With their support the Estimates will be rejected. The campaign has been putting a great deal of pressure on Labour councillors in the last few months with successes and failures. Labour Mayor Connaghan was so annoyed by the pressure in his own area he publically broke with the campaign, claiming it was merely to get Brid Smith elected.

On the other hand Labour councillors in areas facing a large SF vote or active Anti-Bin Tax campaigners are looking for cover, either to be allowed to break ranks or for SF or Independents to break ranks and give them cover.

But can the pressure put on Labour councillors by the people match the pressure that will be put on them by the Rabbitte. Labour cannot afford to see the FG/Labour/Green alliance collapse the largest local authority in the country. It’s simple untenable. Therefore the Council must survive, but how? And who votes?

If we assume 13 votes against, only 14 are needed to pass the Estimates. If FF can be persuaded to abstain then FG and a handful of Labour councillors could rig it to pass. If FF decide to play silly buggers and vote against the Estimates it will make things very difficult for the red-blue coalition.

The Council is almost certainly going to pass the Estimates. Labour and Fine Gael cannot allow the Council to collapse and sense the campaign might have reached its zenith some times ago. While some Labour and FG councillors are fluttery, it probably won’t be enough to stop the Charges.

author by Colm Breathnach - ISN and Fingal Anti-Bin Tax Campaignpublication date Mon Nov 22, 2004 17:23author email breathc at hotmail dot comauthor address author phone Report this post to the editors

Keep up the pressure, come to the protest organised by the All Dublin Campaign at City Hall, next Monday, 29th November, 6.15pm.

 
© 2001-2024 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy