2 press stories from the Fingal Independent 3rd May 2002
2 press stories from the Fingal Independent, 3rd May 2002.
Election Launch
The Socialist Party’s Clare Daly launched her election campaign to a packed reception at ALSAA, Dublin Airport.
A large crowd turned out to lend support to the hopeful candidate who expressed confidence at gaining a seat in the forthcoming general election. An Aer Lingus shop steward, Councillor Clare Daly is widely known for her opposition to privatisation and active involvement in defending jobs and conditions.
Fellow Socialist Party member and Dublin West candidate, Joe Higgins TD, praised his colleague for her achievements to date and warned Dáil Eireann of changes when Cllr. Daly is elected.
‘Elected to the council in 1999 with a pledge to use the position as a platform to organise in the communities, Clare Daly has initiated countless campaigns.
‘With the new double tax bin charges, the election of Clare Daly would ensure a fatal blow to this charge and justice for the PAYE taxpayers,’ he said.
‘Clare Daly is the only candidate in Dublin North who can change the status quo.
‘ For over ten years, the same parties and in many cases, the same faces have been elected. Residents who are tired of a political establishment have a chance to deliver a real grassroots campaigner to the Dáil in the person of Clare Daly,’ continued Deputy Higgins.
‘The whisperings in the corridors of Dáil Éireann are that an upset in Dublin North, with the election of Clare Daly, is a distinct possibility.
‘We will leave no stone unturned in our campaign to secure that goal,’ he added.
With messages of support from across the constituency, Cllr Daly expressed confidence of gaining a seat in the forthcoming election and re-iterated her commitment to fighting for the rights of the worker.
‘Electing an airport worker to the Dáil would be a real opportunity to use that platform to assist in the prevention of the selling off of Aer Lingus and Aer Rianta and to be a voice for workers,’ she said.
‘In line with all Socialist Party candidates, if elected I pledge to live on my wage as an airport worker and to donate the remainder of the TD’s salary to the building of the Socialist Party and genuine community campaigns,’ added Cllr Daly.
New bin charge sticker system
AMID claims of indiscriminate placing of yellow unpaid markers by Fingal County Council on bins in Donabate, the new sticker system has been slammed as ‘a pathetic attempt to intimidate the compliant taxpayer’.
A number of residents in The Links estate contacted the Fingal Independent last Thursday declaring a yellow sticker had been stuck to their bin even though it had been correctly tagged.
‘I put the tag on my bin before I left the house yesterday morning. When I came home in the evening, I saw a lot of yellow stickers on the bins in the estate and thought gosh, a lot of people haven’t paid. When I saw my bin with a sticker on it, I just couldn’t believe it,’ said one irate caller.
‘I had a tag on my bin yet a yellow sticker was still put on the bin. Even the lady next door who is exempt from paying had a sticker on her bin,’ said another. ‘I don’t know what’s going on with the council. I’m paying, I shouldn’t be penalised.’
Fingal County Council Director of Services, PJ Howell said he would investigate the incident saying it was not the policy of the council to penalise those who pay the tag-per-bin environmental levy.
However, he criticised those people who claim they tagged their bin in the five-minute gap between when the council inspectors passed their door and the binmen arrived.
Anti-bin tax campaigner, Socialist councillor Clare Daly has ridiculed the yellow and red sticker system, calling it a ‘pathetic con’.
‘This is pure intimidation. This is a threat with no substance. The manner in which the system is being implemented means that although the charge has been in place for two months, the council has no mechanism for tracing whether individual householders have paid the charge or not.’
‘Let’s look at the facts,’ said Cllr Daly, urging people not to pay the charge.
‘Fact: the sticker is placed on the bin, in advance of the bin truck route - the council cannot therefore ascertain whether the tag was in place immediately prior to collection or not.’
‘Fact: no record of the houses where stickers are placed on bins is being taken, therefore the council have no way of knowing who owe the charges for the week in question.’
And Cllr Daly believes it is quite obvious the council are waiting until after the general election to replace the tag system with a flat charge.
‘This is not the preparatory work to take court cases, it is merely an attempt to frighten in some cash.
‘ It is quite obvious the council is waiting for the election to pass and they will then move to replace the tag system with a flat charge.
‘Householders should not be fooled by this intimidation, but hold firm and not pay.’
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