They gave you:- Corruption; Health Crisis; Refuse Charges; Waste Crisis
Reject the political establishment
None of the establishment parties - Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labour or the PDs represent ordinary people.
They have all been in power over the last 10 years and they all have squandered the boom that we created.
They have allowed profiteering to put buying a home beyond the reach of many ordinary people
They have created an unprecedented crisis in health care
A lack of planning and investment has created a transport crisis and traffic gridlock
Political power has been abused to the benefit of big business
Corrupt politicians have given political favours to their friends in return for brown paper bags full of money
Neither the government nor the ‘so-called’ opposition of Fine Gael or Labour deserve to be elected. They are all fundamentally the same. Governments may change but there is never any real improvement for ordinary people. Profits and business interests always come before the needs of ordinary people.
The Socialist Party was established in 1996 and got Joe Higgins elected as our first TD in Dublin West in 1997. Joe was the ‘real’ opposition the last Dail. We are confident that we will increase our number of TDs at this election but we will not be part of any big business dominated government. Our TDs will be the voice of ordinary people. We will use our positions in the Dail to mobilise ‘People Power’ in the communities to fight on all the key issues. In many areas we are leading the battle against double taxation refuse charges and aim to force their abolition as we did with the water charges in 1996. We are working to establish a mass socialist party, in the traditions of James Connolly and Jim Larkin, which really represents ordinary people in this country.
Health:
Free comprehensive health care for all in a public health system.
For clinics in all areas to provide primary medical and dental care free of charge.
Decent wages and conditions for all health workers, particularly nurses, as the only way of overcoming the chronic shortage in staff.
Emergency action to end waiting lists and improve treatment, particularly at Accident and Emergency, by massive investment in facilities and beds.
End the profiteering in health care - recruit and train consultant doctors committed to a public health system and establish a publicly owned pharmaceutical company to provide drugs at cost.
Lifestyle and diet to be a subject in school so as to develop an awareness of personal health, which could prevent a lot of the illnesses which clog up the health service.
Housing:
Outlaw profiteering - regulations to control houses prices.
Outlaw speculation - housing land to be acquired by local authorities at agricultural prices.
Rent controls and regulations which guarantee decent accommodation in the private rental sector.
A massive local authority house building programme to eliminate the waiting lists by providing decent homes to rent or buy at cost price or through affordable home ownership schemes
Emergency action and investment to meet the housing needs of the travelling community
Refuse Charges:
Mass non-payment to force the abolition of this double tax
End the privatisation of local authority services
Proper central government funding of local authorises
End the taxation rip-off of PAYE workers - significant tax increases on the rich and big business, in particular a major increase in tax on corporation profits from the current ridiculous level of 16%
Transport:
Gridlock is a reality. In Dublin average speed at rush hour is the same as it was with a horse and cart 100 years ago
An integrated public transport system that links buses, trains, DART, LUAS, the METRO and suburban rail including upgrading rail infrastructure and service frequency
An immediate doubling of the number of provincial and urban based buses, and expansion of local feeder buses from all locations to key transport centres
Switch the emphasis of investment from roads to the building of a modern public transport system, which offers people a real alternative to the use of cars
Waste Management:
Reduce waste at source by eliminating non-recyclable and non-reusable materials from the waste stream.
Tax big corporations, large scale agriculture and the construction industry - who produce the vast bulk of waste - to fund a real re-use and recycling programme which could treat 85% of all the waste that is produced.
No to mixed waste landfill dumps and no to incineration.
Comprehensive facilities to allow householders separate and recycle, funded by the Exchequer.
Women’s Rights:
End discrimination against women in
pay, employment and promotional
opportunities.
State investment to provide free child care facilities in all areas.
State provision of refuges, financial support and counselling services to help women suffering from violence.
Change court procedures to protect victims and the sacking of judges who display an anti-woman bias.
Respect the decisions women make and legislate for abortion facilities through the health service.
Workers Rights:
Increase the minimum wage to 9 an hour tax free.
End the ‘Social Partnership’ deals. Workers to pursue wage claims that will restore their share of the wealth created in the boom.
Full pension, sick pay and holiday rights for all workers.
Oppose all layoffs as a result of the economic slowdown.
Education:
Increased investment, particularly at primary level. For full resource teaching in all primary schools to cater for every child with a learning difficulty.
Increased investment to ensure that every child should have the right to attend a school of their choice on their own community, through the provision of more places and schools.
Discrimination:
Defend the rights of the most vulnerable in society, particularly pensioners and the disabled.
A rights based policy and adequate funding to guarantee the civil rights and cater for the needs of people with disabilities.
Opposition to all forms of discrimination based on a persons sex, sexual orientation, age, background, nationality or membership of the travelling community.
Crime:
Democratic community action to defend the right of communities to live without fear of violence or anti-social behaviour.
End Garda inaction - for democratic community control over the police to ensure they implement the policing priorities advocated by the communities.
Cut across the social conditions that spawn crime by investing in drug treatment and care services, in education, community facilities and jobs in the areas most chronically affected.
International Affairs:
Invest in environmentally friendly and safe forms of energy - for the immediate closure of Sellafield.
No to a militarised Europe dominated by big business interests - reject the Nice Treaty. For a socialist Europe geared to the needs of the majority of citizens rather than the multinationals.
People not Profit:
No to privatisation of state or semi state utilities which means the robbery of ordinary people and a deterioration of services.
Democratic public ownership of the banks, financial institutions and key sectors of the economy and use the massive resources they hold to provide decent infrastructure, services and jobs for all.
For a socialist plan of production that could massively improve our quality of life by overcoming the constraints of the ‘capitalist market’ that always puts profits before peoples needs.
Workers’ TDs on a worker’s wages:
The Socialist Party has a policy of not accepting any donations from big business and that our public representations cannot benefit financially from their involvement in politics. All of our candidates have signed the following pledge:
‘I pledge that if elected I will live on the average industrial wage and will donate the rest of the TDs salary of 65,592, to the Socialist Party and genuine campaigns that advance the cause of working class people.’
On refugees
The Socialist Party is opposed to the way this has government banned refugees from
working and their ham fisted approach in organising accommodation which has
helped create an atmosphere of tension and prejudice in some areas.
The argument from some politicians that spending on refugees is stopping action on
homelessness and poverty within Ireland is a con trick. These same politicians have
done nothing on these issues for years. Instead, in last years budget they voted to give
tax breaks to the rich worth over 650 million. This exposes the real misuse of
resources.
If wealth was used for peoples needs, it is entirely possible to provide decent services
for Irish people and refugees alike.
On Northern Ireland
None of the political parties in the North are capable of overcoming sectarianism. In fact they rely on it to maintain their positions. While they have come together at the top in the Executive, their actions and policies have increased the sectarian division on the ground.
The vast majority of people in the North want an end to sectarian violence. We fully endorse the strike taken by workers earlier this year against the threats and attacks from the paramilitaries. To secure a decent future, Protestant and Catholic working class people must come together. Genuine community groups, trade unions and other working class organisations
should organise a united struggle on issues like jobs, health, education, privatisation and poverty. With such an approach many of the contentious issues that currently divides the communities could also be overcome.
If you want to see some details of the local activites of our candidates, visit the Candidates list on the sitemap
To get a broader image of what the Socialist Party stands for, visit our main site