Working Class Action
Press Release:
Labour Sell Out Yet Again
Monday, 7th July 2003
Working Class Action today highlighted the opportunistic nature of the vote sharing deal between Labour and Fianna Fail for "electing" the Lord Mayor of Dublin and called for direct elections to decide the city’s First Citizen.
Hopefully the heckling of the outgoing Lord Mayor Dermot Lacey by Anti-Bin Tax protesters at his final official function, the opening of the ‘Spire’, is an indication that Labour are fooling no one. Lacey was responsible for voting through the 30% increase in Bin Tax in another backdoor deal with Fianna Fail.
Joe Mooney, a community activist and WCA spokesman said:
"While the Labour Party attempt to portray themselves as an opposition to the Government their actions speak a lot louder than their words. Pat Rabbitte has called Fianna Fail "the worst Government in the history of the state," yet he has no problem doing dirty deals with that very same party to install yet another "yes man" as Lord Mayor."
Labour, in facilitating the "election" of Royston Brady, have supported one of the least deserving candidates for the office of Lord Mayor. Brady is simply one of Bertie Ahern’s "Drumcondra mafia" hacks who needs a high public profile to get himself elected at the next General Election. After the fiasco at the last General Election, when the Taoiseach's running mate Dermot Fitzpatrick came within 74 votes of losing this seat, Ahern is not willing to suffer that embarrassment again.
During the 2002 election Working Class Action distributed 20,000 leaflets door to door in the Taoiseach's constituency calling on people not to vote for Dermot Fitzpatrick as a protest against Fianna Fail.
Mr Mooney continued:
"It should be obvious to working class people everywhere that Labour are just as much a part of the corrupt, unrepresentative political system in Ireland as Fianna Fail. Legislation was passed in 1998 allowing for a directly elected Mayor in Dublin, allowing all city residents to have a voice in who represents them. Fianna Fail has now overruled this policy, for fear that a genuinely representative candidate with real policies to benefit our communities - might be elected. Working Class Action intend to continue our campaign against those who would claim to represent our communities but merely ignore public opinion and promote their own parties."
[ENDS]
Back to News Page