More Help Needed in the David Green Election Campaign

national | miscellaneous | news report

Friday February 15, 2002 14:43

by Finghin

Help for David Greene (MIJAG) election campaign

Friends

The General Election campaign is hotting up. We must not miss any chance to
stitch it into the outgoing Government for their lack of action on this
issue. We will be organising a number of local meetings with TDs invited.
More importantly when you bump into these people over the coming months, let
them know how you feel on their lack of action to date.

The MIAB report should be with the Government by now and is likely to hit
the streets any day. There will be a media frenzy around the whole question
of Car Insurance for a few days when this happens. We must take every
opportunity to contact local Radios and Newspapers when this happens to keep
this issue high on the list coming up to the election.

Our own Election campaign work got off to a good start last Saturday. The
first day of Election Work for the MIJAG Candidate David Green went very
well. Just over 1,000 houses in the Cherrywood area of Clondalkin got a
leaflet drop last Saturday using the first Election leaflet. Between 8pm and
9pm six local pubs were visited with leaflets been dropped on every table.
The response from people was excellent. There is no doubt that if we do the
work as a Campaign in Dublin Mid-West that David Green will get a very
significant vote. That in turn could have a huge bearing on the action of
the next Government on this issue.

We do need more people to turn out for this work. Don't worry if you cannot
make every week, but if you can turn up occasionally that would be a big
help. We are keeping to a fixed arrangement of meeting at 6pm outside the
McDonalds Restaurant in the Mill Shopping Complex, Clondalkin. Next week we
will continue the door to door leaflet drops in Clondalkin and we will be
focusing on the Pubs in Lucan. If you are in Dublin for the weekend please
make an effort to get along to these activities. If you are thinking of
helping out please reply with you Phone number so that we can make contact
with you on the day.

The first print run of 25,000 leaflets has been paid for. We now need to get
in at least 2,500 euro to pay for Election Posters. If you sent a pledge we
would like you to now sent the money by Cheque, Postal Order or Bank Draft
to the Campaign C/O 78 Whitechurch Way, Ballyboden, Dublin 16. Your donation
will then be acknowledged in writing. Please include your e-mail address. If
you have not made a pledge but can make a donation please lodge money from
any bank to the Campaign Account at Bank of Ireland, Tallaght. Account
Number 36150764, sort code 90-13-43.

Congratulations to the Campaign in Cork who had their biggest ever Car
Protest last Saturday.

The Tipperary Campaign has a General Meeting in Aherns Hotel, Clonmel at 8pm
on Monday 25th. All TDs for the area have been invited.

Regards
Mick Murphy (National Organiser).

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Comments (7 of 7)

nothing better to campaign about?

by walker

Fri Feb 15, 2002 15:08

What is this motorist obsession? Of all the things to get one involved in politics, have you nothing better to campaign about? What about road deaths for example? Climate change? Health services? International justice? Third World debt? Air pollution? Loss of biodiversity? Racism?

Do cars soften your brains or something?

Not sure about this one...

by Daithi

Fri Feb 15, 2002 15:33

macsithd at tcd dot ie

I'm not entirely convinced about this campaign. Surely this is not the most pressing issue today? While I'll leave the question over whether it is even the right thing to do (i.e. surely we should be promoting alternatives to cars not cheaper cars) to another day, my biggest qualm would be the amount of attention being paid to what is basically a sideshow. Especially as this is in Lawlor's constituency. Forget the corporate donations, the planning abuses, the contempt for the legal process. Let's get everyone out on the streets to campaign for the Young Drivers. "Car Rally" ? It sounds frightful. Will there be "Cars For Capitalism" next? Why are SP people supporting this? I've been very impressed by Socialist Youth campaigning and activism in the past few months - refreshingly non-sectarian and very vibrant. What's going wrong?

This isn't an attempt to undermine politics or the electoral process etc (in the interests of openness, this writer is a Labour branch chair). Isn't there a referendum in a few weeks? People, forget this foolish campaign and get involved in the abortion issue. It affects far more people, especially those who cannot afford a car, never mind the insurance. In terms of expediency, this really takes the biscuit. Sure, you'll catch a few young voters. My own party engages in similar stunts from time to time!! But how can this be a priority?

Racist attacks in Dublin
The right to choose
Corporate influence in elections
Sellafield

My personal opinion is that penalising young male drivers doesn't come close to being as important or as pressing as any of the above. I'm sure that others could add many more issues.

Car insurance is a rip off!

by Shane - Socialist Youth

Fri Feb 15, 2002 17:26

My understanding of the support for mijag is that as a socialists we oppose the rip off of car insurance on young drivers.

Its a know fact that car insurance is extremely high if your a young man, its a little lower for young women but i stress a little.

We support mijag as this rip off by the motor insurance companies is an attempt to make more and more money at the expensise of the people.

I agree that there are other issues to campaign on, which we do. Every saturday we are out in the central bank plaza discussing anti racism with people, were also active in a number of second level schools around the country promoting the ideas of socialism and anti racism, our manifesto (available on our website) outlines the issues we fight for.

Id like to again invite all leftists into left exchange a debating forum in the socialist youth national website.

Comradely,
shane

front politics?

by cyclist

Sat Feb 16, 2002 01:05

MIJAG are to the Socialist Party as Globalise Resistance are to the Socialist Worker?

nope

by shane - socialist youth

Sat Feb 16, 2002 10:22

Mijag aren't the socialist party. It contains members of the SP, but isnt the socialist Party. It is a different organisation with links to the party. Thats all. You have my word that it isnt the party.

MIJAG is not the Socialist Party

Mon Feb 18, 2002 18:43

MIJAG is not the Socialist Party. The SP back the campaign and have many members involved in it, but is by no means a cover group like GR is to the SWP.
David Greene is not in the SP or any other party, in fact a vast majority of those that will be campaigning for Greene are not in any party. MIJAG is truely an independent organisation

Mon Feb 18, 2002 18:58

Unlike the Labour Party and other such 'left' wing parties, we in the Socialist Party and Socialist Youth do not just flit between campaigns to get votes. We are a serious working class organisation, when we are involved in something we take it seriously and follow it through, we don't drop it when something more glamourous comes along. The fact is that we helped initiate this campaign and we are not simply going to drop it. Anyway the amount of resources going into the MIJAG campaign from SP/SY is not as much as you may think, a vast vast majority of those involved in the campaign are independent of any party.
With regard the Liam Lawlor question, Liam Lawlor is the TD for the same constituency as Joe Higgins, a Socialist Party TD. He has consistantly opposed the cronyism and corruption in his time in the Dáil and as a member of the County Council in the past, unlike the Labour Party. The Labour Party have completly sold out their working class origins and are unrecognisable from the corrupt capitalist parties of FF/PD/FG. Why have the Labour Party not clearly come out against corruption? Is it because they might offend their future coalitionists or maybe put out their 'partnership' pals in IBEC?

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More Help Needed in the David Green Election Campaign

Comments (7 of 7)