Pavee Point picket Labour HQ in support of Cllr. Bree

by Ocean FM Wed Sep 21, 2005 22:56

Sep 21, 11:49 am
Sligo Labour Party Councillor, Declan Bree, is to appear before a internal party disciplinary committee hearing today.

Cllr Bree has been summoned to the meeting in Dublin, following his criticism of two fellow Sligo councillors earlier this year.

THe Sligo-Leitrim Executive of the Labour party lodged a complaint with party head quarters after Cllr Bree failed to apologise for remarks he made about fellow labour councillors Veronica Cawley and Jim McGarry on their refusal to support the Siligo Borough Council Traveller Accomodation plan.

He branded their vote as disgraceful.

This afternoon, Cllr Bree will be questioned by five committee members.

by Interested Thu Sep 22, 2005 15:49

Does anyone know what happened at the committee meeting yesterday??

by IT reader Thu Sep 22, 2005 16:46

Mark Hennessy, Political Correspondent

The Labour Party's hearing into former TD Declan Bree, who faces censure after a bitter row with fellow Sligo councillors, has been adjourned until early October.

The disciplinary committee held a two-hour hearing yesterday.

Mr Bree is before the committee after he accused fellow Labour members of Sligo Borough Council of failing to agree to a Traveller halting site in the city.

The former TD, who was elected to the Dáil in 1992 but who lost his seat in 1997, is unlikely to be expelled from the party if the committee finds against him.

Early this month, Labour leader Pat Rabbitte rejected charges that Mr Bree's Sligo colleagues had tried to discriminate against Travellers: "Cllr Bree is correct that Labour has a consistent and honourable record on the issue of accommodation for Traveller families. However, in Sligo Cllr Bree used his position as mayor to stop an accommodation site going into his own electoral ward and sought to put it into the ward of a colleague that already has three such sites."

© The Irish Times

by Michael M Thu Sep 22, 2005 17:23

I see that Mark Hennessy of the Irish Times has quoted Pat Rabbitte’s scurrilous and unfounded attack on Bree

Hennessy obviously doesn’t read the letters page of his own newspaper and particularly the letters page of Saturday 10th of September. It reads:

Madam,
I am absolutely shocked that the leader of the Labour Party, Mr Pat Rabbitte, would attack a fellow party member, a current councillor and former Labour Party TD in a letter to your paper (September 6th)

That he should chose to make his attack in such a public manner on the basis of scurrilous and unfounded allegations - and indeed allegations which I read of for the first time in your paper - is particularly shocking.

Mr Rabbitte writes that “in Sligo Cllr Bree used his position as Mayor to stop an accommodation site going into his own electoral ward and sought to put it into the ward of a colleague that already has three such sites.”

The minute book of Sligo Borough Council for February 2005 will confirm that the only proposal in regard to my ward, the East Ward, was an amendment to the Traveller Accommodation Programme to the effect that a location be sought in the ward for the provision of apartments for newly wed young travellers. The minutes will confirm that I, as Mayor of Sligo, and the other councillors, supported the said amendment.

In all my years as a political activist and in my 31 years as an elected representative I am proud of the fact - and the record will show - that I have always striven to protect the rights of minorities, whether immigrants, Travellers or other groups
This must surely be the first occasion in the history of the Irish Labour Party that a Party Leader has attempted to vilify and smear a Labour Party colleague in such a manner.

Let me point out that the only complaint or allegation against me is that I brought the Labour Party into disrepute by refusing to apologise for publicly describing my fellow Councillors’ decision to vote against Sligo’s Traveller Accommodation Programme as disgraceful.

This complaint is to be investigated by a specially convened complaints committee on the decision of the General Secretary of the Labour Party, presumably after discussion with the Leader!

I leave it to your readers to decide who is bringing the Labour Party into disrepute.

Yours, etc,
Councillor Declan Bree,
Labour Party,
Sligo.

by Niamh Thu Sep 22, 2005 17:28

The word on the ground is that when the Complaints Hearing took place yesterday Bree pointed out that in addition to the original complaint i.e. that he had refused to apologise for saying the decision to vote down the traveller accommodation programme was disgraceful - a whole list of new complaints and allegations had been served on him last week without notice by Mike Allen, and these had also been circulated to the members of the complaints panel.

Bree said the new complaints were not made in compliance with the Labour Party rules and that the whole process had been compromised He said the members of the panel having been circulated with the new complaints and allegations could not now act in an impartial manner and he called for the hearing to be aborted.

Mike Allen called for the hearing to proceed but the complaints panel adjourned the hearing until October obviously because they were concerned about the issues raised by Bree.

Meanwhile McGarry and Cawley (the star witness’s) were left sitting in a room in the basement of Ely Place while all the above was going on.

by Dublin Exile Thu Sep 22, 2005 17:53

It looks like this is going to be a running sore now for the next couple of weeks, with party members all over the country making up their own minds as to who is at fault here. For what its worth i believe Pat Rabbitte should be up in front of this committee for bringing the party into disrepute by airing his views in the Irish Times.
If Bree goes many old Labour members will be tempted to walk also, but then that would make the carpetbaggers job even easier. Hold on till after the election comrades, Rabbittes days are numbered.

by mclogan Thu Sep 22, 2005 18:05

In the old days, Rabbitte could have had him dragged out the back of 30 Gardiner Place and given a good hiding.

by Elephant Thu Sep 22, 2005 18:23 Galway

Some of us in Galway have not-very-fond memories of Mike Allen, or as he was not-very-affectionately known, Mike Stalin. Looks like he's come home!

by Ely Thu Sep 22, 2005 20:56

I saw this post on an earlier link from june 2004?

Does anyone know what happened to this Labour Councillor?

-Hypocrite Labour Councillor Opposes Dún Laoghaire Traveller Accommodation Program

Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council recently adopted its Traveller Accommodation Program despite the strenuous objections of xenophobic Labour Councillor Lettie McCarthy.

Cllr. McCarthy a self-styled community activist, who represents the rural Glencullan Local Electoral Area, defied the Labour Leadership by voting against the county’s entire program which seeks to house the county’s 60 traveller families. Cllr. McCarthy’s chief objection was the establishment of a 3 unit site in her area.

Cllr. McCarthy has long campaigned for “decent facilities for the community” obviously these are limited to the settled community.

by LP watcher Thu Sep 22, 2005 21:36

the indo has it's say!

Fionnan Sheahan
Political Correspondent

LABOUR headquarters was picketed yesterday by supporters of a party councillor being disciplined for "backing Travellers' rights".

Former Labour TD Declan Bree clashed with party colleagues after they voted against the new Traveller accommodation plan in Sligo.

Complaints were made to party headquarters after Cllr Bree said the decision by fellow members of Sligo Borough Council to oppose the plan was a "disgrace", resulting in a special internal committee hearing being held yesterday.

The decision to hold the hearings was condemned by Bernadette Comiskey of the Sligo Traveller Support Centre.

Mr Bree and three Sinn Fein councillors were in favour of the Traveller plan in Sligo, while seven from Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour voted against it.

Pavee Point said the disciplinary action sent out a negative message in relation to people who support Travellers' rights.

After Cllr Bree called for the hearing to be aborted, it was adjourned until next month. The party ordered him and the other councillors involved in the complaint "not to make any comment whatsoever" in the intervening period.

by Old Boots Wed Oct 05, 2005 00:19

Why is Pavee Point supporting Cllr. Declan Bree?
Its about time that the real truth was known
Is this the kind of person that Pavee Point are saying took a principled stand on traveller accommodation and Traveller’s rights!

He did alright, going by his performance as a member of the Consultative Traveller Accommodation Programme Committee, tThere were no proposals in the programme for Traveller Accommodation site in the East Ward of Sligo, the area that Cllr. Declan Bree represents. It may seem strange but this is not surprising.

He has voted against three different traveller accommodation sites in Sligo in the last two years?. Namely proposed sites at Cleveragh and Shannon Either as part of the Development Plan for Sligo and Environs in 2003 and again against a site in Maugheraboy earlier this year 2005. – two years – three refusals some record for a socialist.

What is the real story here?


I think that Bree does protest to much !!!

It seems to me that Pavee Point (not the first people may I say ) were fed the story from Bree and took it at face value. I am asking them to check out his public record, it is a fact that there are no traveller accommodation sites in either of Declan Bree’s town bases – the East Ward as his Borough council area or the East and West wards as part of his County Council area FACT.

I know that what I have said will be hard pill for the hard liners followers of Cllr. Declan Bree to swallow and equally hard for the members of Pavee Point to tolerate such an act by one they have givensupport to.