TRALEE: Table Quiz for PbP local election campaign

kerry | politics / elections | event notice Thursday January 15, 2009 23:15 by Lemmy - People Before Profit Alliance (Tralee)

Helping to fund Sean Moraghan'z cam-pain for Tralee Town Council

Come along to a gr8 fund-raisin' TABLE QUIZ for People B4 Profit Alliance Candidate, Sean Moraghan.

Fun, prizes and craic at THE GREYHOUND BAR, Pembroke Street (thanks guys)

February 19 Feb @ 8PM.

Quizmaster: Nigel B

All Welcome!

People Before Profit Alliance has been active in Kerry since 2007 following a visit by well-known PbP campaigner Richard Boyd Barrett. Kerry Members of PbP have been involved in protests over services at Kerry General Hospital in December 07 and supported Tralee residents in successfully preventing local car parking charges. We have also been involved in the remarkable budget protests of 2008, and took part in the subsequent education cutback demonstrations in Cork and Dublin, which was attended by many Kerry parents, teachers and schools students.

Now PbP is standing a candidate in the local elections.

Sean Moraghan is standing for Tralee Town Council.

This is a chance to move from street protest to expressing opposition to the coming cutbacks and service charges that we will be facing in Tralee.

This is an opportunity to ask: "why do WE have to pay for THEIR crisis?" A crisis caused by establishment politicians, the banks, and property developers.
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NO to proposed local SERVICE CHARGES for water and domestic car-parking, and NO to CUTBACKS to services including health and education.

MORE SOCIAL and AFFORDABLE HOUSING. The council have significantly cut back in this area, even before the Recession. Why? Now more than ever we need this initiative: 946 new units of social housing are now needed in Tralee.

BETTER PUBLIC TRANSPORT into and out of Tralee. We want better-timed services and affordable fares.

BETTER HEALTH SERVICES at Kerry General Hospital. Cancer services have been removed. We need a diabetic consultant and proper renal treatment. The Cardiology unit is significantly under-resourced, while the Andiography service which provides x-rays of blood vessels was closed down three years ago

EDUCATION CUTS: We demand a reversal of all of this governments' education cuts.

DISABILITY RIGHTS: Part M of the planning laws should be rigorously enforced. This legislation states that all public buildings should be properly accessible to the disabled. 

UNEMPLOYMENT: Tralee has one of the highest rates in unemployment in the country. Instead of cutting staff numbers in the public sector including local government and the HSE, these services should be expanded by for example increasing the number of hospital beds and building more social housing.

TRANSITION TOWN TRALEE! Transition towns (TT) are towns that are preparing for the new era of peak oil and climate change. There is a Transition Town project in Tralee, which PbP fully supports.

ANTI-WAR: PbP members were instrumental in helping Tralee Antiwar Group get two resolutions passed by Tralee Town Council calling for the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, and demanding the end of the use of Shannon Airport by the US military. We have held protests in Tralee over Israel‘s murderous attacks on the population of Gaza. We also oppose the use of Shannon Airport by the US military.

FAIRTRADE TRALEE. Tralee has been active in promoting the use of Fairtrade products: goods that pay the original producer a better rate. It’s not a solution to worldwide unfair trading regimes, but it raises awareness and shows we can make a global difference locally. PbP policy is to have all Third World debt cancelled.

OUR NATURAL RESOURCES: The gas off the coast of Kerry should be brought into public ownership, and used for the benefit of the nation. As it stands we will have to buy back our own gas from Exxon Mobil at no discount to us and with such private companies not paying the state any royalties on production.

OUR ENVIRONMENT. What about getting property developers and landlords to clear up the derelict sites around the town, and repaint and tidy empty shop fronts? Existing byelaws should be enforced on this issue! A ‘generous’ planning regime locally has also meant that we have been saddled with some huge ‘monstrosities’ in the town. At the same time, Tralee Town Council has failed to take care of many derelict buildings which are of real architectural interest.

RESTORE ASYLUM SERVICES: Ships left Tralee during the famine period. In recent times, Tralee welcomed our dispossessed brothers and sisters from troubled regions around the world. However, Tralee Refugee Services was closed in 2008: we want that kind of resource centre restored as a matter of urgency.

SCRAP THE LISBON TREATY. The Lisbon Treaty would have committed us to increased military spending and greater co-operation on dubious military escapades. It would have eroded your protections at work. People Before Profit Alliance in Kerry mounted a strong campaign against the dodgy deal. We will do so again.

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Sean Moraghan (People Before Profit Alliance) is a shop-worker and
Bookseller in Tralee. He has been a council worker, tour guide,
mussel-boat farmer, writer and political activist. Sean has been
involved in the Irish anti-war movement, campaigns against the G8 in
support of fairer trade, and human rights activism. He is a member of the Mandate trade union.

'A la Lucha!'