Dublin Ógra join community sector demo

Around 15,000 people took part in a protest against cutbacks in the community sector. Dublin Ógra Shinn Féin activists arrived early with flags, placards and leaflets.
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams and Vice President Mary Lou McDonald were also in attendance.

The ‘Communities against Cuts’ campaign represents thousands of workers providing essential services to children, the elderly, disabled, recovering drug addicts, travellers, young people and women in the country’s most disadvantaged areas. Government cut backs have already seen the closure of community development projects and the McCarthy report proposals, if implemented, will result in the loss of a further 6,500 jobs in the Community sector.

Ógra Atha Cliath spokesperson Mick Farrell said; "The community groups who benefited least from the Celtic Tiger are paying the price for the government's failed policy of profit over people."

Some of the groups suffering from cuts include Drug Task Force groups, CDPs and community service programmes.

No to Lisbon campaign kick started

Sinn Féin and Dublin Ógra Shinn Féin in Lucan and Clondalkin held a day of action against the re-run of the Lisbon Treaty. Pickets were held at the constituency offices of Green party TD Paul Gogarty and Fianna Fail TD John Curran. Two large banners were erected on both offices by Ógra activists, which invited large support from passers by.


Spokesperson Daithí Byrne stated; "We are confident that the very same treaty will be rejected again for the very same reasons as before. The arguements presented by the 'Yes' camp lost credibility a long time ago. Approximately 50 million euro will be wasted on running the referendum again." Dublin Ógra Shinn Féin will be actively campaigning against the treaty in the coming weeks.

dublinogra@gmail.com

Cowen and Co. confronted at NAMA signing

Activists from Dublin Sinn Féin and Ógra Shinn Féin confronted Brian Cowen's entourage on Wednesday as the cabinet was due to sign off on the controversial National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) legislation. NAMA will make the taxpayer overpay for bad loans given by reckless banks to greedy developers. ÓSF members were protesting as part of a United Alliance Against Cuts demonstration.

Cowen was greeted by Ógra activists who made sure to let him know what they thought of NAMA and cutbacks to the states health and education sectors. The NAMA bill, which will be published tomorrow, will also lend taxpayers' money to developers to finish their projects, when ordinary people and small businesses cannot get loans from the banks and face repossession. Following the An Bord Snip report, the government is planning to impose up to €5 billion more worth of brutal cutbacks on workers, the poor and the most vulnerable in or society. Despite this, the government is pushing ahead with NAMA which will cost us an estimated €60 billion or more.
Dublin Ógra Shinn Fein spokesperson Daithí Byrne stated “NAMA is the ultimate joke. The government is using our money, for their mistakes and they are getting away with it. Our children’s futures have been auctioned. Yet not one politician, not one banker, not one developer has been held to account. It’s a free for all for greedy, selfish developers and banks, but we must pay our bills. I call on everyone to join the national demonstration on Saturday 19th in Dublin. We must show the Fianna Fail/Green government what we think of them.”

http://unitedallianceagainstcuts.wordpress.com/

Video:
http://www.tv3.ie/news.php?video=13501&locID=1.2.141

Dublin Ógra Shinn Féin slam latest education cuts

Dublin Ógra Shinn Féin's Saturday stall became the centre of a protest today against the latest attack by the Fianna Fail/Green Government against education. Over thirty activists gathered at the GPO to distribute leaflets explaining the cuts.

According to Dublin spokesperson, Marcas Ó Mhaoldomhnaigh, many parents have been hit with bills costing hundreds of euro for books and school uniforms. "Many schools are set to lose special needs assistants and other vital resources. This government did not invest properly in the education system during the boom years and now we are seeing school children and their parents paying for their mistakes, it is completely unacceptable. Free primary education will truly be a thing of the past if we allow our schools to be further stripped of resources."

At the picket ÓSF National Organiser, Barry McColgan stated, "What makes these cuts particularly nauseating is that they are targeting children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. These cuts are not necessary. It is a simple matter of priorities. Do we bail out the banks or educate our children."