 The People’s Convention in Cork South Central released the following statement:Following recently announced cutbacks of services by City Hall and the mockery of a vote by City Council, which has no impact whatever on whether the cuts take place or not, we call on citizens to reflect on the meaning of democracy.Citizens are invited to a PUBLIC MEETINGon Monday next, 24th Sept., at the Blackrock Hurling Club, starting at 7.30pm -title: “Political Parties, the City Budget & Paying Bondholders”. According to Bunreacht na hÉireann, Local Govnment is supposed to provide a forum “for the democratic representation of local communities”. How have the community been represented? Was there a consultation with the people regarding setting budget priorities? Which priorities have been upheld and which have been dropped? Who decided? Whoever decided, it was not the City Council (their vote is ignored!) and it certainly wasn’t the people! The people have been effectively blamed by officials for these cutbacks on an already overstreched service, We are told that cuts are needed because people didn’t pay up their household charge – itself an unjust imposition and policy decision taken by Government against the will of the citizens. One may guess with much justification that the real reason behind the cutbacks in the funding of important Council services is the reduction in the central government Grant Allocation. It is equally obvious that this reduction in Grant is made for the benefit of the Troika, who are dictating budgetary policy nationally. SO, completing the logic, we may state that the Cork City services cutbacks are to service the IMF/ECB, in other words the cutbacks are to service the unsecured bond holders of Anglo-Irish Bank and their likes. This year alone our state is handing over approx. €20bn in payments to zombie banks or Promisory Notes and will continue this for years to come – this is why we have cuts – the Irish people are being forced to pay gambling debts that are not ours! How is this happening? Who has agreed it? Like City Council our Dáil is dominated by Political Parties, our state finances them, they have preferential treatment during elections, Dáil standing orders favour them … This is our democracy usurped. Our Constitution makes NO reference to political parties at all, yet they have all this preferential treatment … CPPC refers to the Political Parties, all of them, as being nothing different than Private Member Clubs, all furthering their own vested interests. These are the special interest groups that facilitate the imposition of policy on the citizens. Even the so-called ‘left’ wing parties or radical new alternatives miss out on the crucial question of democracy … Which of parties or alliances or independents has as their first aim the Empowerment of the People? CPPC in Cork South Central is inviting voters to come to our public discussion / meeting next Monday at the Blackrock Hurling Club. We citizens deserve better that the manoeuvring of the party hacks or the imposition of policy decided by bureaucrats, native or foreign, we must assert OUR democratic right to decide matters in our own interests. The People Convention operate a website at www.cppc.ie Further information, contact Diarmaid Ó Cadhla, spokesperson, 086 3805005 (may be published) |
