End corruption in Irish politics

national | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis Monday October 02, 2006 11:35 by rory - PBPA

Its time to clean corruption out of Irish politics and focus on the real issues that are affecting people. The cosy relationships between politicians, developers and big business that engulfs the political elite in this country must end.

Bertie Ahern’s receipt of money from wealthy business people is nothing new. Politicians from Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour have been up in front of the planning tribunals over their receipt of donations from wealthy developers.
The Irish political establishment reeks with corruption.
Politicians who are involved in corruption should be jailed. Corporate donations should be forbidden. Politicians should act according to the needs and wishes of the people rather than the demands emanating from their wealthy paymasters at the Galway races fund raising tent. We need to reassert our democracy.
We need to sweep away the current political establishment and replace them with politicians and a system that would genuinely work on solving the real issues that affect the people of Ireland such as inequality and the crisis in our public services. Along with corruption the scandals that Ahern, FF and the PDs have caused are:

-A country with one of the biggest gaps between the rich and poor in Europe
-A housing crisis where many working people cannot afford to buy a home and are forced to work 7 days a week just to pay for a mortgage
-A health service in crisis
-A lack of affordable childcare
-the privatisation of our national telecommunications infrastructure, our national airline, and the break up of many other public services
-The death of Irish neutrality as we allow Bush use our airports for war
- Huge commuting times due to a lack of public transport
- Rising gas and energy prices because of the drive to privatise and the give away of our gas to Shell and other companies

This is just a short summary of what Bertie Ahern and FF/PDs have given us. To their developer friends and business people they have given unprecedented wealth and profits.
The corruption scandal engulfing Ahern should be the straw to break the camel’s back.
The people of Ireland need to speak up and say no more. Ahern should resign and this government should go. Unfortunately members of the alternative Fine Gael and Labour have also been linked to corruption and have repeatedly stated that in relation to key policy areas like public services, neutrality and tax they will not do anything fundamentally different from the current government. Those who want a real alternative need to stand up.

Join the protest at the Dail tuesday 12.30pm

People Before Profit Alliance

Rory Hearne People Before Profit Alliance 086 1523542
Michael Punch Secretary PBPA 086 0566290
www.people-before-profit.org