A New Party for Ireland

We set up a new party, what do we do that is practical?


-Burn the bondholders
-Prosecute those for financial treason
-Ensure banks are run to a new standard
-Increase tax on those earning over €100k a year
-New centralised democracy
-Voting age lowered to 16
-Encourage mutual co-ops
-Grants to start new businesses
-Look at renewable energy
-Improve rights for minorities in Ireland
-Health system that is free or low cost
-Subsidised child care
-Rehabilitation programmes for those with criminal records, the lock them up and throw away the key approach does not work
-Ensure multinationals here sign a document ensuring that they engage in ethically sound practices around the world
-More links between the people of Europe
-Discussion on the NI Question,can we come to a solution?
-Specific secondary schools that teach only foreign languages, Irish,Maths and English
-To boost our universities into the top 10 in the world
-Invest money into research and design - especially science and technology
-Build links with the working class movement in Britian
-Secularise the constitution
-Entrust patronage of ALL schools to a Board of Management
-System to take civil action against orders vicariously acted in child abuse
-Ensure the Vatican plays a role in the above]
-Removal of religion from all schools
-Bring in the right to die
-Legalise abortion
-Ensure those on social welfare have a net to secure them when they lose jobs - perhaps subsidise their wage in their job till new job can be found?
-Proper training courses for the unemployed but give them a wide choice of what they want to do.
-Abandoning the jobsbridge scheme (slave labour)
-Build a stronger Galetacht linked to language learning
-Encourage Protestants to move down from the North
-Give the right to vote to our emmigrants
-Stronger agricultural base to diversify food production
-A series of local projects to grow foods such as bananas, grapes etc.
-Start up a burgeoning wine industry?
-Lower tax threshold for artists.


Thats just a start....

The Gay Communities Failure to Politically Engage

There have been a number of times that the gay community have urged for better rights and only two weeks ago a woman got up on stage and spoke about how she identifies as being a queer woman and the pro choice groups should work with them. It was ironic in a way as there has been little or no political engagement from the gay community when it comes to politics with the gay community (of which Im a member) failing to engage with the parties in Ireland to encourage a change and promote closer ties with the political parties.Gay pride acts as an outlet for the gay community to have a party and to engage with the political establishment but they seem more intent on doing the former than doing the latter. Labour, Sinn Fein and the ULA al have a strong presence with gay groups marching and always advocating better rights and the right in Ireland do not appear to be interested as much and are more intent on either blocking gay friendly legislation like gay marriage or ignoring it completely.

How is the issue solved? People whom are seen as lights on the gay scene and seen as being leaders of the gay civil rights movement in Ireland have been utter failures so far to engage and need to promote the idea of better rights through political engagement. If we joined parties such as the ULA, propose laws and fight fire with fire with people on the far right who keep their foot on our throats we may be successful . No amount of marching with pink whistles or blaring Kylie is going to help.