There was another Dublin South by-election debate earlier this morning, this time on RTE Radio 1’s Today with Pat Kenny. I was once again joined by candidates George Lee, Shay Brennan, Shaun Treacy and Elizabeth Davidson for a round-table discussion on the issues that might sway the voters on June 5.
You can listen to the debate by clicking here. The piece begins at 17mins 20sec.
Tomorrow is the final day that County Councils will receive applications for inclusion on the Supplementary Register and for a postal vote.
If you’re unsure as to whether you’re on the Register, you can check it by visiting checktheregister.ie and entering your details.
Cynics will tell you that it doesn’t matter whether you vote or not. I disagree. Late last year millions of people – many of them first-time voters – decided to vote for change in the United States. President Obama’s victory showed that it is possible to imagine a politics beyond the usual.
Every vote counts. The make up of the Irish government could change just as dramatically as in the U.S., but only if people changed their preference and if larger numbers of those entitled to actually exercise their right to vote.
Remember, no vote, no say.
Last night, I took part in a Dublin South by-election debate on TV3’s Nightly News with Vincent Browne. My fellow panellists were also candidates on June 5: Fine Gael’s George Lee, Fianna Fáil’s Shay Brennan and Sinn Féin’s Shaun Treacy.
You can view the programme in three parts by clicking here, here and here.
The announcement by Fine Gael that George Lee is to be its candidate in the Dublin South By-Election is intriguing, given his repeated denials up to the weekend that this was to be the case.
However, I welcome his entry into the field. George Lee has made a significant contribution to economic debate over recent years and has been a forthright critic of government policy. I have no doubt that he will be a formidable candidate.
The real challenge now is not just to describe or explain our economic crisis and its causes, but also to bring forward solutions. We are facing a deep economic crisis, but we also have a crisis in the ability of our political system to respond. People are crying out for radical new ideas and also for a clean break with the past. I honestly believe that we will never achieve that if our politics continues to be dominated by two parties, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, whose differences are based on an old and forgotten controversy from the 1920s.
This is truly a time for change and not for more of the same.
I look forward to debating these issues with George Lee and with other candidates in the Dublin South By-Election. I am confident that my work over the years on the ground in Dublin South will be a significant factor in ensuring that Labour wins this crucial election on June 5th.
The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley TD has just confirmed to the Dáil that the government will move the writ so that the by-elections in Dublin South and Dublin Central will take place on Friday June 5th.
I welcome the announcement and after what will be 11 months, the people of Dublin South will finally have a full representation in the Dáil.
Last Thursday night I featured on the panel for Nightly News with Vincent Browne on TV3. My fellow panellists were Today FM presenter Matt Cooper, Fionnan Sheehan of the Irish Independent and Sarah McInerney of the Sunday Times.
You can watch the show in three parts. The first regarding the scrapping of e-voting and Fianna Fáil by clicking here; the second in relation to the following morning’s newspapers by clicking here; and the third and final part by clicking here.
Labour leader Eamon Gilmore TD will cut the tape on our new office at 1 Bird Avenue tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon at 2.30 pm. If you are in the area, you are more than welcome to come along for a cup of tea and a chat.
More :: See where the new office is
New Constituency Office at 1 Bird Avenue, Dundrum
As part of our continuing campaign in the run-up to the Dublin South by-election on June 5, we have opened a new constituency office on Bird Avenue, Dundrum, right in the heart of the constituency.
For several years, we have had an office in Rathfarnham which has been open to accommodate the needs of the people of Rathfarnham, Knocklyon, Ballyboden and Churchtown.
With these new premises, we will seek to assist the residents of Dundrum, Ballinteer, Sandyford, Windy Arbour, Goatstown and Mount Merrion.
A drop-in service is available in both Rathfarnham and Bird Avenue. Our office at 1 Main Street, Rathfarnham is open between 10am and 1pm on Fridays and the office at 1 Bird Avenue is open between 2pm and 4pm also on Fridays.
If you would like to arrange a meeting to discuss a matter of concern in Dublin South please do not hesitate to contact me. You can call (01) 618 3972 or email alex.white@oir.ie.
Alex (Left) and Cllr Paddy Cosgrave (Second Left) weet locals at last night's meeting
Last night, my colleague Cllr Paddy Cosgrave and I met with a group of local people from the Whitechurch area of Dublin South. It was an opportunity for those in the community to come together and discuss problems that are occurring at local and national area and where possible, myself and Paddy sought to accommodate those concerns.
It was a successful evening with topics such as local parking and refurbishment coming up for discussion as well as issues such as pay for TDs and Senators and the cumbersome way the grant system works.
This is only the first of quite a number of public meetings we plan to do in the constituency in the run up to the local elections and, of course, the Dublin South by-election on June 5.
Keep an eye on the blog for further updates.
Tonight in Whitechurch, in the local National School – Scoil Mhuire, sees the start of what I hope will be a series of community engagements across Dublin South.
These meetings are about creating an opportunity for me and our local councillors, Paddy Cosgrave is our councillor for the Rathfarnham ward, to listen to the concerns and learn from the ideas local people have on how we’re doing right now as a community, an economy and a society.
If you know of anyone who lives in the area, or indeed, if you fancy coming along yourself, then why not let them know that we’ll be there from 8pm.
