Alex White dublin south Archives

Stop NAMA Protest - Wednesday 1pm

14th September 2009

If you are free this Wednesday 16th September please come along to Labour’s STOP NAMA Protest at 1pm outside Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. We want as many people as possible to join Labour’s TDs, Senators and activists to oppose NAMA.

The Labour Party has been consistent in our opposition to the NAMA plan since it was first mooted by Fianna Fail. Our banking system has been brought to its knees by the rampant greed and speculation of our banks and developers. Together with Fianna Fail they make up a ‘toxic triangle’ that has destroyed our economy, sending Ireland into the deepest, and maybe even the longest, economic depression of any advanced economy since the Second World War.

There is the real danger under the NAMA plan that the government will end up paying grossly inflated prices for properties, placing a financial millstone around not just the current generation of taxpayers, but possible the next generation also.

I know that it is a working day and that not everyone will be available, but I am appealing to you to turn out on Wednesday. Let your family, friends and work colleagues know that it is on. Encourage them to turn out. Use word of mouth, email, text messages – whatever you can do.

Help us make this demonstration a success and it will greatly increase the pressure on Fianna Fail and the Green Party to abandon this plan. NAMA must be stopped.

Thanks

10th June 2009

Eamon Gilmore TD greets Alex at the Count Centre at the RDS last Saturday

On my own behalf, I would like to thank everyone who has given help, assistance and support to the campaign in Dublin South over the past number of months.

Labour had a fabulous election across Dublin and the rest of the country, all of which bodes well for the future. In Dublin South, we gained a seat in Stillorgan and held our other three seats comfortably. I would like to congratulate Aidan Culhane, Lettie McCarthy, Richard Humphreys and Paddy Cosgrave on their wonderful results, and also Veronica O’Doherty and Aidan O’Sullivan who ran great campaigns.

Obviously, I was disappointed not to have succeeded in winning the by-election, especially after all the dedicated hard work and commitment shown by so many party members and supporters. However, I was delighted to have secured well in excess of a general election quota. Our success in doubling the vote to 10,000 first preferences proves that a Dáil seat is now well within our grasp in Dublin South.

Finally, my thanks to the visitors to The White Board and alexwhite.ie. Stay with the sites as there will be plenty more from the Seanad in the coming months.

More :: To see more photos from the RDS at the weekend, please visit Labour’s Flickr page by clicking here.
More :: See Alex’s interview after the result on the RTE website. Click here and go to 1hr 12mins

A Fair Deal for a Fair City

28th May 2009

Dublin Manifesto Yesterday saw the launch of Labour’s Manifesto for Dublin on the Millennium Bridge. I joined Deputy Leader Joan Burton, Dublin Central by-election candidate Ivana Bacik and some of the many Labour Councillors to launch what I believe, is a new vision for Dublin.

This city of ours has enormous potential. A quarter of the Irish population live in the capital. Tourists continue to flock to the city and in the sunshine of today, it can be a cultural mecca.

Yet, the city has suffered under the 15 years of Fianna Fáil-led governments with bad planning, bad resources and right now, a bad unemployment problem. Our plan for the city, like the rest of our campiagn, is about jobs, jobs, jobs.

We must get our city back working again. Something as simple as stimulating and supporting small and medium enterprises in the city can be the precursor to an increase in employment. Labour also proposes that a council apprenticeship scheme be set up, which not only will retrain and upskill workers, but contribute to the work of the four local authorities in upkeeping the city and county.

Dublin Manifesto 2 But the manifesto also addresses some issues which will serve to improve the lives of Dubliners. As a cyclist, I find the city’s streets a nightmare at times. Labour proposes to prioritise safe, uninteruppted 24-hour cycle lanes that will increase safety.

We will also reverse the current cuts to Dublin Bus services.

This manifesto seeks to address two fundamental matters in Dublin: to get Dubliners back to work; and to improve the lives of all Dubliners, right across the city. Labour councillors have worked hard in order to improve this city, but for a real difference we need to change nationally. A strong Labour in the Dáil can only be better for our capital city.

More :: Read ‘A Fair Deal for a Fair City’ by clicking here (PDF)

The Time is Right

26th May 2009

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Launch of Cherishing Children

25th May 2009

This afternoon, the Labour Party launched ‘Cherishing Children’ - our new manifesto for children. As the Party Spokesperson on Children, I attended the press launch with Leader Eamon Gilmore and our by-election hopeful in Dublin Central, Senator Ivana Bacik.

In these economically difficult times, it is very easy for a government to pull investment away from those who need it most - our children. What this policy document does is outline a core Labour belief that investment in children is fundamental to a better economy.

According to the OECD, Ireland is at the bottom of the league for early
childhood education, with only 2 per cent of three year olds in statesubsidised pre-school. This compares to 100 per cent in Italy and France.

3563532686_bfea3cd5ee The Labour Party fought the 2007 General Election with a commitment that if elected, we would introduce one year of free childhood education for every child. Although Minister for Children Barry Andrews announced in the last budget the introduction of such a scheme, it’s implementation has been haphazard and with 7 months to go until the scheme is launched, we still have not been given the full details of the scheme. We don’t know the curriculum. We don’t know if they have enough staff to cope. This is worrying for parents and providers.

If the country is to be economically vibrant again, investment in children is essential. One of the focuses of ‘Cherishing Children’ is on how the boom that we had never guaranteed an improvement in a child’s well-being. We built homes and new towns, but not the schools to cope with the surge in population. Only last week I visited Holy Trinity NS which spent €125,000 last year on prefabs. On Friday I will be attending St Colmcille’s Junior School which has been waiting reconstruction despite the fact it was promised by Fianna Fail in the last general election. I’ve raised their situation in the Seanad previously:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSDTMbnOgBE]

This government has withdrawn funding for school books, has reduced investment in playgrounds and has deemed building footpaths an optional investment. They withdrew support for the Cervical Cancer Vaccine. Cherishing Children seeks to place children at the heart of Labour policy at local level, at national level and at European level. We will seek to reverse the decision on the Cervical Cancer Vaccine. We will seek to replace anti-social behaviour at nighttime with sport and recreation. We will support the setting up of a pan-European missing children’s hotline.

Studies have shown that if the State invests in children, they will receive multiples of that investment back in tax, less social welfare and a successful knowledge-based economy. Labour strongly believes in this.

More :: Click here to read ‘Cherishing Children’ (PDF)
More :: See more photos from the launch on the Facebook page

Eamon pedals Alex to the Dáil

19th May 2009

Eamon Gilmore leads as Alex gives a helping push

Yesterday, Eamon hopped on his bike in order to push Alex White to the Dáil! We had a photocall outside the gates of Leinster House with the Labour Leader. The media seemed to take a liking to Eamon’s Tour de Merrion Square, with the aid of a little push by myself!

The Irish Independent:
‘”I hope we’re not breaking the law, lads?” he [Eamon] half-laughed anxiously, but the boys in blue weren’t the slightest bit bothered. They were outside Leinster House where weird stuff happens on a regular basis.’

You can see all the photos on my Facebook page. Simply click on the link on the right hand side.

Alex on The Week in Politics

18th May 2009

I appeared on last night’s edition of The Week in Politics on RTE One. It was a Dublin South by-election debate that included Fine Gael’s George Lee and Fianna Fáil’s Shay Brennan.

You can view the programme by clicking here (starts at 32mins).

Committing to the educational needs of Dublin South

15th May 2009

Alex signs the dotted line...

Yesterday on the canvass trail, I travelled to Holy Trinity NS which is based in Leopardstown. Holy Trinity is like many schools in our education system - they are without a permanent building.

They invited all candidates in the Dublin South by-election as well as Councillors to visit the school and sign a pledge insisting that, if elected, they will make the school a top priority. As you can see from the photo, I happily signed the dotted line.

The school currently houses 107 pupils and 11 staff but the parish has a population of 31,000 – the equivalent of Co. Leitrim! The Gallops has a young, growing population and it is predicted that in the future, 600 children in the area will need a primary place. And it is not only their education which is being affected.

There is a social and community element to what the school is seeking. A permanent school building would be the hub of the locality - a place to meet, greet and hold community meetings. This is something the local area needs and something that was neglected in the past.

The school is currently spending €124,000 per year on prefab accommodation and this will only increase unless something is done quickly.

Since September 2008, Labour have proposed a School Building Programme that would help those unemployed in the construction sector, let the State receive value for money and house the 40,000 children currently in prefabs.

The parents, teachers and pupils at Holy Trinity represent what is best about our civic culture. They certainly put it up to politicians at their campaign launch yesterday. The solidarity and commitment shown by this community in their quest to secure a school building is really impressive.

Alex on Today with Pat Kenny

14th May 2009

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.

Are you on the Register?

14th May 2009

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.

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Category: dublin south