Speaking today at the launch of his Vision for Dublin, Labour’s European candidate Alex White said, “Dublin is a great city: diverse, open and tolerant. But there is also inequality, poor infrastructure and a lack of vision for the future. That needs to change.

“Decisions taken in the European Parliament over the next five years will impact greatly on our city and on the people who make it their home.

“This is a critical time for our city and for Europe as a whole.  I want to serve all the people of Dublin in the European Parliament upholding the values of respect, tolerance and equality.

“I have a clear vision for Dublin – where everyone has a secure home, where we cherish our precious environment, and where citizens have a real say in how their city develops. Europe has to play a part in realising this vision.”

Alex and supporters cycled from Sutton to Sandycove today to promote Alex’s Vision for Dublin.

The route tracks the long-delayed S2S route which would see a Dublin Bay walking and cycling greenway from Sutton to Sandycove.  Building accessible, safe walking and cycling routes across Dublin is just one aspect of Alex’s vision for Dublin which also includes:

• Combating climate change through actions such as EU support for energy insulation of homes, schools and public buildings, eliminating single-use plastic and supporting a deposit scheme on plastic bottles.
• Tackling inequalities and disadvantage with EU matching funding for building social homes and the renewal of EU anti-poverty programmes.
• Protecting workers’ rights in the 21^st century ‘gig economy’, banning the bogus self-employment scam, ensuring workers have the right to greater flexibility in working hours – particularly families with young children and those caring for relatives.
• Promoting Dublin as a Creative City by campaigning for an EU wide minimum payment for creative work on tech streaming channels and utilising vacant spaces to showcase the work of artists throughout the city, along the lines of the ‘Meanwhile Spaces’ initiative.
• Better governance and citizen engagement in planning our city’s future through a directly-elected Mayor for Dublin and by establishing Citizen Assemblies to input into areas such as transport, culture and food security.

Alex White was critical of Fine Gael for ignoring Dublin’s need for a directly-elected Mayor with power and the resources to back it up.

“Dublin needs a directly-elected Mayor, with responsibility for the whole metropolitan area, as in other European cities of comparable size and complexity.  However, the Government has ignored this vital reform.  On May 24^th citizens of Limerick, Cork and Waterford get the opportunity to decide on this issue – but Dublin has been ignored.  It is absurd that the needs of the capital city have been dismissed.  Modern European cities need modern governance and Dublin’s need for reform can’t be sidelined.”