“Enough is enough!”

The Fine Gael/Labour government came to power promising change from the disastrous policies of Fianna Fail and the Greens. They have betrayed those promises completely and are continuing the failed policy of bailing out banks and bondholders, while crushing ordinary people with cut-backs and austerity.

The unjust cuts include:

  • The plan to shut 24 hour A&E’s in nine hospitals across the country, including Loughlinstown.
  • The cap on the numbers of Special Needs Assistants and Resource Hours in Schools.
  • The cuts to Fuel, Gas, Electricity and Telephone allowance for the most vulnerable
  • The privatisation of social housing.
  • The raid on the pension reserve fund and personal pension savings
  • The abolition of the JLC’s and REA’s, agreements which protect the pay and conditions of the lowest paid.
  • The Universal Social Charge that Labour promised to change.
  • The introduction of a Household Charge and the coming Water Tax
  • The sell-off of state assets

Here in Ireland and across Europe, it is absolutely clear that  austerity polices are not working. Our government has been forced to borrow more than €100 billion at over 5% interest, to pay off the gambling debts of bankers and speculators. This means that billions that should be invested in jobs, schools, hospitals, vital infrastructure and enterprise is going down a black-hole.

Nearly half a million people with skills and ability who want to work and contribute to the development of our society are being forced to rot on the dole. Tens of thousands of educated young people, leaving school and college, who could help our country recover are being forced to emigrate.

We Need People Power

From Egypt to Greece, from Spain to Portugal ordinary citizens and workers are taking to the streets and challenging the corrupt and privileged elites that have caused the current economic crisis. Here in Ireland we must do the same. We need a mass movement in every city, town and locality to resist the cuts to jobs, incomes and services. Through people power we must demand jobs, decent health and education, protection of our vulnerable citizens, investment in services and socially useful enterprise. We demand fairness and real democracy in how we use the wealth and resources of our society.

The  People Before Profit Alliance  will be joining up with the Enough campaign, and other groups and communities from across the country to build mass demonstrations and protests in the Autumn. We need you to get involved and help us build a people’s movement for change, text 086 1673901 to help out.

What’s the Alternative?

  • Stop paying the gambling debts of banks and bond-holders
  • Take the banks fully into public ownership to ensure investment in jobs and real economic activity
  • End the bail-out of developers and landlords – take NAMA properties and developments into public control and use for social and affordable housing and enterprise start-up units.
  • Major investment in public works programmes, infrastructure projects and strategic enterprise to  create jobs and promote economic recovery.
  • Tax the super-wealthy and cut pay for bankers, top civil servants, and politicians.
  • Reverse cuts and taxes on those on low and middle incomes to boost spending.
  • Major investment in up-skilling and education at all levels
  • Take natural resources, such as Gas back into public ownership and abandon plans to sell-off key state assets.