Blog Archive
Graduate tax, what next - a hospital operation tax?
Posted on January 15, 2011
Labour Youth responded to the Hunt Report on Third Level education this week by reiterating the long-held view of the Labour Party in Ireland that Third Level education should be funded through taxation. Third Level fees were abolished by former Labour Party Minister for Education Niamh Bhreathnach and one of the recommendations of the Hunt Report is their re-introduction. Proponents for the reintroduction of Third Level fees say things like “many parents can afford to pay, so they don’t need free fees”.
It is true that top earners – many of whom have children in Third Level education – can afford to pay something not only towards their own children’s education, but to the education service in general, and this should be done through taxation.
Clientelism good, elitism bad
Posted on January 14, 2011
This is a comment that I put up on a guest post by Daniel K Sullivan on www.politicalreform.ie. Daniel is a former candidate for the Seanad, and future I hope because I believe in the value of the Seanad as part of our political system, as regular readers of my blog will know. He gives a suggestion about electoral reform. Now I don't believe our most democratic systems of PR STV should be moved away from. Anything other than PR STV gives the voter less say and much of the calls for things like lists or John Rogers SC and his latest proposal are premised, in my view, on a patronising view of the voter that they cannot be trusted to elect their own representatives. Its no harm having the debate, although elitism is very prominent in some proposals as for e.g. in those of John Rogers. Its also fuelled by the notion that so called "clientelism" and "parish pump politics" is the cause of our economic problems, which is a nonsense. As a recent correspondent to the letters page in the Irish Times, Mr. Anthony Leavy, wrote, it was not at the parish pump that the decisions were taken that have led to our economic crisis. One of the issues mentioned by Daniel in his post is clientelism and my comment very much responds to the criticisms of clientelism. I am posting it here because I think it very much summarises why I think the criticisms of clientelisms are wrong footed and I am not sure if I were to try to write here again from scratch I could put it better from my own point of view, than I do in the comment. Plus why debates on blogs such as the ones at the political reform blog are so good is because they really are debates and it might be good to read Daniel's post and then my comment to get it in context of the debate he started. The link to Daniel's post is here and my comment I reprint here just below the link. All comments on my comment welcome or you might even consider commenting directly on Daniel's original post on the political reform site.
John Roger's gang of 50
Posted on January 10, 2011
This is a comment I posted on the Irish Times comment facility about John Rogers proposals as to how our Dail should be elected, as set out in an opinion piece in the paper today, and as also explained by him in a piece on Week in Politics yesterday.
The article is 'How to break the shackles of a failed political system' by John Rogers SC and is accessible at www.irishtimes.com
2011
Posted on January 09, 2011
Happy New Year to all my constituents, and all readers and contributers to my blog. Sorry for the delay in doing this, but there were "technical difficulties"! One of my new year resolution is to blog early and often. There is a lot to think about in politics. We need debate and there is a fair amount of it about. But what I would like to see more of and I hope to contribute as best as I can in, is one around the ideology that should underpin the policies of the next Government. Much of the debate has focused on everything but that, all worthy debate, though a few red herrings thrown in, and won't put bread on the table for families and individuals, nor roses either. We need a debate about the kind of society we want. What areas of our lives does the market have no place? How do we promote social solidarity? Labour must distinguish itself from other parties and politicians by insisting at every turn that this is the key political debate in 2011, and we have something different to say in that debate.
TDs' constituency work did not cause crisis
Posted on December 12, 2010
This is a letter from me published in the letters page of the Sunday Tribune today, 12 December, 2010. I wrote it in response to an article by journalist Diarmuid Doyle in last Sunday's tribune 'Our politicians are the way they are because we keep electing them to be that way' (5 December, 2010) which can be accessed on the archive section of the Tribune or at this link:
http://www.tribune.ie/article/2010/dec/05/diarmuid-doyle-our-politicians-are-the-way-they-ar/
TDs' constituency work did not cause crisis
My contribution to the Second Stage Debate on the Property Services Regulatory Authority Bill
Posted on November 28, 2010
Ireland United?
Posted on November 07, 2010
I spoke this weekend at the SDLP Conference at their panel on Unity. It was chaired by Fearghal McKinney and the other speakers were Mark Durkan MP and MLA, Minister Mary Hanafin TD, David Adams Irish Times Columnist and Brian Hayes TD. It was a very interesting discussion and I had to think about the topic before hand, as it is not something I thought about before, tending just to think in terms of the conflict and the peace process. I spoke about how it is not an issue that is being debated in Ireland. It was something aspired to in theory but not thought through and it would raise very difficult issues about our institutions, our constitution etc. While there was the desire for a peace process, our identity in the Republic is very much based around the history of the foundation of the free state and then the republic. It reminded me of the speech made by a historian at a John Hewitt School in Armagh that I attended a few years ago. The historian depicted the British as the nationalists for whom Northern Ireland was a problem to get rid of, and the people of the Republic, through the actions of its Government over the years, were the Unionists who did not really want to take on that problem. I felt there was something in what the historian had to say. Our upcoming commemerations were discussed too and the need to embrace the different traditions and the different kinds of Irish identity, nationalist, unionist, republican, North and South, and the new communities making Ireland their home. I mentioned that the kind of United Ireland mattered too, and that we had never had social democracy implemented on this Island.
My Dail speech on the Economy (this week's economy that is!)
Posted on October 28, 2010
Our main business in the Dail this week was an approximately 15 hour debate on the Economy with the official title 'Statements on Macro Economic and Fiscal Outlook'. I spoke yesterday evening and thanks to the Oireachtas 'Watch and Listen' Facility on its website I attach the video clip of my speech here.
Importance of Community Employment Schemes and Job Initiative Schemes to community of Clondalkin
Posted on October 28, 2010
This is the debate I initiated last Thursday in the Dail about the need to maintain Community Employment Schemes and Job Initiative Schemes in Clondalkin, and their benefit to the participants and the local community. Fears had been expressed that these schemes might be cut. The Minister of State's response on this occassion was welcome. The debate also illustrates the fact that issues relevant to local communities are relevant to the Dail. Decisions about employment schemes such as this are made by Government but the impact is felt in local communities.
Student Support Bill
Posted on October 28, 2010
I raised the whereabouts of the Student Support Bill in the Dail last week. The delay of this bill in its progress through the Oireachtas had been raised with me by representatives of USI at their recent briefing meeting for TDs and Senators. My Labour colleague, Deputy Michael D. Higgins, also spoke on the bill and the Tanaiste replied that the bill would be brought forward this session.
