Sinn Féin President visits Tullamore
Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams addressing the public meeting in the Parish Centre Portlaoise. Included in the picture is Depurty Brian Stanley TD who chaired the meeting.
IT’S clear that the Government is attempting to avoid a referendum on an austerity treaty and to negotiate its way out of a referendum on the Eurozone treaty, Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams, TD claimed.
Speaking during his visit to Tullamore last Friday, Mr Adams said despite the thumbs up from the Troika the Government’s austerity programme is having a devastating affect across the state.
“The Government knows that a Eurozone Treaty, which enshrines harsh austerity measures has little chance of ratification from the Irish people. Rather then fighting the case on behalf of the Irish people it is clear that the government is attempting to bypass the electorate by negotiating its way out of a referendum.”
The Sinn Fein president pointed out that unemployment and emigration continue to soar causing huge distress to the families affected. “It is high time this Government began standing up for the Irish people rather than capitulating to the diktats from Europe,” he said.
Meanwhile, his party colleague, Laois/Offaly TD, Brian Stanley challenged the Government to provide assistant for thousands of families in arrears with their local authority mortgages. Deputy Stanley raised the issue during a Dail debate, explaining that four out of ten loans received through local authorities to purchases houses are now in arrears for more than 90 days in comparison with one in 12 in the private market after a parliamentary question, placed by Deputy Stanley, confirmed that 38.9% of all affordable and shared ownership are in arrears.
“This is causing huge distress to families, who fear they will be losing their home and is in turn causing financial problems for the local authorities in question,” the TD said.
Pointing out that the Government gave a commitment in the Programme for Government to tackle mortgage distress, Deputy Stanley claimed the reply clearly indicated that there is “very much a crisis within local authority mortgages” and stressed the need to deal with it immediately. “I intend to raise this issue directly with the Minister for Environment and Local Government, Phil Hogan, until a just and fair resolutation introduced to provide financial support for these distressed families.”
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Weather for Tullamore
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North east
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