Bal News Oct/Nov 2010

8/8/2019 Bal News Oct/Nov 2010

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Volume 1 Issue 8 October / ovember 2010

This deal will be done whenthe tender for Ballincollig’s

new 100 bed communityhospital is awarded and will pay for the running of theCNU for the next ten years.This is an absolute abuse of

taxpayers money by the HSEin a race to the bottom.

According to documentsreleased to Sinn Féin under the Freedom of InformationAct the HSE are about tohand over 50 to 60 Million

Euro to a private operator torun Ballincollig CNU for tenyears. If they are prepared to

pay out this amount of money so that a privateoperator can make a profit

why could they not employthe staff directly?Employment Embargo

The HSE claim that they

cannot employ staff for thehospital under the

Government embargo on public sector workers but

we have just recently hadan announcement that 200

extra social workers will beemployed by the same HSE.It is obvious that theembargo on public service

employment is not acomplete barrier to taking onstaff as staffing levels are

looked at on a case by case basis. This begs thequestion; Did the HSE South

request the Government toallow the HSE to employ thestaff for Ballincollig CNU?

Test CaseWe suspect that Ballincollig

CNU is a test case for theHSE in their drive towards privatisation. Managementadmits in the releaseddocuments that they were

unsure where certain stepsfitted into the tendering

process. They also mentionthe type of company that

they presumed might beinterested in taking on thecontract with Care Choice,

Mowlam and The Bons, being listed as possible

private partners. It will beinteresting to see who will

HSE to Hand Over €50 Million to PrivateOperator in ‘Race to the Bottom’

Des O Grady

(Continued Page 2 Column 1)

Website: www.ballincolligsinnfein.com E-Mail:[email protected]

SF Propose AMA for Mortgage HoldersGovernment assistance

to those at risk of losing

their family homes, due

to an inability to keep up

mortgage payments, has

been slow in coming and

pitifully inadequate so

far.

Contrast this with theGovernment rush to bail

out the zombie Anglo-

Irish Bank or their crony

developer friends through

NAMA. Speaking recently

at the launch of a new

Sinn Féin document on

housing Des O Grady

said, “It seems that the

ordinary

people are

being

forgotten

once again.

I believe

that

legislation

should beintroduced to reduce

mortgages by writing off

the difference between

the original purchase price

of a family home and its

current market value. This

would apply to mortgages

taken out since 2004 up to

a level of €500,000 and

the write off would

only support people

who own a single

house in which they

live. The write off

would also be limited

to 30% of the original

mortgage taken out and

there would be a claw back if the house was sold

at a higher price later on.

I would also propose that

where householders could

still not afford the lower

mortgage rate or are

already in default the

Local Authority should

step in and negotiate the

purchase of the house.

This would allow people

to remain in the family

home in a shared

ownership scheme and pay

an affordable rent to the

Council until their

circumstances improved.

The family would alsoretain the right to buy out

the Council share at a later

date. It is time the

Government shifted their

focus from the ‘Golden

Circle’ to look after

ordinary hard-working

people being put through

hell by their ineptitude.”

Cumann Tom Barry/Leo Murphy An tSráidbhaile Baile an Chollaigh Fón 0862409049

The Voice of Ballincollig Sinn Féin

Ballincollig Sinn Féin have

condemned the HSE for

their plan to hand over €50

Million of taxpayers money

to a private operator.



eventually get this contract

as the Evening Echoreported that the CEO of the Bons sits on the ‘secret’acute hospitals

reconfiguration committeein HSE South that ischaired by propertydeveloper Michael O Flynn

So also does Mr Pat Healywho is leading this project

within HSE South.

JobsSinn Féin believe thatBallincollig CNU should be run by the HSE as we

are in favour of a one tier health system for all. Aswell as this the hospital

was built with taxpayer’smoney as a public facilityand should have public jobs.We also believe that the jobs in the CNU should befilled by suitably qualified people from theBallincollig area as much

as possible. Instead theHSE is now engaging in arace to the bottom andmany hoped for high

quality jobs in Ballincolligmay turn out to be low paid

with long hours andsubstandard conditions of

employment.

Patient careWe would also fear for

patient care as costs riseover the next ten years. A

private operator will expectto make a guaranteed profit

and the public is wellaware as to how some private operators havereacted to this situation inthe past. Don’t be surprisedif there are cut backs instaffing levels andstandards of food, heating,

lighting, waste disposal andcare will be allowed todeteriorate so that it will bethe patients and staff of thehospital who will suffer in

the longer term.

The Fianna Fáil/GreenParty government hasrecommitted itself to a

policy that will seeordinary working familiesfurther punished to savethe zombie banks which

have brought economicruin to this state.

The scandalous scale of the bank bailout was revealedrecently to be up to €50 billion. The governmenthas no mandate for what itis doing. Fine Gael and

Labour as well as theGovernment parties want tocut more than €3 Billionfrom public expenditure inDecember’s budget. SinnFéin does not accept thisapproach. Cutting €3 to €4 billion will further deflatethe economy. This will

merely deepen therecession and lead to

further job losses. Last year

we proposed finding the €3 billion budget deficit by increased taxation onthe wealthy and other

measures (see our proposals in the yellow box). In November we willlaunch a budget alternativefor 2010, arguing for astimulus package to create jobs to get the economymoving again. This is theSinn Féin way forward. Letthose who milked the

Celtic Tiger pay their fair share and let the

government look after theordinary people for achange. We are also callingon people to voice their opposition to the

government’s policies, inadvance of that budget, by

taking to the streets. Sinn Féin is holding a

demonstration on Sat

4th December in

Dublin. Meet Parnell

Square 1.30pm.

(Continued from Page 1)

Website: www.ballincolligsinnféin.com

Budget / Economy

Introduce a third tax rate of 48% on individual

earnings in excess of €100,000

Raises €355 million

Standardise all discretionary tax reliefs Raises €1.1 billion

Reduce earnings cap for pension contribution

tax relief to €100,000


Abolish all remaining property-based tax reliefs

(on property development, not


Abolish mortgage interest relief for landlords Raises €285 million

Increase tax on second homes to €600, to

include holiday homes and rental

properties only


Abolish the PRSI ceiling Raises €119.5 million

Introduce a 1% wealth tax on all assets worth

more than €1 million, excluding farmland

(regardless of residency rules)

Raises €1.6 billion

Increase DIRT by 5% Raises €145 million

Increase Betting Duty to 10% Raises €310 million

Increase Capital Gains tax to 40% Raises €190 million

Total Raised € 4.35 billion.

Here is the Sinn Féin Budget Proposal 2009 (Costed by the Dept

of Finance) to raise over € 4 Billion and avoid cuts to Social

Welfare, Health and Education.

The Government went for the soft option of cuts further

depressing the economy in a savage attack on the disadvantaged.

Ballincollig Job Losses - Topps to Close

Another multi-national

company is severing its finallink with Ballincollig.

Workers at Topps sales anddistr ibution centre inInnishmore have been toldthat the company is pullingout of Ballincollig next

March and relocating to

Milton Keynes in England.This will result in the loss of at least 16 jobs in Ballincolligin a further blow to the localeconomy. Whi l s t theBallincollig workers weregiven the opportunity of relocating to England this was

not a feasible option for many

people with partners working,growing families, and

mortgages to pay. Sinn Féinnow hopes that Topps willtreat their workers withfairness and generosity. Each job lost is a personal tragedy

for the worker involved and

we are calling on thecompany to pay their workersmore than the mere statuaryredundancy entitlement.Topps have done well out of their Ballincollig workers– they should now repay thedebt.

Let’s make a Stand!!



Local ews

Website: www.ballincolligsinnféin.com

Fine Gael TD wastingtaxpayers money.Residents in Church viewwere notified recently by FineGael TD Michael Creed thathe has been informed thatyellow lines will be provided

by the County Council to stopparking on the entrance roadto the estate. This notificationwas sent by post to everyhouse in the estate on Dáil

Eireann notepaper in sealedenvelopes and was delivered

by the local postman, all atthe taxpayers expense. Mr

Creed is a landlord who ownsseveral properties bothcommercial and residential inMacroom on which he iscollecting rents on top of hissalary and expenses as a TD.He could well afford to payfor his own publicity. This isa fine example of thealternative’ to Fianna Fáil,

which of course is not analternative at all– just more of

the same with a differentabel. How could a so calledeft wing party like Labour

consider going intogovernment with them. Isuppose it could be called theLandlords and Langers’

Coalition. Garda BarracksWhile the new €4 Million

Garda Barracks inBallincollig is being built the

situation on the ground herecontinues to deteriorate. Thellegal drugs scene is thriving

throughout Ballincollig andsurrounding areas. Fromnformation we continuously

receive from local residents its clear that illicit drugs are

available in almost everyestate and school inBallincollig. Teenagers asyoung as 13 and 14 are beingsucked into this lifestyle by

criminal elements with aconsequent rise in anti -social

behaviour and violence.Ballincollig is years behindthe times when it comes to

policing. We are still without

a full time police service in atown with the largest youth population in County Cork.We will be asking Gardachiefs are they prepared to

provide an adequate full time

police service immediatelyfor Ballincollig at theforthcoming meeting of theJoint Policing Committee inCounty Hall. By the time thenew Garda Barracks is open itmay be to late.

Carrigrohane JunctionLethal Cycle Lane

Ballincollig Sinn Féin have

written to Cork County

Council Roads Deptregarding the dangeroussituation at the Traffic Lightsin Carrigrohane. As there isonly one traffic laneapproaching the lights from

the Ballincollig side, some of the traffic turning left towardsLeemount is moving into the bicycle lane to approach the junction. As well as this thecycle lane ends short of the junction (see pic above) and

motor traffic for Leemountcuts across to the left just

before the lights. This is ahazard to cyclists who aretravelling straight on and mayresult in a serious accident if action isn’t taken to rectifythe situation.

Pay Parking EqualsJob LossesJust when business inBallincollig is trying to get back on its feet after nearly

three years of disruptioncaused by the construction of the so-called ‘Green Route’,

Cork County Councilannounces the introduction of

pay parking to the centre of the town. Instead of giving a

boost to the local economy, as

claimed by a councilspokesperson, this measurehas the capacity to drive awaywhat little business hasreturned to the area,

particularly at a time when

people are struggling to makeends meet and are watchingevery penny theyspend. Many people facedwith a choice between pay parking in Ballincollig or driving to Bishopstown Courtor Wilton and parking for freewill obviously decide on thelatter. This will have seriousconsequences for Ballincollig

where increased levels of business and the retention of every job is vital to the healthof the local economy. Theonly people who won't have a

choice are the likes of pensioners etc who have to

come into Ballincollig tocollect their pensions and willhave to pay for the privilegeof parking in the town centre.This again highlights the

democratic deficit that existsin Ballincollig where the lack of a Town Council has now

allowed County Hall toimpose a further tax onordinary hard pressed motorists.

Traffic LightsThe Statement by CountyCouncil senior engineer Peter O' Donoghue that one of thereasons for introducing pay

parking was to help trafficflow and relieve congestionmade us check that the datewasn't the first of April, asthere was little congestion

and few traffic jams beforethe introduction of several

sets of traffic lights in thecentre of Ballincollig. If theCounty Council are seriousabout relieving traffic

congestion they should turn

off the majority of the trafficlights and see what differencethis makes over a period of time. In the meantime SinnFéin is calling on the council

to rethink their strategy of

introducing pay parking to thecentre of Ballincollig so that business here can have anopportunity to compete withnearby city areas on a level playing field.

Tuairin Glas Despite promises from theCounty Council Estates Dept

the Community Centre inTuairín Glas still hasn’t been

opened to the residents. TheCouncil also promised lastMay that the name of theestate would be erected at theentrance but as with their

promise on the CommunityCentre which is now falling

into disrepair nothing hashappened. This facility builtwith taxpayers money shouldhave been opened for use by

the community long ago.Instead it has been left todecay and it is now rumouredthat it may be demolished.Sinn Féin have been on to theCounty Council Estates Deptenquiring about the currentsituation but as usual the‘faceless bureaucrats’ are notforthcoming with an answer.

If You need help with any issuePlease contact your Sinn Féin rep

Des O Grady

At 086 2 40 90 49

For an immediate response!

The side wall of the Community

Centre showing signs of decay.



Housing CrisisSinn Féin Supports:

(a) A Transparent Social Housing Waiting List.(b) Respect for Applicants.

(c) Repairs carried out within 6 weeks.

inn Féin is campaigning for

major changes in the way Local

Authorities treat applicants on

waiting lists for Social Housing.a) We want a transparent pointsystem established so that people areold exactly where they stand inegards to their entitlement to aouse, their immediate prospects andhe time scale involved on the waitingst.

(b) We also believe that a charter

should be drawn up for both existingtenants and those on the housing list

setting out their basic rights andentitlements in terms of responsetimes and treatment by councilofficials.(c) There should also be a guarantee

made to tenants that all repairs would be dealt with within six weeks.

For more information on our

Housing Policy or Help with

Housing Applications or

Maintenance Please Phone

0862409049.

Ballincollig Sinn Féin ews

Ballincollig Sinn Féin Opposes

Electricity Cut-Offs

Ballincollig SF members and supporterstook to the Main Street recently in support

of father of four Seamus Sherlock who

had his electricity cut off by the ESB

despite offering to pay off his bill at a rate

of €50 a week. The ESB demanded €150 a

week from Seamus who is on €196 Social

welfare a week. Over 500 signatures were

collected in Ballincollig.

Volunteer

Jer O Herlihy

90th Anniversary

11 Oct 2010.If you travel on themain road from Cork

towards Bandon under the Viaduct Railway bridge

and take an immediate rightturn towards Castlewhite, youwill come across the memorial

to Lt Jer O Herlihy, son of John and Hannah O Herlihy of Castleinch Ovens, who was

shot here at the attemptedambush of a British mobile

patrol on 5th October 1920. Lt

O Herlihy, a 33 year old farmlabourer from Castleinch,

Ovens was a sincere and

committed Volunteer whostood over six feet tall. He was part of a contingent of over 30armed Volunteers of the 3rd

Battalion 1st Cork Brigade

who went out to fight for IrishFreedom that morning. They

were hoping to ambush aBritish patrol of military

lorries which travelledregularly on the Cork to

Bandon road near the Viaduct.Unfortunately their position

was given away by localLoyalists and the IRA had tofight a rearguard action in

order to escape British Forcesfrom both BallincolligBarracks and Cork City who

arrived across country to therear and on the left flank of the

IRA position. Lt Jeremiah O

Herlihy of ‘A’ CompanySrelane, held a position

commanding a clear two mileview of the main Cork Bandonroad in each direction. His

duty was to signal theapproach of British lorries

along the main road. When the

firing started to the rear hissense of duty made him hold

his position far too long and hewas taken prisoner by the

British in a field above theroad. He was held andquestioned by a British

Intelligence Officer before hiscaptors pretended to release

him and told him to go. As he

walked away with his back tothem they opened fire and he

was shot through the throat.

He rolled down a steep bank and lay wounded and bleeding

at the roadside fence. Therethey left him for dead. A brave

local woman, believed to be a

Loyalist, found him there stillalive later that evening and she

contacted Cork Fire BrigadeAmbulance which took him to

Join Sinn Féin

Text: Join followed by your nameand address to 51500.

Or Visit: www.sinnféin.ie/join

Or Phone: 0862409049

the Union Hospital (now St.Finbarr’s), on the Douglas Road.From there he was removed byBrigade Officers to a Private

Hospital at Dyke Parade.

However, despite the best effortsof staff there, Volunteer Jer O

Herlihy died of his wounds a few

days later on 11 October 1920.He was buried with full military

honours in the O Herlihy familygrave in the cemetery at

Clondrohid. It was from therethat his father and grandparentshad migrated to Ovens seeking

work and survival around 1847 atthe time of the ‘Great Hunger.’

Súil Siar.Eye on the Past .

The Inscription on the

Monument at Castlewhite

The monument marking the

place where Lt Jer O Herlihy

was shot.

Above: A Vacant Council House

in Ballincollig. Only 1 of many

while hundreds of people await

Social Housing.

Bal News Oct/Nov 2010

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