éirígí Tir Chonaill

Fianna Fáil Goillte i nDún na nGall

09/01/10

(English version follows.)

Ag druidim leis an Nollaig sheol éirígí i nDún na nGall feachtas fógraí agus bileogaí in éadan na gciorruithe a leagtar síos i gcáinaisnéis is déanaí na Sé Chondae Fichead.

Ba é tógáil líon chlár fógraí in iarthar na tíre an chéad chuid den fheachtas, a léigh 21,000+ Dífhostaithe i nDún na nGall – Nollaig Shona Daoibh ó Fianna Fáil agus an Comhaontas Glas. Ina dhiaidh seo scaip gníomhaígh éirígí bileogaí ar thithe ag míniú na gciorruithe nua i bpá, leasa sóisialta, sláinte agus oideachas chomh maith leis an Ghaeltacht agus an Ghaeilge.

Ag seoladh an fheachtais, dúirt urlabhraí éirígí Thír Chonaill Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig go mbeadh méadú suntasach i leibhéil bhochtanais sna Sé Chondae Fichead mar thoradh ar na ciorruithe is déanaí.

“Do na deiche míle teaghlach in Éirinn a mhaireann ar phá íseal agus ar leasa sóisialta, anró agus cruatan atá i ndán dóibh agus na ciorruithe ag teacht i dtír orthu,” arsa é.

“Tá anois breis agus 20,000 duine gan obair sa chondae seo mar gheall ar shaint agus teipeanna an rialtais seo agus a gcomhleacaithe sna gnónna móra ach ní dhearna siad faic le cuidiú leis an daoine seo agus a dteaghlaigh. Ní dhéanann an cháinaisnéis seo dada chun postanna a chruthú. Muise, leanfaidh líon na dífhostaíochta ag méadú mar gheall ar an cháinaisnéis seo.

Lean Mac Giolla Easbuig: “Do na mílte daoine a chaill a bpost le bliain anuas agus a chonaic a n-ioncam ag socthumadh mar thoradh, tá an rialtas seo ag caitheamh a thuilleadh anró orthu trína rátaí leasa sóisialta a ghearradh.”

Bhí freagairt Fhianna Fáil ar fheachtas éirígí tapaidh agus sothuigthe. Mar a bheifeá ag súil leis i lár oll-dífhostaíocht agus ciorruithe fiáine ón rialtas, bhí uafás ar comhairleoir David Alcorn ó Ailt an Chorráin.

Níorbh é go bhfuil breis agus 21,000 duine gan post i nDún na nGall, go bhfuil ar dhaoine ar fud na tíre imeacht ar an bhád bán, go gcuirfidh ciorruithe fiáine i bpá agus i leasa sóisialta anró ar theahglaigh atá ag streachailt cheana féin nó go bhfuil imeachtaí a pháirtí sa rialtas ag scriosadh ár seirbhísí sláinte agus oideachas, níorbh é sin an rud a chuir uafás air agus ar a pháirtí áfach.

Níorbh é ná baol air. An rud a chuir uafás ar an chomhairleoir Fhianna Fáil, mar a dúirt sé leis na meáin áitiúla, ná gur tógadh na fógraí seo le linn seachtain na Nollag, rud a chuir sé síos air mar ‘dhrochmhianach’. Dúirt sé gur olc le neart daoine na fógraí agus gur thug siad ‘drochainm’ don áit. Bhí an chuma ar an scéal gur cheistigh sé fiú ceart éirígí le bheith i nDún na nGall.

Thug Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig freagra ar bhriathra Alcorn agus Fhianna Fáil.

Dúirt sé: “Bhí cuma dhaingean ar David Alcorn gan ligean do rud ar bith cur isteach ar a Nollaig dheas – fiú míchóngar na 21,000 daoine i nDún na nGall ag féachaint ar an Nollaig ar an dól.

“Do na mílte daoine, bhí an Nollaig ina hualach eacnamúil eile ar a bhfoinsí airgid atá teann cheana féin, ach tá níos mó imní ar David Alcorn faoi seo a bheith léirithe dó ná faoi dada a dhéanamh faoi.

“I bhfírinne, is é freagra David Alcorn ar na fógraí seo an t-aon rud atá drochmhianach. Is léir gur fearr leis go mbeadh an ghéarchéim dífhostaíochta i nDún na nGall as radharc na súl – b’fhéidir le cuidiú leis codladh san oíche.”

Lean Mac Giolla Easbuig: “Tá Fianna Fáil i nDún na nGall agus ar fud na Sé Chondae Fichead i gceannas ar chóras eacnamúil a d’fhág na ceádta míle ag maireachtáil i mbochtanas. Le cur leis seo, tá siad anois ag tabhairt faoi sheirbhísí poiblí agus leasaí stáit a ghearradh, agus iomaí oibreoir ata ag brath orthu ó lá go lá.

“Is páirtí frithshóisialta iad atá i mbun ghiorruithe frithshóisialta, nach bhfuil in ann chuig oifig ar bith sa tír.”

Chríochnaigh sé le dúshlán don dreach gur cheisnigh David Alcorn ceart éirígí le bheith ann i nDún na nGall.

“B’fhéidir go bhfuil sé buartha go bhfuil an leibhéal gníomhaíochais s’againn ag nochtadh theipeanna a pháirtí féin.

“Ba chóir go mbeadh a fhios ag an chomhairleoir Alcorn nach mbeidh éirígí ag dul ar shiúl. Beidh méadaú ag teacht ar ghníomhaíochtaí eirígí i limistéar Dhún na nGall sa bhliain le teacht – tá muid tiomanta bheith ionadaíoch agus troid ar son leas na ndaoine ar mhaith le Fianna Fáil a threascairt.”

Fianna Fáil Get Upset in Donegal

In the run-up to Christmas, éirígí in Donegal launched a billboard and leaflet campaign against the cutbacks imposed in the recent Twenty-Six County budget.

The first part of the campaign was the erection of a number of large billboards in the west of the county which read 21,000+ Unemployed in Donegal – Happy Christmas from Fianna Fáil and the Green Party. This was followed up by éirígí activists delivering leaflets to homes outlining the latest cuts in pay, social welfare, health and education as well as to the Gaeltacht and the Irish language.

Launching the campaign, Tír Chonaill éirígí spokesperson Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig said that the end result of the latest series of budget cuts would be that poverty levels in the Twenty-Six Counties would rise significantly.

“For tens of thousands of Irish families who survive on low pay and social welfare, the new year is set to be one of misery and extreme hardship as the effects of these cuts start to hit home,” he said.

“There are now more than 20,000 people unemployed in this county as a result of the greed and failures of this administration and their cronies in big business yet they have failed to take any action to help these people and their families. This budget does absolutely nothing to create jobs. Indeed, the jobless figures will continue to rise as a result of this budget.

Mac Giolla Easbuig continued: “For the thousands of people who have lost their jobs over the past year and who have seen their incomes plummet as a result, this administration has heaped yet more misery on them by slashing their welfare rates.”

The reaction of Fianna Fáil to éirígí’s campaign was swift and telling. As would be expected in the midst of mass unemployment and savage government cutbacks, Burtonport-based councillor David Alcorn was appalled.

However, what appalled him and his party was not the fact that more than 21,000 people are unemployed in Donegal, that many people from around the county are being forced to emigrate, that savage pay and social welfare cuts would impose real hardship on already struggling families or that our health and education services would be further decimated by his party’s actions in government.

Not at all. What appalled the Fianna Fáil councillor, as he told the local media, was the putting up of these billboards during Christmas week, which he described as in “bad taste”. He said that a lot of people resented the billboards and that they gave the area a “bad name”. He also appeared to question the right of éirígí to exist in Donegal.

Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig hit back at Alcorn’s comments and Fianna Fáil.

He said: “David Alcorn seemed determined not to allow anything to get in the way of him having a good Christmas – even the inconvenience of 21,000 people in Donegal facing Christmas on the dole.

“For thousands of people, Christmas was yet another economic burden on their already strained financial resources, yet David Alcorn was more concerned about this being pointed out to him than actually doing anything about it.

“In reality, the only thing in bad taste was David Alcorn’s reaction to these boards. Clearly, he would rather the unemployment crisis in Donegal was swept under the carpet – perhaps to help him sleep better at night.

Mac Giolla Easbuig continued: “Fianna Fáil in Donegal and across the Twenty-Six Counties has presided over an economic system that has left hundreds of thousands subsisting in poverty. To compound this fact, they are now going about the business of cutting the public services and state benefits that so many working people rely on in their daily lives.

“They are an anti-social party carrying out anti-social cuts that are not fit to hold any office in the land.”

He concluded by challenging what appeared to be David Alcorn’s questioning of éirígí’s right to exist in Donegal.

“Perhaps he is worried that our level of activism is exposing the failings of his own party.

“Councillor Alcorn should be aware that éirígí will not be going away. The party will be increasing its activities in the Donegal area over the coming year – we are determined to represent and fight for the interests of the people that Fianna Fáil want to drive into the ground.”