éirígí Tir Chonaill

Royal Visit Must Be Opposed

05/09/2010

A spokesperson for the socialist political party éirígí has called for widespread support of their campaign to stop a state visit to Ireland by the British Queen, Elizabeth II. The visit has been talked about in the media in recent months following a statement by An Taoiseach Brian Cowen that he was in favour of extending an invitation to the monarch. Mr Cowen made the statement following a meeting in Downing Street in June with David Cameron.

Although no date has yet been fixed for the suggested state visit, Brian Cowen stated that the visit could come before the end of next year and that talks had begun between Downing Street and the Dublin Government.

Since the announcement in June of the impending visit, éirígí have been very vocal in their opposition to it and have already staged a protest in Dublin outside a City Council meeting in July when éirígí Councillor Louise Minihan put a motion to the council calling for Dublin City Council to call on the Fianna Fáil led government to abandon their plans for the visit. During the protest several Dublin City councillors came out and joined the crowd which had gathered for the protest.

Speaking of the campaign, local éirígí spokesperson Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig said that the campaign against the planned visit was on going stating that another protest was due to be held tomorrow (Monday), again outside Dublin City Hall, as the motion proposed by Councillor Minihan is due to be debated.

“Once again we will take to the streets in protest against this move by Brian Cowen and his party to welcome the British head of state to Ireland and we will bring that protest to Dublin City Hall as the motion calling for it to be stopped is debated. Our aim is to show those councillors debating the motion the number of people who are against this move and let their voices be heard” Mr Mac Giolla Easbuig said.

“This head of state, Elizabeth Windsor is not only the British Monarch but she is also the Commander In Chief of the British armed forces and as such we find it totally unacceptable that the Dublin Government have extended an invitation to her. As commander in chief, Elizabeth Windsor is the figure head of a military force which still occupies the Six Counties and also a military force which has been responsible for laying waste to Afghanistan and Iraq over the last ten years” he maintained.

Calling for support against the visit, the éirígí spokesperson concluded by saying, “Theres also the issue of the cost to the Irish tax payer that this visit will incur. The dole queues are lengthening here in Donegal and across this country and public services are being slashed. Beds are being reduced in Letterkenny General Hospital. Medical services are being cut and jobs are also being lost in the hospital because the government cannot find €8 million to make up the hospital budget, yet they can find €10 million of tax payers money to stage this visit. This is totally unacceptable and I would urge the public to support our campaign and to lobby their councillors and public representitives to insist that this visit does not go ahead.”