Press Statement 20/11/2008
Euro Elections ’09:
Joe Higgins to Stand for The Socialist Party in Dublin;
*Campaign will offer Real Left Alternative to Voters;
*Campaign will Challenge Media Manipulation Attempting to Portray Libertas As Major representative Of ‘No To Lisbon’ Voters:
At a Press Conference in Dublin today, The Socialist Party announced formally that Joe Higgins will stand for the Party in the Euro Elections next June in the Dublin Constituency.
Joe Higgins is a long time activist in the labour and trade union movement. Elected to Dublin County Council in 1991, he was a leading fighter against corrupt land rezoning in Dublin and for planning in the interests of communities rather than for speculators and major developers.
Joe Higgins was the Chair of the Federation of Dublin Anti Water Charges Campaign which won massive support and forced the Fine Gael/Labour Government to abolish water charges in December 1996. Minister for Social Welfare, Mary Hanafin, said last year that had abolition not happened, each household in Dublin would be currently paying €700 per year in water charges.
Joe Higgins was elected to the Dail in 1997and for the next ten years was a leading opponent of the right wing policies of the Fianna Fail/Progressive Democrat Government. He frequently challenged the then Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, on a wide range of issues including land speculation and profiteering in the housing market, Government support for the invasion and occupation of Iraq and in defence of workers’ rights.
In 2003 Joe Higgins was sent to Mountjoy Jail for a month over his opposition to bin charges, a new stealth tax on Dublin householders.
In 2005, with the Socialist Party, he exposed the horrific abuse of migrant workers by Gama Construction and struck a major blow against the ‘race to the bottom’ when that company was forced to pay unpaid wages of around €30million to its workers.
Joe Higgins will use Euro Election ‘09 Campaign to fight Government policy of making working people pay for economic crisis
The Euro Election will be used as an opportunity for working people to pass judgement on the current Fianna Fail/GreenParty Government and its domestic policies as well as on European issues. Socialist Party Candidate, Joe Higgins, is highly qualified to lead the opposition to current government policies in this Campaign. During his ten years in Dáil Eireann he warned about the consequences of the unrestrained profiteering in the property market, the massive tax cuts for speculators and big business and the waste of the fruits of the economic growth of that time.
Joe Higgins and The Socialist Party will use the Euro Election Campaign to fight against the vicious policy of cuts and new charges with which the Government is attempting to make working people pay for a crisis created by the greed, speculation and profiteering of banks and big business and by their facilitation by the Government .
Fighting Against neo-Liberalism for a Workers’ Europe
Among the key issues the socialist Party will campaign on in the lead up to June ’09 will be:
*Opposition to the neo liberal economic agenda championed by the EU Commission and many EU governments including attacks on workers’ wages, decent working conditions and pension rights;
*opposition to the privatisation agenda driven by the EU; In defence of democratic and efficient public services and the rights of public service workers;
*For a one tier Public Health Service and opposition to ‘for profit’ medicine including the co-location of private hospitals beside public hospitals;
*Against militarisation of Europe and the armaments industry;
*For workers’ rights and against the European Court of Justice attacks on proper, trade union negotiated working wages and conditions;
*For a Socialist Europe run democratically by working people rather than one dominated by big business interests and powerful transnational corporations;
Rejection of Media Attempts to Portray ‘No to Lisbon’ Voters as Reactionary and Isolationist and to Elevate Right Wing Libertas as the Major Representative of ‘No’ Voters
Since the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty last June, there has been an insidious campaign to portray ‘No’ voters as reactionary and isolationist. We reject this. We believe that a majority opposed The Lisbon Treat for positive reasons. The Socialist Party played a key role in the campaign to oppose Lisbon, emphasising the defence of public services, opposition to militarisation and in support of workers’ rights.
Now, as the June Euro Elections loom, there is a concerted effort by sections of the media to paint Libertas as the major representative of ‘No’ voters. This is false. Libertas is a right wing, neo liberal organisation which is inimical to the interests of Irish and European workers. If this organisation stands candidates they will be forced to outline their right wing economic agenda. For a majority of working people and young people, Libertas’ policies will be as odious as those of the Progressive Democrats which has just disintegrated for lack of support in Irish society.
Joe Higgins and the Socialist Party will champion the rights of those who voted ‘No’ to Lisbon and will demand that their decision is respected. We will champion the rights of all workers irrespective of how they voted on Lisbon. We will actively challenge the cynical attempt to say to working people opposed to the Lisbon Treaty that, in effect, they have no political alternative since Libertas is their only alternative.
If Libertas decides to contest Euro ’09 and publishes its economic, social and political programme, The Socialist Party will challenge Mr Ganley to a major Public Debate with Joe Higgins in the New Year on the key issues.
Joe Higgins as the Socialist Party Candidate will seek wide support from all those on the political Left and the widest possible support from community organisations, trade unionists and campaign groups, offering our campaign as the best vehicle to challenge the FiannaFail/Green Party Government and its programme of outrageous cuts designed to make working people pay for a crisis begotten of speculation, profiteering and greed.
More information: Kevin McLoughlin 01-6772686/087-6952040
Joe Higgins 01-8201753
CHECK OUT OTHER RELATED ARTICLES:
- Press Statement: United Left Alliance announces general election challenge today
- Joe Higgins Euro Election Campaign Launched
- ULA Press Statement: Labour’s attack on Fine Gael as the ‘party of austerity’ is cynical and opportunist
- Joe Higgins MEP Launches No to Lisbon Campaign in Strasbourg
- Press Statement: Minimum wage cut a green light for employers’ offensive
