Republican News · Thursday 23 January 2003

LABOUR MAYOR BREAKS PARTY WHIP

The scene in Dublin's City Hall last Thursday night was sickening, as the Labour Party managed to once again serve its own interests. Dublin City Council had met to vote on the proposed bin charge increases contained within the Book of Estimates, under threat of dissolution from the Minister for the Environment Martin Cullen. With 29 of the 52 councillors publicly opposed to the exorbitant price hike, and a government minister threatening to put an end to local democracy if the charges weren't voted in, it seemed that history was about to be made in the Chambers.

From the outset, however, it was obvious that all was not going to plan for the opposition group, which includes among its number the four Sinn Féin councillors.

Six councillors were absent, among them three Labour Councillors, Mary Freehill, Derek McDowell, and Joe Costello (who, to be fair, was on his honeymoon).

Three Fianna Fáil councillors who had also expressed opposition to the charges, Martin Brady, Dermot Fitzpatrick and Marian McGennis, were also missing.

The bin charges were voted in last year despite mass public protest. The Dublin City Manager said that they had to be raised this year to fill a revenue gap in the city's budget, and originally proposed a hike of over §30 in the charges, bringing the charge for a large bin from §120 to §156.

Fianna Fáil's Michael Donnelly initiated the debate by proposing that the proposed charges be reduced from §156 to §154 for a large bin, and from §104 to §90 for a small bin. After proposing this minimal decrease, which the Sinn Féin councillors pointed out would have absolutely no effect for people who cannot afford the bin charges to begin with, he concluded by saying that if they weren't voted in, the council would "have failed the people of Dublin".

All of the Fianna Fail councillors present, supported by the two Green Party councillors Ciaran Cuffe and Ryan Meade, voted for the charges. Fine Gael's Joe Doyle and Chris Giblin broke their party whip to also vote in favour of the price hike.

Sinn Féin's Christy Burke, speaking, reaffirmed the four Sinn Féin councillors' absolute opposition to the charges. He also pointed out to the City Manager that many people who had not even received green bins are being sent letters by the City Council threatening legal measures if they do not pay the bin charges.

"The whole thing has been a farce from the start," Cllr. Burke said. "The vast majority of people in this city don't support these charges, and we are being threatened with closure by the government if we don't pass even higher ones. This is the type of democracy we have come to expect from the present government, who don't seem to be able to understand the word 'No'."

Councillor Tommy Broughan from the Labour Party made a speech saying that the Labour Party "remained opposed to the bin charges". Broughan was heckled by other councillors who shouted comments about Labour and Fianna Fáil's alliance in the Chambers.

Fianna Fáil and the Labour Party Councillors currently have an understanding which involves sharing the mayorship of Dublin. This deal includes supporting each other in votes on certain issues, but the bin charges caused contention between the two parties.

Broughan's message of opposition didn't seem to apply to fellow party member Dermot Lacey, who holds the position of Mayor of Dublin. As he had indicated beforehand, he voted against the party whip for the charges, and when it became clear that there was a stalemate of 23-23, he used his casting vote to pass the charges.

So despite the Labour Party's supposed opposition to the charges, it managed through a combination of abstention and apparent disloyalty to have them once again written into the Dublin City Budget.

The Sinn Féin councillors are maintaining their opposition to the bin charges.

"We have proposed numerous alternatives to the bin charges from the start," Christy Burke said. "And we will be continuing to oppose these charges, that are basically a double taxation on people who can afford it least.

"The councillors who voted for the charges have let the people of Dublin down."