Changing times in New Ross

Pictured in New Ross are Sinn Féin candidate Bernie Murphy (right) and party activist Liz Murphy

Bernie Murphy is a candidate in New Ross and Liz Murphy is a cumann member and activist but there is no hierarchy here. "Who are the chiefs and who are the indians? We're all equal around here," says Liz. Bernie follows on. " If I get elected and my feet start moving off the ground, give me a slap to get back down here. If you lose touch with the party, then you're going to lose touch with the people who voted you in."

Liz Murphy is a Traveller, who has travelled all over the US, to Michigan, Hawaii, New York and San Francisco. "Things have to change," she says. "There should be equality of people.

"A Traveller shouldn't be demonised for what she is, she's just human like all of us, that's what Sinn Féin is all about," says Bernie.

"We work as a team here. Everyone in the party has the right to speak. It would be a sad state if Sinn Féin was like other parties, all layers and squabbling amongst themselves, because they are out for themselves at the end of the day. They only pay lip service to the people."

Bernie talks of the issues in New Ross. The council repairs houses then boards them up, they are vandalised and the council comes back to repair them, again and again, and leaves them empty — until it comes to election time.

"There are eight houses boarded up in Barrick Lane," says Bernie. "Three houses in my estate have been empty over one-and-a-half years with over 200 on the waiting list. Two were given out just this last week, before the election.

Five of the nine members of New Ross Town Council are Fianna Fáil. "You'd think the city officials were members of the Fianna Fáil party. They run it like a private club," complains Bernie.

"We badly need changes. Naturally, they are very afraid of change. That's why they try to exclude us. Things can't go on like this — so unjust," says Liz.

Bernie explains: "We proposed a resolution in New Ross, and in the councils across the county that rents should not exceed 12% of the incomes of the main earner in the house.

"Anthony Kelly in Wexford, Noirin Sheridan in Enniscorthy and Jim Fleming in Gorey, along with John Dwyer here in New Ross, couldn't even get a seconder. That is their cosy council cartel in a nutshell."

We are joined by John Dwyer. "Whatever you say," he says, "be sure to mention that the people in the key positions in Sinn Féin in the town are all women, and that makes a huge difference to everything we do and the way we do it."

There is nothing surer from talking with Bernie, Liz or Lorraine, John's wife of a few weeks. Politics in New Ross is changing. The people who are changing it know what discrimination against low income, homeless people, people without jobs, lacking the money to go to the doctor, is all about. They've been on the brunt end of it. They intend to change things.