News in Brief

Wexford electorate misled

Commenting on the announcement from Dr Liam Twomey that he is to join the Fine Gael party, after being elected an Independent TD in Wexford, Sinn Féin County Councillor John Dwyer has said he is disappointed, but not surprised. Dwyer said that Twomey's record in Leinster House showed it was "inevitable that he would join the national coalition of the confused" and cited several examples of his voting along Fine Gael lines. However, he added, the people of Wexford were perfectly justified to feel disillusioned after being "conned into voting for Twomey through misrepresentation on his part".

Investment needed

The Dublin and British Governments have been called upon to designate the Northwest of Ireland an area of special economic need. Sinn Féin Chairperson Mitchel McLaughlin made the call after last week's announcement from Fruit of the Loom that it is to make over 600 workers redundant at its Derry and Donegal plants. McLaughlin said the infrastructure in both areas had been neglected over many years and had led to a haemorrhaging of jobs. He added that rapid investment in rail, road, air and sea links is needed, to enable the region to compete in the global market.

Ógra seeks voting rights meeting

Ógra Shinn Féin is seeking a meeting with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Martin Cullen to urge the extension of voting rights to the citizens of the Six Counties. It follows a number of communications between the youth wing, the Taoiseach and Cullen.

"You can't democratically elect a president of our country with the people of the north being excluded from the poll," says Six-County organiser for Ógra Shinn Féin, Barry McColgan. Numerous councils throughout the island of Ireland have passed a motion in favour of extended voting rights to the Six Counties, including Derry, Omagh, Newry, Kerry, and Dublin.

Rights bill blocked

Speaking following the publication of the Government's Disability Bill 2004 and National Disability Strategy, Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh has said that while there are many welcome elements in the package, it does not provide the kind of rights which will only be found if the Government introduces a fully enforceable rights-based disability bill.

Ó Snodaigh said he hoped that further input from the Disability Legislation Consultation Group and the opposition parties, including Sinn Féin, would lead to legislation everyone could be proud of.

Burke slams City Manager

Sinn Féin Councillor Christy Burke has slammed Dublin City Management following the revelation that €390 million allocated for local authority spending lies unclaimed in the hands of the Department of the Environment. Burke was speaking after a Sinn Féin Emergency Motion on the issue was ruled out of order at a City Council meeting on Monday.

Burke said families in Dublin are living in Dickensian conditions because the Council cannot afford to fund the necessary maintenance for their houses. He called on the City Council to urgently meet with the Department to discuss the disposal of the funds.

Funding disparity

Sinn Féin West Belfast Assembly Member Fra McCann obtained figures from Belfast City Council last week which show a substantial disparity in funding allocated to community centres in nationalist areas in comparison to those in unionist areas. McCann said that vast stretches of nationalist areas are without any community provision and he is now considering lodging a formal complaint of discrimination with the Equality Commission over the allocation of funding in the Belfast City Council area.

Water Charges will cause poverty

Sinn Féin MLA Kathy Stanton has agreed with a report produced by Help the Aged which argues that the British Government's plans to introduce water charges in the Six Counties will push many older people and families on low incomes further into poverty. Stanton said the government's suggestion of a 25% rebate for pensioners and those on low incomes is totally inadequate and added that the party will resist vigorously all attempts to introduce the unjust service charges.

Banks ignore small towns

Banks must do more to ensure that everybody has equal access to their money, North Antrim Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan said this week. McGuigan has written to all the major banks and building societies, to express his concern that a number of towns and villages in his constituency have been left out when it comes to the provision of 24-hour cash machines. The North Antrim MLA said rural communities and small towns could not be ignored by banks any longer.