12 July 2001 Edition

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Bad week for democracy as Dáil session ends

BY MÍCHEÁL MacDONNCHA

While most media and political attention has focused on the government's now failed attempt to ban opinion polls in the week before elections, the Waste Management Bill, which has been forced through Leinster House, is actually far more anti-democratic and will have much more far-reaching implications.

In the most intensive two weeks of legislative work of the current Dáil, the government pushed through a range of anti-democratic measures, all of which were addressed by the Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin.

Speaking against the Waste Management Bill, Ó Caoláin reminded the government that 4 July was American Independence Day:

``The critical cry of those who pursued American independence, one of the core tenets of their republican belief, was `No taxation without representation'.

``As elected members of local authorities, we have the responsibility to impose charges for refuse, but we have no say whatsoever in their putting in place or the decision-making or how our waste will be managed or dealt with. In effect, we are introducing in this Bill taxation without representation and the people will respond. Local councillors will feel that they have no option but to give support to the anger and frustration that ordinary people will feel in response to this legislation.''

The Sinn Féin TD said the government had abdicated its responsibility and ``placed waste management in the State in the hands of a powerful incineration lobby waiting in the wings for its chance to create large profits''. Ó Caoláin appealed to the four Independents who support the government not to vote for the Bill but it was passed with their support.

Speaking on the Local Government Bill, Ó Caoláin strongly urged the reinstatement of the dual mandate measure ``so as to have something substantial and substantive to offer local government after these several weeks and months of work''. However the government voted down the amendment.

The Cavan/Monaghan TD proposed an amendment seeking to lift the ban in the Bill on prisoners standing for election. He said that under this section his republican predecessor as TD in Cavan/Monaghan, hunger striker Kieran Doherty, would not have been allowed to contest the 1981 election. Ó Caoláin also opposed the ban on people who fail to pay a charge to a local authority. He pointed out that in the past there had been widespread campaigns against local authority charges such as water rates and people who in the future, on principle, refused to pay what they regarded as double taxation would be disqualified from election. Again, the government voted through these measures.

Ó Caoláin welcomed the government's acceptance of the principle of a number of amendments he submitted to strengthen the commitment of local government to combating poverty and social exclusion and to supporting the Irish language. At Report Stage, the government brought forward its own amendments, including a definition of social inclusion. Minister of State Bobby Molloy also agreed, as urged by Ó Caoláin, to include a new section requiring the Minister to issue codes of practice to local authorities to promote the use of the Irish language in local government.

As well as the now defunct opinion poll ban, the Electoral Bill contains a section aimed specifically at Sinn Féin. It would only allow political parties to accept donations from Irish citizens, thus excluding non-citizen members of the Irish Diaspora from supporting Sinn Féin or any other party. In the Dáil last week, the Labour Party proposed an amendment which would make the Bill even more restrictive and confine donors to registered voters in the 26 Counties. This was strongly opposed by the Sinn Féin TD. The Bill also provides for hugely increased spending limits for candidates in the next general election, a move designed to allow Fianna Fáil to spend money like water. After the removal of the opinion poll section of the Bill in the Seanad on Wednesday, the whole Bill must now go back to the Dáil when it resumes in October and all these issues are again in the melting pot.

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