Fianna Fáil's pathetic last resort - the Red Scare

Cllr. Ted Tynan

Workers’ Party Councillor Ted Tynan has responded to an attack on him by Fianna Fáil’s Cllr. Ken O’Flynn in this week’s  Cork Independent newspaper (Nov 11^th).

Councillor Tynan said he regarded Cllr. O’Flynn’s comments as an acknowledgment that Fianna Fáil had been stung by the Workers’ Party over the government’s appalling record on housing and they had resorted to Fianna Fáil’s last refuge, the Red Scare.

“Fianna Fáil is under pressure”, said Cllr. Tynan. “They are getting it in the neck from people over their appalling management of this country and the fact that they have decided to put the interests of bankers, speculators and the super-rich over those of ordinary working people and their families.  I can only say I am bemused that Ken O’Flynn has chosen to launch his attack on the Workers’ Party when his government has allegedly been put on the ropes by the main opposition parties, Fine Gael and Labour”.

“Fianna Fáil has always resorted to the ‘Red Scare’ when under pressure from the left.  They used it in the 1930s against Labour when that party was showing some semblance of radicalism.  They used it against Noel Browne and Clann na Poblachta in the ‘50s; they first used it against the Workers’ Party in the 1980s and now the ‘Reds under the bed’ nonsense is being dragged out again.    This kind of claptrap is past its sell-by-date,  just like Fianna Fáil itself and it won’t wash with people who are being bled dry from the cutbacks and incompetence of the present government”.

Cllr. Tynan said he regarded the Fianna Fáil politician’s attack on him as an unintended compliment. “If Fianna Fáil are put out by my criticism of their failures then I take that as a sign that the Workers’ Party is doing its job and providing real opposition instead of the meaningless slanging matches that go on in the Dáil but achieve nothing.   I stand over my record and my party’s long struggle on behalf of ordinary people and for democratic socialist policies that put people before profit.  If Cllr. O’Flynn’s best response to the government’s appalling reign is to resort to worn-out smear tactics then it can only be a sign that this government is on its last legs and is politically, morally and ethically bankrupt”, said the Workers’ Party councillor.

Government has abandoned another generation of Irish men and women

Workers’ Party Councillor Ted Tynan has said that the Fianna Fáil / Green Party had decided to abandon another generation of young Irish people to the dead end of emigration and mass unemployment in order to save corrupt banking institutions and Fianna Fáil’s friends in big business.

Cllr. Tynan was speaking at the AGM of the party in the Cork Region in the city, saying that the unprecedented economic growth of the 1990s had been squandered and was now being poured into a black hole created by the greed of bankers and speculators.

“The Irish state as we know it is now approaching 100 years in existence. In that time it has relied heavily on emigration as a safety valve because of the abject failure of the native capitalist class to create jobs. Hundreds of thousands of bright young Irish men and women had to take the boat to Britain, the United States or further afield to find work.

The lofty ideals of ‘cherishing all of the children of the nation’ have remained just that – unachieved pipe dreams”, said Cllr. Tynan. “We have already seen tens of billions of Euro poured down the drain to keep the basket-case bank that is Anglo Irish afloat and many more billions into the other banks. Meanwhile thousands are once again emigrating while the number of unemployed approaches half a million"

"At the same time", said Cllr. Tynan, "we have more hospitals closing or under threat – including the Orthopaedic, the Mercy, Bantry General, Mallow and Cobh in this county alone. What kind of nation saves banks that are rotten and allows citizens who are ill to suffer and perhaps die for want of treatment? Certainly not a democracy and that is why at the next election the present government parties must be thrown from power, not just for a term in opposition, but forever".

There are no dissidents in FF when it comes to vicious cuts

The spectre of Fianna Fáil backbenchers such as Noel O'Flynn criticizing Brian Cowen's leadership over their party's poll ratings would be laughable were the consequences of this government's policies so deadly serious.

Not once have these deputies voted against the government's economic policies, the bank bailouts and the vicious cuts in health and education services, nor have any of them threatened a heave over the level of unemployment. No, they are worried about their seats and think that a cosmetic change of leadership at the helm of Fianna Fáil with no change in policy is going to save their bacon.

Last week we had Fianna Fáil deputies such as Mattie McGrath from Tipperary crying foul because the government wanted to ban the hunting of stags. The treatment of human beings in our hospitals and the callous cut in funding for respite care for the carers of people with disabilities doesn't seem to worry them at all. They continue to walk into the government lobbies in vote after vote when it comes to the really important issues.

There are no dissidents in Fianna Fáil when it comes to vicious cuts. Sheep-like they have consistently supported attacks on the facilities for vulnerable people while at the same time nodding their heads to the billions poured into prop up basket-case banks. Their concern now is merely a smokescreen.


It is not the Taoiseach’s personality or his leadership of Fianna Fáil which matters at this time but the policies which he continues to pursue in government. People in need of medical treatment or on housing waiting lists couldn't care less whether Mr. Cowen comes across well (or Enda Kenny for that matter). What they care about is when they will get the justice they are entitled to. They will not get that from any government comprised of Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael.


Hardly a day goes by now when we don’t hear of some section of society which is being hurt by government policies. This weekend we learned of the threat to respite services for people caring for family members with disabilities. There are over 450,000 unemployed and emigration is once again a live issue. Backbenchers like Noel O’Flynn have consistently voted for cutbacks and for the government’s failed economic policies but are now trying to fool the people into thinking they are rebels”, said Cllr. Tynan.

Even if Fianna Fáil were to replace Brian Cowen tomorrow it would make no difference to ordinary people. The policies of cutting vital services and bankrolling insolvent banks would remain exactly the same. Playing musical chairs with Fianna Fáil’s leadership will fool nobody.

Opposition to Mayoral pact is in defence of democracy

Commenting on Thursday night's (June 24th) election for Lord Mayor of Cork at City Hall, Workers Party councillor Ted Tynan said that comments from the pact candidate Michael O’Connell that he would “take politics out of the Mayoralty” were a total contradiction of the process that would elect Cllr. O’Connell where a three party pact would once again claim the office of Lord Mayor and deny almost one third of councillors their say in the election.

Cllr. Tynan said that it was not politics that needed to be taken out of the office of Lord Mayor but party politics. “The office of Lord Mayor of Cork is a deeply political office and is one the people of Cork are very proud of. One could hardly say that Lord Mayors such as Tomás Mac Curtain and Terence McSwiney were not political when in fact every fibre of their bodies were full of politics but they did not engage in the politics of self-promotion and exclusion of all other points of view”.

“It is a great pity that those members of the pact parties, and indeed some in the media see the nomination of candidates for the position of Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor by those of us outside the pact as some kind of nuisance. We do so in defence of the democracy that people like Mac Curtain and McSwiney fought for. To do otherwise would be a denial of the democratic votes of the thousands of citizens who voted for non-pact candidates”, said Cllr. Tynan.

Cllr. Tynan said he will be supporting the nomination of Independent Councillor Chris O’Leary for Lord Mayor and would propose Cllr. Jonathan O’Brien of Sinn Féin for the position of Deputy Lord Mayor.

New Stadium elsewhere in Docklands is best solution to Páirc Uí Chaoimh dilemma says Tynan

Speaking in advance of Monday night's (Jun 14) City Council vote in relation to the redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Workers’ Party Councillor Ted Tynan has said that a solution must be found that will satisfy the needs of the GAA to expand and the competing need for a major public park for the citizens of Cork.

Cllr. Tynan said he believed that a totally new stadium within the South Docklands area was the best solution and that he would be opposing the proposal that is before the council, but strongly urging the City Manager to do a swap with the GAA for another site within docklands.

The Workers’ Party councillor said, “The GAA’s proposal envisages the demolition in stages of most of the existing Páirc Uí Chaoimh. This will involve considerable disruption to the stadium’s fixtures with inevitable restrictions on crowd capacity and safety issues for several years. I am proposing that an entirely new stadium, incorporating the proposed Centre of Excellence, be built within a few hundred yards of Páirc Uí Chaoimh. This will preserve the proposed amenity park and give the GAA even more space to expand.”, said Cllr. Tynan.

“The City Council will have to accept that the docklands plan is not a Holy Grail. The economy is a very different animal now to what it was when the lofty plans for docklands were drawn up. It is inevitable in my view that the docklands development will have to be scaled down. This gives the council scope to make plenty of space available to the GAA within a puc fada of its historical home. It can be achieved if people are willing to open their minds and move from their entrenched positions”.

Cllr. Tynan said that the Workers’ Party was fully supportive of the GAA’s plans but that the opportunity to give the people of Cork a magnificent new public park close to the city centre might not arise again for generations. Both of these plans could be achieved if people were prepared to think outside the box and consider his proposal.

Micheál Martin should kick out Israeli Ambassador after convoy attack

Cork Workers Party Councillor Ted Tynan has called on Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin to immediately expel the Israeli Ambassador and break off all diplomatic relations with Israel following this morning’s attack by Israeli commandos on the international aid flotilla to Gaza.

There are a number of Cork activists on the convoy including Dr. Fintan Lane who is onboard the Challenger 1 which is one of the vessels attacked this morning. Cllr. Tynan has expressed concern for their safety.

Cllr. Tynan said that while Minister Micheál Martin had visited Palestine recently and had criticised Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian people this was no longer enough and it was now time to isolate Israel as the pariah state that it is following its attack on a humanitarian aid convoy.

“Words of condemnation are no longer enough from Minister Martin and he must stop the Israeli embassy in Dublin being used as a mouthpiece to justify international terrorism. Israel recently used Irish passports and those of other nations in order to carry out a cold-blooded assassination – several of the other countries involved have broken off relations with Israel but not Ireland. We now have peaceful Irish aid workers being put directly in the firing line by Israel in this heinous attack on the aid flotilla and it is time to take off the kid gloves with which Israel is being treated”, said Cllr. Tynan.

"Hands off the State Pension" Tynan warns Ó Cuiv

Cllr. Ted Tynan has condemned comments of Social Welfare Minister Eamon Ó Cuiv in which the Minister hinted that the State Pension (formerly known as the Old Age Pension) might be cut in the next Budget.

Cllr. Tynan said that the Minister would find himself faced with the wrath of pensioners if he attempted to interfere with a right people had worked all their lives to earn and the Workers Party described claims about wealthy people on State Pensions as a "red herring".

The State Pension is a means-tested payment. People who have paid in via their PRSI or stamps during their working lives may qualify for a Contributory Pension but the Non-Contributory Pension is subjected to a rigorous means test. The whole talk about people with wealth getting the State Pension is nothing other than a diversion and is a bit rich coming from a government that claimed it was unable to cut the massive pensions paid to judges and the golden handshakes given to criminal bankers.

"The Pension is a meagre enough payment and does not even make ends meet for people, particularly during Winter when they have to spend a large part of their pension on fuel in order to keep warm. In the harsh winter just gone by many elderly people, and indeed other people on welfare or low pay, ran up large bills for heating because it was literally a matter of life or death for them. Eamon Ó Cuiv, a grandson of Éamon De Valera, should know how dangerous it is to try and cut the pension - after all his grandfather got elected Taoiseach for the first time after a predecessor, Ernest Blythe took a shilling off the Old Age Pension. Blythe later lost his seat. Mr. Ó Cuiv should worry about his if he does the same", said Cllr. Tynan.

Tynan condemns slams "opposition" for secret deal on Freedom of City

Workers Party councillor Ted Tynan has a backroom deal has been made between the three parties that control the Mayoral Pact on Cork City Council to share the Freedom of the City over the next four years. The deal has been done in order to push through tomorrow night’s proposal to make the award to former Fine Gael deputy Peter Barry.

Fine Gael and Labour have joined forces with the main government party Fianna Fáil to secure the award for Mr. Barry, a former Tánaiste and member of a coalition government which was in power when thousands of jobs were lost in Cork including Fords, Dunlops and Verolme Cork Dockyard. The latter closed when the government gave a contract for replacement naval patrol vessels to a non-EU member state.

Cllr. Tynan said that once again the controlling clique on the city council had made a secret deal to the benefit of their own parties and to the detriment of democracy and at considerable cost at a time when the council is cutting back on important services and staff.

The Workers Party councillor said that the arrangement made a mockery of the talk of change coming from the alternative government-in-waiting being offered by Fine Gael and Labour. “In Dáil Éireann”, he said, “The main opposition parties give the impression they are at war with Fianna Fáil, but in Cork City Hall they are inseparable allies in order to share the extravagant spoils of office”.

“Just over a week ago”, said Cllr. Tynan, “we heard the Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore talk about fundamental change in Irish politics and “liberating the country from insiders who have squandered our prosperity’ – he also offered a ‘clear break with the political past’”. I wonder is Mr. Gilmore aware that of the insider deals being made by his own councillors in Cork City Hall?”, asked the Workers Party councillor.

“Are we really to believe that a government composed of Fine Gael and Labour would be any different to one led by Fianna Fáil when all three parties can merrily coalesce to share out the spoils of office in City Hall?”, he queried

EU General inspects his troops in Collins Barracks

Earlier this week (30/3/2010) we had the unnerving spectacle of a Brigadier General from the EU Nordic Battlegroup inspecting Irish troops in Collins Barracks, Cork City. Brigadier General Jan Stephan Andersson of the Swedish Army inspected the troops, who will be under his command for military exercises in Sweden later this year for what was referred to in a communiqué as "warfare training".

I raised this issue because it runs contrary to what we were told during the Lisbon Treaty referndums (1 and 2). When the formation of EU Battlegroups was raised by the Workers Party and others during the referendum and during the 2 Nice Treaty referendums, we were once again accused of scaremongering and people were reassured that these Battlegroups were purely for humanitarian missions. Now I have to wonder where does "warfare training" fit in to humanitarianism? What type of warfare are these Irish troops to be trained in? Now that the Lisbon referendum has been won by the government - on its second outing - the smoke is beginning to clear and the EU army that was so vehemently denied, is taking shape before our eyes. We are still being told that Irish neutrality is secure. The "triple lock" mechanism will see to that but then there's Brigadier Andersson as bold as brass inspecting troops up in Collins Barracks which was wrested from the control of another empire just 90 years ago.

It is even more ironic when we see that this is Easter Week and marks the 94th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising when a small band of Irishmen and women looked the British Empire in the face and flew the flag of freedom. This weekend political parties of all shades will mark that anniversary. No doubt Fianna Fáil will traipse into Arbour Hill at some stage and pay mealy-mouthed homage to that rebellion but it is worth recalling what that the Easter Proclamation of 1916 said:-

We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible. The long usurpation of that right by a foreign people and government has not extinguished the right, nor can it ever be extinguished except by the destruction of the Irish people. In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty: six times during the past three hundred years[2] they have asserted it in arms. Standing on that fundamental right and again asserting it in arms in the face of the world, we hereby proclaim the Irish Republic as a Sovereign Independent State, and we pledge our lives and the lives of our comrades-in-arms to the cause of its freedom, of its welfare, and its exaltation among the nations.

Quite clearly our neutrality and national sovereignty continue to be sold while we are driven ever deeper into the mire of the EU / New World Order that gives us EU armies and the likes of NAMA to save the bankers while ordinary workers and their families are thrown to the wolves.

The Workers Party will hold its own Easter 1916 commemoration on Easter Sunday. There will be no sharp suits or PR agencies feeding out a steady flow of media-speak. We will gather at the Republican Plot in St. Finbarr's Cemetery, Cork where the graves of patriots like Tomás Mac Curtain and Terence MacSwiney and many others are; where comrades like John Joe Kavanagh and Martin O'Leary lie buried. Did any of them really give their lives so that we could be ruled by an unaccountable bureaucratic elite in Brussels - or a bosses party in Dublin for that matter? I don't think so.

The Workers Party commemoration in Cork will be addressed by veteran socialist republican Sean Garland who will speak about issues relevant to working people and their families today. The Easter Proclamation will be read with pride by Donal O'Driscoll and we will lay wreaths on the graves of fallen comrades. The ceremony will commence at 12 Noon sharp and all are welcome

Ted Tynan pays tribute to Tomás Mac Giolla

 

Tomás Mac Giolla with Ted Tynan and Cork's Lord Mayor Brian Bermingham in 2008

Cork Workers’ Party Councillor Ted Tynan has paid warm tribute this afternoon (Thursday) to his friend and former Party President Tomás Mac Giolla who died in Dublin today aged 86.

Councillor Tynan said that Mr. Mac Giolla will be remembered as someone who played a leading role in the promotion of peace in Ireland and who struggled throughout his life for social justice and the rights of workers, the poor and those marginalised within Irish society.

“I am very saddened to hear the news of the death of Tomás Mac Giolla.  I have known Tomás for most of my life and he was a decisive influence on the formation of my political beliefs.   Tomás could always be relied upon when difficult decisions had to be taken and was a rock of commonsense who could see beyond rhetoric and make clear judgements at difficult times”, said Cllr. Tynan.

“Tomás and his wife May were also personal friends for many years and my heartfelt sympathy goes out to May at this time.  It is with great fondness that I recall that Tomás and May came to Cork in August 2008 as guests of Lord Mayor Brian Bermingham.  They both thoroughly enjoyed that and were regular visitors to Cork over many years”

Council pre-empting water charges

Councillor Ted Tynan has accused Cork City Council of pre-empting the introduction of water charges by installing meter-ready stopcocks in parts of the city over the past five years.

Cllr Tynan said that meter-ready stopcocks had already caused water outages in some areas during the recent freeze-up. He had seen such appliances in the Mayfield area which had a screw-on plastic cap with could be removed in a matter of minutes to install a meter. Many of these covers had burst during the recent freeze. (see photo).

“While Minister John Gormley has this morning announced that installation of water meters would begin next year, the fact is that Cork City Council have been preparing for this for several years and have jumped the gun on this issue”, said the Workers Party councillor.

Councillor Tynan said that the debate on water charges was totally skewed and householders were being blamed for water losses through leakages which were mainly due to years of underinvestment in the public water system. “For the past few weeks we have been bombarded with propaganda about people leaving taps running and wasting water but not one city or county manager can tell you how much of the water is being lost in this way and how much is being lost in the public mains through leakages”, he said.

“There is going to be a major battle in opposition to water charges which are a precursor to privatisation. These charges are another tax on working people and a totally unjust form of double taxation. It should be remembered that public opinion forced the scrapping of water charges over ten years ago. We are confident that this can be done again through a rigorous and determined campaign of opposition”.

“The Workers Party is already preparing its own campaign against water charges and we will work closely with others who oppose these unjust charges in building alliances around the country to oppose them. Water charges make no sense whatsoever, they are against the interests of public health, and water privatisation has been a disaster for ordinary people wherever it has taken place. The battle starts now and Minister Gormley will find he is facing a formidable opposition to charging for water.”, said Cllr. Tynan.

Tynan condemns closure of Ardbhaile council office

Councillor Ted Tynan has said that the closure of local Cork City Council offices around the city, including the one at Ardbhaile in Mayfield,  is a backwards step and will have a negative knock-on effect for both the public and the council alike.

The Workers’ Party councillor said that the move, forced on the City Council due to cutbacks in government funding, would cause difficulties for people who find it difficult to get into City Hall to report local problems or simply pay their rent. 

Cllr.  Tynan said that the local offices, such as the one at Árd Bhaile, had proved their worth and had been essential in building better links between the local communities and City Council staff and officials.  

“The value of these local offices is that people can get to know the officials who in turn can build up a working relationship with people in the local community.  They can also deal with people on a one-to-one basis and for instance, if a person runs into difficulty with rent they can identify the problem sooner and can make an arrangement with that person.  It also provides a link for people to report local problems be it broken street lights, pavements or housing maintenance issues”

Councillor Tynan praised the work of staff at the local offices and said it was a disgrace that all their good work was being undone by a petty cutback but he laid blame squarely at the door of the Fianna Fáil / Green Party government.  “This is just another one of the many effects of their slash and burn policy of cutbacks.  It is also short-sighted as the closure of these local offices will cost the council and the state money in the long run”.