Sunday 25 May 2014

Thank You!

THANK YOU!

My sincere thanks to all the people of the North East Ward for re-electing me as a councillor for the area. Thanks also to my family, my comrades in the Workers' Party and all those who helped out in the election.  I am humbled by the huge support I got from people and I hope I can live up to your expectations of me.   Sorry I could not be joined by my party colleague and comrade James Coughlan who got a very respectable vote in Cork City North West on his first electoral outing.  I think James has shown great heart and has the potential to make it next time.

Congratulations to Stephen Cunningham who just pipped me at the post for the first seat.

The result of this election is a clear message to the government, the EU and the banking elites that the people will no longer be taken for granted, but the battle is a major one and has really only just begun.   The issues of water charges, cutbacks in health, education, welfare and essential services have not gone away. The battle against privatisation is still to be fought.  The austerity agenda is being driven by powerful forces and can only be defeated if the majority in society, the working class, stand united and fight.  That fight will not be won in the council chambers alone, in the Dáil or in the European Parliament.  It can only be won on the streets and in the communities across this city, across the country and worldwide.

Once again thank you to everyone. I continue to be available to constituents and can be contacted at (086) 1908281 or by email at tedtynan@gmail.com

Thursday 22 May 2014

Save Mayfield Post Office says Tynan

Mayfield Post Office
Mayfield Workers Party Councillor and local election candidate Ted Tynan has accused the government of deliberately putting off a decision on the future of local post offices until after the European and Local elections.

Cllr. Tynan said that Minister Pat Rabbitte was holding off on a decision on the future of local post offices and outsourcing the tender for social welfare payments away from An Post.  The Workers’ Party councillor said that for a full week the government had been in overdrive making apparently positive announcements to boost support for the coalition parties but had been silent on issues such as the post office controversy.

In particular, Councillor Tynan expressed concern that the local post office in Mayfield would close if the government proceeds with its plans.   “Mayfield has already lost its two banks which have been left as empty buildings. More and more people are unable to make simple transactions locally such as paying bills and cashing cheques. If the post office closes then the heart will truly be gone from Mayfield and other communities like it.”

The recent introduction of “Post Points” in supermarkets such as Tesco and Dunnes Stores was another sign of things to come, Cllr. Tynan warned. “These Post Points may seem convenient but they could spell the death knell for local post offices.


The Workers’ Party councillor said that while the government had heralded the departure of the Troika as the return of Ireland’s economic sovereignty, the coalition is acting as if the Troika was still telling it what to do.  “What does economic sovereignty mean if the state has to slavishly do the EU/IMF’s bidding and privatise services, sell off our water,  our state companies and now the post office network?  They won’t be happy until they have left many parts of this country an economic wasteland”

Wednesday 14 May 2014

Government intent on shutting down social housing says Tynan

Workers’ Party Councillor Ted Tynan has warned that the government and city managers are intent on shutting down social housing and handing it over to private or voluntary groups.

The Mayfield based councillor said that while there have been long-term problems without housing waiting lists, over the past few months the allocation of social housing units had come to a virtual standstill while the building of new housing units directly under local authority control was practically non existent.

Cllr. Tynan said: “I am deeply concerned that Cork City Council and other local authorities are going to offload social housing in the same way as they privatised the refuse service and now the water service.  Social housing provision is more likely to be handed over to housing charities or indeed to private landlords.  I believe this would be a very bad outcome for local authority tenants and those on the waiting lists”.

He continued, “This government, in league with the European Union bureaucracy which brought us the Troika, is determined to turn a whole raft of state agencies, including local authorities, into purely regulatory bodies.  In effect the state is divesting itself of social responsibility.  The rights of citizens to jobs, roofs over their heads and a social welfare safety net is being eroded day by day.

Cllr. Tynan, who is standing for re-election in the Cork City North East ward, said that local government would cease to be relevant to citizens if its role as a service provider is abolished. “There will be a major battle on the new councils to preserve key services such as social housing.  If re-elected I intend to fight to keep these services under public control through the local authorities.”, he said.