Cork WP Christmas Draw Results 2014

The Cork Region of the Workers' Party held its annual Christmas Draw at the Cotton Ball Bar, Mayfield at 9.30pm on Monday, 15th December, 2014.

The following were the winners in this annual Private Members Draw:

Prize	Ticket No.	Winner
1st	0397	John Jefferies, Cobh
2nd	0476	Sam McCarthy, Ballyphehane
3rd	0533	Sonya O’Neill c/o Sean McCarthy
4th	1476	Sean Crowley c/o Three Horseshoes Bar,  Dillon’s Cross
5th	2749	Shantell McCarthy, Mayfield
6th	1120	Richard Scannell, Dublin Hill, Cork
7th	1029	Eric Coughlan, Churchfield Avenue
8th	0006	Aaron Sherin, Mayfield
9th	0661	Nuala Crean, Mahon
10th	2875	Pat Cummins c/o Donie Crean
11th	0245	Martin Mason c/o Tom Mason
12th	0633	Nina Ahern Snr, Clonakilty
13th	0150	Willie Cronin c/o Donie Crean
14th	2607	John Brennan, Dripsey, Co. Cork
15th	2877	Pat Cummins c/o Donie Crean
16th	1051	Pat Tynan c/o Ted Tynan
17th	0429	Fiona McCarthy, Connolly Road, Cork
18th	0331	Gavin O’Callaghan, Mayfield
19th	0323	Sean Hales,  Bandon
20th	0416	Tom McCarthy, c/o Sean McCarthy
21st	0437	Tom McCarthy, c/o Sean McCarthy
22nd	0877	Roy Keating, Ballyphehane

All winners have been notified.  We would like to thank all those who donated prizes for the draw along.  Thanks also to all our ticket sellers and those who supported the draw.  We wish you Seasons Greetings and best wishes for the New year.

Peace, Work Democracy and Class Politics

Tynan demands action as Mayfield heating fails again

Cllr. Ted Tynan

A district heating system serving more than 200 houses and flats at Glenamoy Lawn and Ardbhaile in Mayfield on Cork’s Northside is giving trouble for a second winter in a row less than two years after a major overhaul was carried out.

Local Workers’ party Councillor, Ted Tynan, said dozens of residents in the local authority built estates are freezing in their homes just as the first sharp frosts of this winter begin to bite. 

Cllr. Tynan had raised the issue at a meeting of Cork City Council last February and had called for a thorough investigation to be carried out into the district heating system which relies on a large central boiler to feed hot water to the individual homes through under-floor piping.

“The system seems to function when demand for heating is average but when cold snaps such as the present one occur the heat doesn’t get to some of the homes leaving the occupants, including both elderly pensioners and families with young children, without any heating or with a bare minimum of heat” said Cllr. Tynan.

Cork City Council crisis - Tynan won't be moved by "Sword of Damocles"

Workers Party Councillor Ted Tynan has said that he will continue to vote against the Cork City Council budget as long as the local authority remains underfunded and its finances are linked to double taxation in the form of water charges.

The City Council last night failed to adopt a budget for 2015 and is now under threat of abolition with 14 days to adopt a budget or the elected councillors will be replaced by an unelected commissioner imposed by Minister Alan Kelly.  

Cllr. Tynan said that councillors were faced with a choice between adopting a budget which would mean more cuts in council services and more job reductions or having a dictatorial commissioner imposed on the council by Minister Alan Kelly.

“The Sword of Damocles that now hangs over Cork City Council is in stark contrast to the bottomless pit of money made available to Irish Water.  The leaking water system is inextricably linked to the years of underfunding of local authorities by successive governments and mirrors the overall decline of public services due to cuts and the public service embargo”

“People may not be aware that Cork City Council, which once employed hundreds of workers in a variety of trades, now retains only two full-time plumbers to look after the council’s 8,000 local authority homes .The council’s budget has fallen by €44 million (23%) since 2011 and in the same period employment there has dropped by 367. These cuts mean the council’s ability to provide vital services is being strangled”, the Workers Party councillor stated.

Cllr. Tynan said the government had created the crisis that now engulfs it and imposing a dictatorship on Cork City Council would merely exacerbate the situation. “The onus is not on councillors but on Minister Alan Kelly to ensure that the council is properly funded. Having abolished 80 town councils last year is his government now going to abolish a major city council which received a fresh mandate from the people a mere six months ago?”, he queried.

Tynan slams cuts to Mayfield library services

Workers’ Party Councillor Ted Tynan has accused management at Cork City Council of “backwards thinking” following cuts in services at the Frank O’Connor Library in Mayfield as a result of understaffing.  Cllr. Tynan is to raise the issue at tomorrow (Monday) night’s meeting of Cork City Council.

The library will now be closed on Thursdays and will no longer open late on Wednesdays.   These cuts have forced the scrapping of a Junior Chess Club which has been an outstanding success since it was established some years ago on the initiative of one of the librarians.

Cllr. Tynan said that the reduction of staff and opening hours at the Mayfield library made no sense and showed a tendency on the part of some in City Council management to pick soft targets for cutbacks.

“The Frank O’Connor Library is an important part of the fabric of community in Mayfield and the North East Ward.  It should be used a lot more and its services should be better advertised by the City Council.”, said Cllr Tynan.

Mayfield Library (Photo: Cork City Council)

He continued, “The abandonment of the Junior Chess Club is a serious mistake. Chess is recognised worldwide as being beneficial to the developing minds of children especially in expanding their thinking and analytical skills.  In 2002 an important US study proved that children who played chess from an early age scored significantly higher on all measures of academic achievement, including maths, spatial analysis, and non-verbal reasoning ability”.

The Workers’ Party councillor pointed out that Frank O’Connor, the renowned Cork writer after whom Mayfield library is named, had been a librarian before he became a full-time writer.  “I’m sure Frank O’Connor, if he were alive, would be deeply disappointed at this retrograde step in downgrading the library and that nearly 50 years after his death this service is going backwards”,

Top council officials wined and dined by Irish Water at Croke Park corporate box

Cllr. Ted Tynan (WP)

Cork Workers Party Councillor Ted Tynan has called on Irish Water to confirm or deny reports that top local authority officials, including some from Cork, were wined and dined in the company’s corporate box at Croke Park during last Saturday’s American Football game (Aug 27th).

Cllr. Tynan said he had been given sight of a photo in which at least one senior official from Cork was clearly recognisable and said the attendance of local government officials at such an event was completely inappropriate.

He said, “The presence of these very senior officials as guests of Irish Water represents a serious conflict of interest on the part of the officials concerned and a blatant waste of taxpayers’ money by a company which has become a black hole into which vast amounts of public money is disappearing”.

"Corporate boxes at Croke Park cost upwards of €160,000 or can be hired on a once-off basis.  Already Irish Water has spent more than €85 million of public money on consultants and unknown sums on corporate entertainment. This cavalier attitude to scarce public funds shows Irish Water's contempt for the Irish people."

“This junket must be deeply repugnant to the householders of this country who are being told that they might be facing water bills of up to €900 a year for a service they already pay for.   I am calling on both Irish Water and the officials concerned to come clean and account for their actions and for the government to see sense and put an end to Irish Water and the water privatisation plans”, said Cllr. Tynan.   

He commended the stand of thousands of householders around the country in resisting the installation of water meters and urged others to join that battle. 

Cllr. Ted Tynan, Telephone (086) 1908281

Future of 208A Lotamore bus service must be clarified says Tynan

Bus Éireann: service to public must be a priority

Workers Party Councillor Ted Tynan has called on Bus Éireann to clarify its position with regard to the future of the 208A Bus service which serves the Lotamore and Montenotte areas of Cork city.

Cllr. Tynan said he was shocked to hear reports that the service was to be withdrawn at the end of this month (July) and warned that such a move would have a serious effect on residents and commuters in the area.

The 208A bus was previously known as the 8A and for decades it operated as the 7A service.

“This is a very limited service which operates only three daily departures from Lotamore and just two return journeys from Patrick Street”, said Cllr. Tynan.   “It serves areas which are well beyond the main 208 bus service.  It is a vital link for many older residents living in the area and I strongly suspect Bus Éireann wants to abandon it because it is not making enough profit for them”.

“Bus Éireann must not be allowed to cherry-pick the most profitable routes and abandon people who have worked hard all their lives and paid taxes to the state.  Just because a significant number of those who use the 208A route are older citizens does not justify withdrawing the route.  That would be completely unacceptable”.

Cllr. Tynan said that the real reason for this reported cut is because the present government and its predecessors have successively cut state funding to the national transport company.  “Tens of millions of euro has been cut from the state subvention to the CIE group, including Bus Éireann, in the past few years.  This is all part of the privatisation agenda and, in this case,  is direct discrimination against older citizens.   It completely goes against the founding principles of the CIE group”.

“Bus Éireann must be reminded of its obligations as a publicly owned company”, said the Workers Party councillor, “I am calling on the company to make a clear statement on the future of the 208A bus route and to withdraw any planned threat to take away the service”, said Cllr. Tynan.

Workers Party will oppose rejigged pact

Workers’ Party Councillor Ted Tynan has said that under no circumstances will he support any nominee of a pro-austerity party for the position of Lord Mayor of Cork

Councillor Ted Tynan - always opposed pacts

Cllr. Tynan said that he was shocked to discover his name was being bandied about as part of a deal on the mayoralty.   This was absolutely untrue, he stated.  He said somebody was spinning stories to suit their own agenda and there was no question of the Workers’ Party’s single vote on the City Council going to elect right-wing parties.  “It would go against everything we stand for”, he said.

“The Workers Party, out of courtesy, met with all the groups on the City council who had asked to meet us.  We agreed no deal with anyone and made it clear that our anti-pact position of the past three decades had not changed and would not change.  Our opposition to water charges and privatisation of council services is not going to change”  

“I am most disappointed that Sinn Féin, having being elected on an anti-cuts platform, is to re-build the mayoral pact which was torn asunder by the voters of this city three weeks ago.  It does not matter whether it is elected under the D’Hondt system or any other, this is a reincarnation of the old pact, with Sinn Féin and a few independents taking the place of the Labour Party.  I wish to make it absolutely clear that the Workers’ Party is not part of the Independent group and will oppose tonight’s nomination of the pact’s candidate”.