This bill will facilitate evictions, increase the power of landlords to evict tenants, & allow developers to build without any real regulation or consultation. What the Bill will do: - Give landlords the right to evict tenants if they feel they could charge more to new tenants. - Allow landlords to evict households who have been in their home and community for over 4 years with no extended notice. - Increase homelessness and put almost 25% of the population under constant threat of eviction. - Allow An Bord Pleanála to privately develop plans with private developers without public consultation. This will lead to unsuitable, untenable and unfinished housing developments nationwide. - Allow for developers to be compensated by up to €10,000 if their planning applications are delayed - an obscene waste of public money. We are in the grips of the worst housing crisis Ireland has seen in a century. However, there are 5,000 empty homes across South Dublin alone. This bill does nothing to tackle the problem of vacant properties, which affects every part of the country. This Bill directly steals from the pockets of a public struggling to keep their homes, to give to private developers and landlords. . This Bill is an obscene affront to the most basic right to a home, and is an insult to the thousands of families and individuals homeless and living on the streets and in cramped hotel rooms nationwide.

We are calling on Galway based multinational C&F Group to reinstate 98 workers sacked in the Philippines for joining a trade union. On May 26, 2016, the workers, many with 3 to 12 years service, registered their Trade Union with the Department of Labor and Employment and the very next day, on May 27, the company abruptly offered a redundancy programme. The Union obtained its Certificate of Registration on May 30, 2016 and on June 6 filed for representation rights for the workers for collective bargaining purposes. On the very same day, management at the company said they were subjecting 98 workers to "retrenchment," or laying-off, of which more than 63 are union officers or union members. Three days after the lay-offs, the company replaced the sacked workers with 55 new agency staff on top of the 50 agency workers already employed in the plant. Since the workers were dismissed, they have been on strike outside the factory. It is the first ever industrial action in the economic zone in the Philippines and has been in place for more than 8 weeks now. Speaking on behalf of the workers, Esmereldo Ison said, “What has happened to us is very disappointing. Many of us have worked for this company for several years and we have been sacked for trying to avail of our international human rights.” He explained that the workers have filed for illegal dismissal cases but that process could take up to 10 years. “We need our jobs so we can feed our families. We cannot wait three or four years for this to reach the courts. We want to be reinstated immediately.” Mandate Trade Union General Secretary John Douglas, speaking on behalf of four trade unions in Ireland including Unite, the Communications Workers’ Union and OPATSI, said the actions of management at C&F are deplorable. “This is a clear case of union-busting and it’s embarrassing that it’s an Irish firm with Irish management involved in this type of exploitation.” He added, “The Managing Director of C&F, John Flaherty, needs to do the right thing and ensure these workers are reinstated immediately and compensated for any losses they have incurred due to the illegal and discriminatory behaviour of his management team in the Philippines.” C & F Manufacturing Phils. Corporation is an Irish-owned subsidiary of C & F Tooling Ltd. of Galway, Ireland. They have operations in Ireland, Germany, Czech Republic, USA and the Philippines. According to the company website, C&F Group had a turnover in excess of $100m in 2007 and the company supplies components to multinational corporations including IBM, EMC, APC, Ingersoll Rand, Glen Dimplex, Sanyo and Hitachi Koki. The unionised workers are demanding that the company: 1. Reinstate unconditionally all the 98 workers summarily and discriminately terminated. 2. Recognize and respect the rights of the workers to organise and to collectively bargain; 3. Respect the right of the workers for a one-day rest in a week and stop the inhumane practice of continuous and excessive long hours of work. 4. Investigate and impose disciplinary action on managers Paul Hynes and Damian Gavin for their attitude towards the Filipino workers. 5. Lastly, for management to make corrective actions to address the violations of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) Code of Conduct. NOTE: C&F Group’s code of ethics include: “FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION In conformance with local law, participants shall respect the right of all workers to form and join trade unions of their own choosing, to bargain collectively and to engage in peaceful assembly as well as respect the right of workers to refrain from such activities. Workers and/or their representatives shall be able to openly communicate and share ideas and concerns with management regarding working conditions and management practices without fear of discrimination, reprisal, intimidation or harassment.

Our Judges continuously hand down suspended or short sentences to rapists and those found guilty of sexual assault in this country, including those who sexually assault children. We do not accept these sentences which legitimise the rape of both adults and children and allow dangerous and violent criminals to walk freely on our streets. Enough is enough. If our judges are unable to punish those who have committed these abhorrent crimes, then we call for their resignations from their positions.

In spite of E.U. sanctions against Russia for their role in destabilising Ukraine and annexing parts of the country, on December 7th, 2015, a 16-strong trade delegation led by Minister of State Sean Sherlock under the auspices of the Joint Economic Commission – Russia/Ireland, went to Moscow "to build on our existing excellent relationships"(1). Meanwhile Russia is bombing and killing hundreds of innocent civilians in Syria. According to the respected Syria Network for Human Rights, Russian airstrikes since September 30th until December 1st, 2015, have targeted markets, mosques, bakeries, killing 583 individuals - 570 of whom were civilians, including 152 children and 60 women. A recent report from Human Rights Watch also highlighted Russian extensive use of cluster bombs (2). The Convention on Cluster Munitions which banned their use under any circumstances, was actually adopted in Dublin on 30th May 2008. Their use also violates United Nations Resolution 2139 which demanded that all parties involved in Syria end “indiscriminate employment of weapons in populated areas" (3). Russia also vetoed a UN Security Council resolution to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (4). The Amnesty International report of December 23rd, 2015, in effect corroborates and elaborates on the substance of these earlier (SNR, HRW) reports in laying out egregious violations of human rights and international law perpetrated by the Russian military. Please sign this petition to ensure that our government does not support the lifting of current E.U. sanctions against Russia when they are due for renewal. 1. http://www.intellinews.com/irish-government-gets-primed-for-lifting-of-sanctions-against-russia-86361 Irish government gets primed for lifting of sanctions against Russia 2. https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/12/20/russia/syria-extensive-recent-use-cluster-munitions Russia/Syria: Extensive Recent Use of Cluster Munitions 3. http://www.un.org/press/en/2014/sc11292.doc.htm Security Council Unanimously Adopts Resolution 2139 (2014) to Ease Aid Delivery to Syrians, Provide Relief from ‘Chilling Darkness’ 4. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27514256 Russia and China veto UN move to refer Syria to ICC

There has been a rise in burglaries in the last year. Burglaries have been more or less consistently happening since last November. Communities are afraid and this should not be the case for people in 2024. We need and deserve proper rural policing.  

There has been several people threatened and there was involvement of knives from robbers. We would like to feel safe again. This is a family neighborhood.

The time for being fearful of the Religious bodies is over. They were complicit in Abuse and crimes, and since they are unwilling to act in a Christian manner and apologise and make reparations, they must be forced to do so.

This could be anyone of our sons nephews grandsons. We need to know our children are safe on the streets

I'm a victim of Domestic violence I got out of both relationships and got the right services for my children but what about the men/woman that don't know of these services because there abusers have them so isolated from the outside world it's time us past victims spoke out and helped todays victims

This is important as comments made may be claimed to be prejudicial to a fair trial. We all want justice for Ashling Murphy's family and friends and the best way to achieve this is to #ClosetheComments on news outlets reports and commentaries.

Since 1996 244 women have been murdered only 13% of them were murdered by a person they didn't know the rest were murdered by someone they knew a partner a husband a lover. 33,000 unanswered domestic assault calls by the Garda last year alone demonstrate the level of violence towards women. It has become ingrained in our culture to accept poor behaviour towards women. 200 euro bail for men who kicked a young woman so badly that she is in danger of losing an eye. This is not enough. The publicly shaming raping victims for clothing in court or past sexual history and taking letters of recommendation on the behaviour of violent men towards women to count as a reference on their good nature towards men. This misogynistic culture needs to stop and for those guilty of misogyny to be given a custodial sentece. We need to end violence against women

We the Irish people who pay the salaries of the give every have the right to decide who governs our nation. We are now faced with a government who have shown lack of compassion and care towards the Irish people as a whole. They have proved they are not trustworthy or capable of governing this country. We the Irish people voted for change in February 2020 and this has been denied by the current cabinet. We deserve the change that was voted for. Our health system is at its knees, our housing is in a state of emergency and in need of a sensible but compassionate approach. Our elderly are being robbed of what they worked all their lives to earn, those who refuse to work are being rewarded heavily through social welfare. A reform of the entire system is needed. Our rural communities are at their knees, almost at the point of extinction. Crime is at an all time high in this country and the Garda are without the powers to enforce the rule of law.