After watching the RTÉ investigates special and watching the nursing staff of St. James’ Hospital fight COVID on a daily basis, it was harrowing to see just what our nursing staff went through and continue to do so. These nurses watched countless people die and treated them with the upmost respect on their passing even acting as their family members due to the COVID restrictions. Our nursing staff have gone above and beyond across the country to save lives. And as the restrictions are lifted, they continue to fight COVID in our hospitals. This is not over for them and they fear a second wave. Our responsibility as the public to say a small thank you to these amazing nurses is to lobby ever single TD in this country until we increase their wages. Enough is enough. These amazing women and men deserve so much more. This is the least we could do for them. Below is a sample email to send to your local TD

Airbnb is a a major factor on homelessness. As Airbnb is so unregulated many landlords are evicting tenants to turn their premises into nightly lets. This is causing the massive reduction of properties available in the private rental market. Therefore pushing up the cost of rents. The People of Ireland are living in hotels and B&Bs while the tourists are living in the houses. Until this sector is regulated and the rules enforced this will continue to happen. Covid 19 has highlighted this, we saw 1000s and 1000s of houses lying empty because travel restrictions. I am urging the Government to do someting about this once and for all.

This Global Public Benefit Manifesto for the Roscam Peninsula, if well executed, will lead to the preservation & restoration of the National Monument and preserve the surrounding pastoral landscape of this Bronze age settlement and create an iconic “Sustainable by Design” Culture, Heritage, Arts and Theatre experience embedded within a dramatic natural seaside parkland setting. This can be a cornerstone Galway 2020 Legacy Project to mark Galway's year as European City of Culture

The insurance industry wreaks havoc on so many aspects of Irish life. Thanks to skyrocketing premiums; people have been put off the road, childcare has become too expensive, and small businesses are struggling to survive. A new law called the ‘Consumer Insurance Contracts Bill’ could help tilt the balance back towards ordinary people. But, even though the law has been passed and signed by the president - the sitting Minister for Finance says he won’t sign it because the insurance companies ‘could quit the market’. It seems the Minister is forgetting just how many drivers, small business owners and childcare centres are urgently at risk of losing everything because of massive insurance bills.

Growing local community, business and amenities.

My name is Richard Hanlon a co-owner of Busyfeet & Coco Cafe Dublin's oldest Fair-trade Cafe on South William street established in 2001. My concern is the lack of availability of public toilets in Dublin's city centre currently and into the future, with only 2 public toilets operational at Connelly & Hueston stations for a city of 650k people at this time. The current crisis has accentuated the urgent issue of the city’s poor hygiene infrastructure which will have an adverse effect on both public health and the survival of city centre commercial areas.  Under the road map to reopen Ireland’s society and economy we will move from Phase 1 to Phase 2 on June 8th. This will mean significantly increased movement of citizens and an influx to the city which will be a major event within Dublin. This also will be a key economic turning point for the Dublin city center commerce, but due to ongoing restrictions there will be no accessible toilet or handwashing facilities for the public to use till Phase 3 June 28th. When some hospitality  and retailers  could allow access to their loos. As an SME operator of coffee shops in both the city centre and suburbs, I am acutely aware of my customers requirement for easily accessible toilets. It is also very clear that the demands between the city and suburbs are vastly different during these times. People using suburban hospitality venues such as neighbourhood cafes for takeaway are within easy access of their own homes and bathroom facilities. The 20 days period between Phase 2 & 3 will be a pivotal time for businesses in the city, who badly need to reopen and help kickstart the economy. The “No Place to Go” feeling will be a negative consequence of having no temporary public toilets available from June 8th in Dublin city centre, making returning custom much less unlikely ‘A first impression is a lasting impression to a customer’.  In a survey more than half agreed that the lack of public toilets stopped them from going out as often as they would like. Any further loss to future trade in the coming months in the city centre will be devastating economically, pushing most businesses to bankruptcy. The ‘Urinary leash’ will not only hold back all of us from venturing into the city center but it will hold back the country.  There have been too many years of debating and deliberating about public toilets and in 2018 the Green Party hailed the achievement of 300k allocation of funds for public toilets, but this was never used and on the 25th May 2020 meetings with DCC called for temporary public toilets to be facilitated ahead of Phase 2 June 8th, but no budget or allocation could be agreed. Why is it so difficult to talk toilets in a modern age?  Dublin is Ireland’s economic engine and  250,000 people work in Dublin 1 and 2 alone.  On average, 300,000 people visit Dublin city centre each day, but with the expected drop in footfall due to working from home requirements, reduced transport capacity and social distancing the hospitality sector alone is looking to operate at a maximum of c.45% capacity.  We could be looking at up to 150,000 less people a day, which will mean the closure of many.  Without the hospitality sector there will be no adequate toilet facilities within Dublin City, so we must come up with a solution for both short term and long term so we can maintain Dublin City as an attractive destination.  Who will return to the city centre, when they cannot find toilets and handwashing places during this COVID 19 crisis? Would you?  Without people, we have no commerce and Dublin has no future. Dublin City Council has to spend more than a penny now and act for the people of Dublin, so let's see them make a positive move soon and save our Dublin city’s heart from dirt, dereliction and disintegration. City councillors and local politicians are eager to promote the rapid implementation of pedestrianisation of central zones and push for increased cycling as an important step to our future, even during this current health emergency. However, we should be reminded of our past where cycling and public toilets were commonplace and interlinked as we travelled further from our home privies.  Does the council want to add to the increased unsanitary practices which are currently taking place in the city? Does the council want to force the public into a situation in which they are unable to wash their hands, when the HSE & our Taoiseach are telling us that it is essential to public health? DCC need to act swiftly or further compound the the ability of the city commercial areas to survive.

Leo Varadkar said being better off on the unemployment payment rather than working is “not fair” and “not sustainable”, and he's right. It's not fair or sustainable that minimum wages don't meet the costs of living. Raise the minimum wage to a living wage. Protect people returning back to work. This pandemic has changed our lives, and our priority should be the health and safety of everyone in Ireland. That includes making enough money to live on. Sources: https://www.newstalk.com/news/varadkar-pandemic-payment-1018514

We need our city centre to become a comfortable, attractive and sustainable place to shop and do business. Citizens and visitors should come first and the congestion caused by cars should be removed. We have seen pedestrianisation work in small and large towns and cities in Ireland and all the evidence shows the people of Kilkenny want this and that it will improve footfall and business in our beautiful city.

"Bewley’s is the heart and the hearth of Dublin" Brendan Kennelly The Beautiful Harry Clarke and Jim Fitzpatrick stainglass windows, The decorative facade at grafton streets midpoint, Attending plays or events in the cafe theatre, the grafton st balcony on a warm afternoon,a place for a special treat to catch up with family+friends or simply read by the warm fires escaping the weather outside. For close to 100 years Bewleys Grafton street cafe as a special place in the hearts of Dubliners and visitors alike. Regularly it is compared to some of the great tea rooms of continental Europe. It has played such an important part in the citys history and cultural life. Over the years many Irish cultural icons such as James Joyce frequented Bewleys cafes The Dublin city development plan recognizes that Bewleys "contributes significantly to the special and unique character of grafton street" and protects the building for use as a cafe. Losing Bewleys would not just be be a big lost for those that love but for Dublin as a city. We are in the midst of a global pandemic with big health and economic issues but it still be a shame to lose this Dublin landmark forever to become a big brand store. A solution can be found to save it. The developer who owns the building(refuses to address rental issues), was himself bailed out with largre sums by the Irish people after behaving recklessly.

At this time of international pandemic we would ask you and the other foreign ministers of the EU to seek a relaxation of the trade blockade by the US to end its blockade immediately, or at the very least to temporarily suspend it to allow vital supplies of food, fuel and medical equipment to the Cuban people allowing them to fight the coronavirus at home and abroad. As the world fights an international battle against the coronavirus pandemic, Cuba has once again proved itself a paragon of internationalism and solidarity. In recent days the island has sent highly skilled medical brigades to many countries including Italy, Grenada, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Venezuela to support foreign health services overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis. On 18 March the Cuban government offered safe haven to passengers of the stricken British cruise ship MS Braemar allowing it to dock in Havana when many other countries had refused. It has also made its anti-viral drug Interferon Alfa-2b available to nations around the world to help in the treatment of patients infected with COVID-19.The island’s altruistic response to the global emergency continues a long history of Cuban humanitarianism. In the last 56 years 400,000 Cuban health workers have responded to natural disasters and helped build health services in 164 nations. This includes sending medical brigades to Pakistan in the aftermath of the Kashmiri earthquake (2005), to Haiti to assist with the devastating cholera outbreak following the earthquake (2010), and to West Africa in the region’s fight against Ebola (2015). Cuba has also trained 35,613 health professionals from 138 countries at its Latin American Medical School since 1998, where many members of the Irish Cuban Solidarity Alliance have visited. At the same time the island has suffered the effects of the 58-year old criminal United States blockade which causes daily shortages of food, fuel and other basic necessities. Last year the cost to the Cuban health sector alone amounted to more than $104 million. As we write, Cuba is itself combating the spread of coronavirus within its own population and needs access of medical equipment and resources to safeguard the well-being of its most vulnerable citizens. Cuba has always put the humanitarian needs of people first, regardless or borders or politics. At this time of international crisis, the US blockade is criminal, not only for its impact on the Cuban people, but also for hindering their ability to assist in the worldwide battle against the virus.

Link to full statement and list of demands: https://tinyurl.com/swe4f8p How to support: > Pledge to boycott the awards & the awards’ outcomes online > Support the boycott by usings our images on your social media > Share the boycott using the hashtag #ARTSBLACKOUT #COVIDARTSCRISIS Twitter - @BLACKOUT_ARTS Instagram - @Arts_Blackout In place of the schemes proposed by the Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht, we are issuing the following demands. We have formulated these in consultation with artists and arts workers across the sector and invite artists participating in the boycott to submit their own demands. Please email [email protected] DEMANDS 1. For the Department of Social Protection to streamline access for artists and arts workers to the COVID-19 Unemployment Payment. A letter of reference from any Irish cultural organisation or venue should be accepted as evidence of working in the sector. 2. For the Government to begin setting up a Universal Basic Income Scheme through a pilot scheme for sole traders, arts workers, the underemployed, the unemployed and the community volunteering sector. 3. For at least a €10 million COVID-19 emergency fund to be made available to the Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht. 4. For the Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht to seek out sustained and meaningful consultation with artists from across the sector. To initiate a far-reaching debate on the current nature of the status of the artist with a view to ensuring the sustainability of artists' careers, practices and activities, as well as artists’ freedom of expression, social and financial recognition, and individual well-being. 5. For all publicly funded COVID-19 Art Schemes to take into account the different circumstances of artists in regards to space, time, materials and favour no particular medium, style, or type of practice. For equality and inclusion to be at the centre of decision making. 6. For all publicly funded cultural organisations to honour artist payments that were contracted to take place during the COVID-19 emergency measures, regardless of the status of work 7. For the Arts Council of Ireland and Local Authority Arts Offices to introduce non-competitive awards during the crisis and distribute funds to applicants equally. 8. For the Arts Council of Ireland to release funds to finance rent on studios, rehearsal spaces, and vital production spaces, to ensure that artists are not charged rent during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Gardens have the capacity to maintain the physical distancing and hygiene practices necessary to combat the spread of COVID-19. Community Gardens and Allotments provide for a wide scope of citizens, including low-income and marginalised people, allowing them access to organically grown, sustainable, healthy food, which might be out of their budget to purchase otherwise. We are at the start of growing season and many rely on food crops from their extended gardens to sustain them in the coming months therefore the closure notice served at the end of March hits many with additional frustration on top of ongoing situation in the society. Complete closure order from the council will inevitably lead to unnecessary food waste, but what is the worst - depression may take people's lives in an already stressful situation when many lost their jobs, or part of income, due to Covid-19. We must protect the vulnerable who find refuge and hope in growing a garden. The Local Councils must work towards improving access to HEALTHY, LOCALLY grown food in a SAFE space, while maintaining necessary precautions regarding spread of Covid-19. We can’t afford to deepen the antagonism in our society, particularly during a public health crisis. COMMUNITY GARDENS AND ALLOTMENTS ARE ESSENTIAL.