Homelessness is increasing in Cork with no sign of reducing. The social housing waiting list has people on it for over 10 years. Rents are increasing year on year. People are being evicted from their homes. House prices are soaring as the housing market is being speculated on. The private sector will not resolve this crisis. Public housing is desperately needed. Unfortunately, central government has no political will to provide this. Public housing cannot be provided by local government if they are not given the resources for this. We are asking our local councillors to make a statement to central government. Local government needs to be provided with resourcing for building public housing. If they are not provided with resourcing then the council needs to take a stand against the consistent defunding of local government and housing provision. We are asking our councillors to not pass the budget. On November 9th we will be marching from Patrick's hill to Cork City Hall. Assembling at 4.30. Join us here: https://www.facebook.com/events/702754979929537/

Past decades DST has become more of a hindrance than help as the way we work has changed with ubiquity of electric lighting, not to mention the Internet. The benefits it may have brought a century ago are no longer relevant. Although it is quite common elsewhere in the world, Poland is the first EU country to start doing away with the DST nonsense (starting 2018). Let's follow this example and help the rest of EU out of DST. Good (and hilarious!) commentary on DST by Last Week Tonight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br0NW9ufUUw The number of people impacted by DST all at once leads to some surprising associations, including a spike in heart attacks, increased numbers of work injuries, automobile accidents, suicides, and more in the days following. Sources: [ http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/03/09/daylight-saving-time-could-have-an-impact-on-your-health/ ] [ http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/apl/94/5/1305/ ] [ http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457503000150 ] [ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1479-8425.2007.00331.x/abstract ] The psychological impact is not everything. The banking, transportation, people working nights are all adversely impacted. It can stop right now.

Because the banks acted criminally and all those involved should be charged for the crimes they have committed which have led to suicide, marriage breakup, nervous breakdowns, homelessness and insolvency.

Road Safety Traffic Flow Detrimental Effect on Local Businesses Overall Look to Local Village

Over 3,000 children are homeless today in Ireland and the numbers are growing. These children are placed into whatever homeless accommodation is available without consideration for their schooling. Their schools are often great distances from their accommodation resulting in costly and time- consuming travel for them and their parents. There is very limited support for them to reach school. Services should be provided for all homeless children who have to travel significant distances to school.

Ireland finds itself under increasing pressure to reduce its agricultural GHG emissions. Climate change is upon us and is a serious threat to our environment, social and economic world, subsequently affecting our ability to continue a business-as-usual approach to food production. The state cannot continue to ignore the fact the expansionist agenda in agriculture is not working. It is not environmentally, economically or socially sustainable. Environmentally Unsustainable: Under Food Harvest 2020 and Food Wise 2025, our emissions under a best case scenario are set to rise by 6/7% to 2020 Over 53% of water pollution is directly related to agriculture, with one in three rivers and lakes now at risk of further pollution. What’s more, biodiversity continues to decline, with rare species on the verge of extinction Economically Unsustainable: Ireland’s agri-sector is dominated by small farmers, who are struggling to survive. Farmers find themselves caught between pressures in trying to get a fair price for produce and a CAP ( European Common Agricultural Policy) that rewards the bigger land-owner. Farm incomes continue to decline, a fact blamed on falling milk and grain prices, with the OECD-FAO outlook predicting that markets will continue to remain weak Socially Unsustainable: A shocking and unacceptable fact is that only 1% of Ireland’s agricultural land is used to grow vegetables. Ireland has to import vegetables worth 1.2 billion euro each year, making us vulnerable to fluctuations on the market. Earlier this year, a drought in Spain resulted in higher prices for vegetables. Food prices hikes impact everyone forcing many to substitute vegetables with cheaper, nutritionally poor, energy dense foods. Leading to various health problems. Climate change, political instabilities and other factors can affect imports, if imports stopped today we would have approximately 4 weeks of fresh produce left on our shelves. We are not food secure! We stand on the side of small farmers, who risk it all, day in day out, to produce healthy food, true custodians of the land, protecting the environment, preserving biodiversity, keeping skills alive and ensuring that future generations have the opportunity to produce nutritionally good food. These farmers continue to be pushed to the fringes, by the state and the EU. With this petition we want to show that we stand with these farmers. That we care and all want a sustainable food future. If you care about what’s on our plate, care about local economies and about a sustainable future. Make you voice heard by signing this petition. Let’s speak as one voice to the Irish government and tell them: - to support small farmers financially - to support farmers in diversifying their holdings - to offer supports to increase the amount of vegetables produced in Ireland for food security - to increase environmental standards in agriculture beyond carbon footprints and give incentives to those who meet and surpass those standards - to practice the polluter pays principle and heavily fine those who continue to pollute our land and waterways - to increase reforestation with native species in and around farms, to support farmers in transitions to agroforestry 1. http://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/air/airemissions/2020_GHG_Projections_2016_Bulletin.pdf 2. http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/water-quality-in-one-in-three-irish-rivers-and-lakes-is-at-risk-of-deteriorating-35850649.html 3. http://www.thatsfarming.com/news/curlew-ireland 4. http://www.independent.ie/business/farming/beef/beef-farmers-will-again-struggle-to-cover-costs-in-2017-35290234.html 5. http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/ifa-president-says-farmers-again-struggling-to-make-a-living-1.2057112 6. http://www.independent.ie/business/farming/schemes/system-failure-massive-difference-in-cap-payment-rates-35118778.html 7. http://www.irishtimes.com/business/agribusiness-and-food/average-family-farm-income-down-9-to-24-060-1.3102770 8. http://www.agri-outlook.org/

Our Doctor in Sneem will retire in October. During 33 years the village and the wider region of Sneem have been looked after by an outstanding, caring and deeply committed professional. But now the time has come to turn the page. We all know that Sneem needs a new doctor. Not only the elderly need a doctor, not only our Pharmacy needs a doctor in order to stay open, not only the young families in the town and the many visitors we welcome each year, also the groceries and all the shops and businesses depend on the presence of a local doctor in Sneem. As we live two and a half hours away from the nearest hospital, and forty minutes from Kenmare where the nearest doctor would be and no bus service to get us there, it is of vital importance that we have a doctor appointed for Sneem. We invite you to sign this petition and to ask your family and friends to help us make known all over Ireland that Sneem is looking forward to welcome and to support a new doctor.

Petition Update December 2020: In mid-December, we are going to deliver this petition and letters signed by both civil society groups from across the globe and members of the Houses of the Oireachtas urging Minister Eamon Ryan to support the granting of a money message from the Government so the Climate Emergency Bill can progress to committee stage as soon as possible. Petition Update September 2020: Not Here Not Anywhere has been campaigning to ban offshore drilling since 2017, and in that time we have seen progress and changes in government policy. In the 2020 Programme for Government agreed by Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, and Greens stated the following on oil and gas drilling "End the issue of new licenses for the exploration and extraction of gas, on the same basis as the recent decision concerning oil exploration and extraction" [1]. Now that Eamon Ryan is the Minister for Climate Action, he has the power to legislate and ban offshore oil and gas drilling outright. Recently, we submitted a Parliamentary question to find out when the legislation when going to be enacted. We got the below response from Minister Ryan "While there is no requirement for legislative underpinning, I and my Department will evaluate whether any further actions would be useful in terms of providing maximum clarity." [2]. We disagree with the Minister’s assessment, if the current government falls with no legislation passed it could lead to future licenses been issued under a new administration. Also, if legislation was passed it would be a major victory for the climate movement both in Ireland and globally and we would be joining other countries around the world which have shown this climate leadership [3]. We need to shed our climate laggard status, legislate to ban offshore oil and gas drilling, and KEEP IT IN THE GROUND. Original petition: On 11th July, just one week after onshore fracking was banned in Ireland, Minister of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten, granted consent to oil & gas drilling by Providence Resources PLC in the Porcupine Basin off our south-west coast [4]. They expect to find 5 billion barrels of oil [5]. In an Orwellian twist, a “Department of Climate Action” has allowed for the burning of 5 billion barrels of oil when international climate experts state that 80% of the known fossil fuels have to stay in the ground if we want to avoid going over the safe 2 degrees limit of global warming [6]. Any investment in fossil fuel industry and infrastructure will result in what is known as “carbon lock-in”, taking us on a one-way unstoppable trip to dangerous levels of global warming that threaten global health and eco-systems [7]. Oil and gas exploration is also deadly for Ireland’s unique dolphin, whale and porpoise population [8] and plankton, the basis of the marine ecosystem [9]. Yet, Minister Naughten has refused to confirm if drilling will stop if a threat to the population is found [10]. We call on Minister Naughten to retract the Providence Resources permit immediately. Furthermore, we call on the Minister to follow the lead of France [11] and ban all new oil and gas exploration in Irish waters. We need to halt all dead investments in the fossil fuel industry and prepare a just transition to an economy that can provide workers with real, sustainable long-term jobs that can provide for their families and their future [12]. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1]https://www.greenparty.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2020-06-15-ProgrammeforGovernment_Corrected-Final-Version.pdf [2]https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2020-09-15/162/#pq_162 [3]https://www.looptt.com/content/new-zealand-next-list-ban-offshore-drilling [4] http://www.independent.ie/business/world/providence-resources-commences-drilling-off-the-southwest-coast-of-ireland-35921724.html [5] http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/amp/news/180745 [6] http://www.carbontracker.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Unburnable-Carbon-Full-rev2-1.pdf [7]http://priceofoil.org/2016/09/22/the-skys-limit-report/ [8] http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2014/02/140228-atlantic-seismic-whales-mammals/ [9] https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/23/15861932/offshore-drilling-airgun-seismic-surveys-zooplankton-death-oceans [10] https://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2017-02-07a.382 [11]http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/france-ban-new-oil-gas-exploration-stop-granting-licences-macron-hulot-renewable-energy-drive-a7806161.html [12] http://www.impact.ie/climate-change-workers-communities-must-protected-just-transition-carbon-free-economy-says-impact/

Pay-by-weight bin charges are being introduced across Dublin, and will become mandatory in September. Since the bins were privatised, we’ve had waivers for those on low incomes removed, fees hiked up, and service quality deteriorate. Pay-by-weight will lead to even higher charges for all of us. Pay-by-weight has nothing to do with protecting the environment. The biggest ‘polluters’ are not us, ordinary households, but the mega-companies that profit off selling products with far too much packaging. In fact, Irish households are good recyclers already. We have the second lowest household waste generation in the EU-15. Between 2008 and 2014, household waste generation fell by 12%, while across the EU it fell by only 6%. Nothing except a publicly-owned waste collection service will work. With public control, decisions regarding pick-ups, recycling and charges become democratically accountable. Without this, we will always be chasing rogue employers with poor working conditions - even with a regulator. The cost to the state of providing a decent bin public service would be in the region of €375 million. This is more than affordable. But in fact, it doesn't have to cost us that. Waste management is a profitable industry. The state could take over the profitable recycling activities that, currently, private companies make an awful lot of money from. In countries like Sweden, this already happens. Like with the water charges, we need to make it clear to our government that we want decent public services, paid for through fair taxation – not outrageous charges to private companies.

Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Indicate how it proposes to implement all the recommendations of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse and indicate the time frame for doing so; (b) Institute prompt, independent and thorough investigations into all cases of abuse as found by the report and, if appropriate, prosecute and punish perpetrators; (c) Ensure that all victims of abuse obtain redress and have an enforceable right to compensation, including the means for as full rehabilitation as possible. Call to action : please show your support by commenting via change.org also uplift.ie and sharing this cause via social media Thank you to you and your supporters X p.s. no abusive language

Deliveroo operates on a commission based mobile app which runs on zero hours contract. Drivers are paid much less than minimum wage (on average €8.50 an hour) and rely solely on there being enough drops/deliveries available. They are not covered by insurance, must pay €200 for equipment and also extra running costs such as ringing customers /paying for mobile data from their own earnings. Drivers are not covered by employment laws or insurance . We need to send a message loud and clear to management that workers keep the business coming in and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Please sign this petition.

Bernie is giving a speech on June 4th which sold out after 1 minute. There are thousands of people who are willing to pay to hear him speak, to hear a voice for the people. Someone who stands up for the environment, all people and the planet as a whole. My hope is that hearing Bernie speak could spark the revolution that is needed in Ireland so we can transform our country and go back to the values it was founded on.