Big business are producing more, not less emissions and are making the climate crisis worse. Government decisions are letting them off the hook and pushing the burden for the climate crisis on to regular people, not the corporations who drive it.

82% of the Irish people support neutrality in all its aspects.

Recent political developments have highlighted the fact that government ministers are conducting official business by text, and how transparency tools like Freedom of Information are being undermined. [1] Messaging service apps on phones such as WhatsApp and Signal, an end-to-end encrypted messaging app, are being used to conduct official business. Both apps have an option for messages to disappear after a given period of time. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has called on government ministers to remain prudent with their communication and maintain their communications records - particularly on phones - under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI). However, he must go a step further and explicitly ban the use of disappearing messages for official government business. [2] Transparency tools like FOI exist so that people have the right to access information and - in our democracy - hold public reps to account. While it's positive that public representatives are using apps such as Signal - knowns for its strong privacy and data protection standards - it's clear FOI policies & processes within the system have not kept pace with the way communication, and technology, have evolved. NOTES: [1] The Journal: https://www.thejournal.ie/foi-crisis-zapponegate-simon-coveney-texts-5542010-Sep2021/?utm_source=twitter_short [2] The Independent: https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/ministers-use-app-designed-to-delete-encrypted-chats-40818881.html

For some years now, Fingal Council has shown very little interest in keeping a clean environment around the Broadmeadow Estuary catchment area. Volunteers in "Swords Pickers" were able to remove truck loads of dumped rubbish from Ward River Valley Park and Broadmeadow Estuary in the first half of 2021 alone. If something is not done to fundamentally correct this, plastic & other waste will continue to travel from the parkland in Swords, through the Estuary and out into the Irish Sea. Development of either the full size all-weather playing pitch and/or the Broadmeadow Greenway in 2021 will obviously add to the problem by multiplying volumes of human traffic.

President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins has said gambling ads are a 'scourge' of modern-day life. [1] Left unregulated, dangerous gambling advertisements will continue to cause so much damage to families and individuals. Ireland has the fourth highest number of gamblers in the European Union, according to a recent study by industry analysts H2 Gambling Capital. On average, losses for Irish gamblers amount to €300 for every adult, totaling €1.36 billion in 2020.[2] The deluge of online gambling online makes it far too easy to place a bet, and the rules have not kept up. The pandemic has also exacerbated this problem, with nearly half of all betting last year taking place online. The Government introduced a working group on this issue who published recommendations in 2019. Now it's time to act! NOTES 1. https://www.thejournal.ie/problem-gambling-michael-d-higgins-5491317-Jul2021/ 2. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/irish-fourth-worst-gamblers-in-eu-as-move-online-accelerates-1.4617386

A Directly Elected Mayor for Galway could be a big deal for the future of Galway City. In October 2020 Galway City Council unanimously passed a motion by Cllr. Owen Hanley calling for on the Government to implement referendum so Galway can have it's say on this issue. A Directly Elected Mayor would only ensure that the person in charge of finances, everyday decisions, and the future of Galway is selected and accountable to the people. But it's about more than that. It's also about the broader decision making in our country. It's about moving from a Dublin-centric model, to one where more and more decisions about Galway are made in Galway. Everyday our Councils and staff do work to help our communities. But local government has a long way to go. We need more power and decision making on a local level led by a Directly Elected Mayor.

This is important because it provides 3rd cover for all private roadworthy vehicles, helping those who are financially disadvantaged and young people, to avail of road legal transport. It also ensures that drivers of larger gas guzzler vehicles and those who use our roads most, pay the most. In addition, it removes the ability of insurance companies to charge extortionate prices for young people and levels the playing field for those with older cars, rural dwellers and those who have inadequate access to public transport.

The Algerian Military, backed by some EU countries are suppressing citizen’s voice for justice and freedom. They are imprisoning and kidnapping citizens, committing sex crimes on people in police custody and sentencing people without trial. We want peace, democracy, justice, transparency, and respect for basic human rights.

We need to protect our greenways potential/heritage along with businesses and community development.

Eirgrid, who operate the Irish Electricity Grid, plans to link the electricity grids in the Republic and North of Ireland by a 400kv overhead power line called the North South Interconnector. This plan would involve the erection of 409 steel pylons ranging in height from 26m to 51m through rural Meath Cavan and Monaghan and Tyrone in close proximity to many homes. This proposal has been rejected vehemently by the residents of these counties on the basis of (a) Health risks associated with living in close proximity to power lines, in particular an association with childhood leukemia, (b) Impact on Heritage, Community life, farming and wildlife (c) Visual impact (d) Noise (e) Impact on property values. From the outset the affected communities, through their representative group NEPP (North East Pylon Pressure) have advocated for the project to proceed using underground cabling to connect the power grids. Eirgrid rejected this proposal stating initially that it wasn't feasible and would cost from 10 to 25 times the overhead option. Eirgrid have since had to concede that undergrounding is indeed feasible and that their costings were grossly wide of the mark. Undergrounding is not in fact more expensive when all costs are taken into account. Indeed Eirgrid have recently selected UNDERGROUND CABLING as the best option for the Kildare-Meath Grid link upgrade. Eirgrid state ..."during the consultation period, new information was received in the form of advice from the Asset Owner cable specialists suggesting that UGC can be constructed in a more efficient manner than was previously assumed.." It can be laid along the road side in a trench 2m by 2m. Had Eirgrid used the same criteria in the Public Consultation process for NSI there is no doubt the NSI would be undergrounded. It is worth noting that Eirgrid are planning to underground the Celtic Interconnector and have dropped plans for the Grid west Overhead line. Why scar the landscape and negatively impact our rural communities for generations to come when there is a viable alternative. Help us to preserve the beauty of our landscape and protect the Health and well-being of our communities. Undergrounding this project is feasible and affordable. We call on Govt to direct Eirgrid accordingly.

Every year thousands of Wild Atlantic Salmon are netted and killed in Castlemaine Harbour by Legal State Regulated nets. With Atlantic Salmon at critical levels and to legally license nets to kill our Native Salmon is beyond unacceptable. Castlemaine Harbour is an SAC which means Atlantic Salmon are a qualifying interest. Nets operate all over the Harbour, some are licensed to operate in Cromane, others in the mouths of very important rivers like the Laune and the Maine. The Behy river, Caragh River and the Emalgh river are all affected by nets operating in Cromane. Inland Fisheries Ireland, the state body in charge of protecting our Salmon in Ireland, authorise a mixed stock fishery in Castlemaine Harbour. In 2019 the number of salmon netted in the river Laune was 1,539 and in Cromane it was 549. There is reason to believe that many more Salmon are caught illegally also by not being tagged when caught in nets. Inland Fisheries Ireland admit that Salmon numbers are decreasing every year so why allow these nets to continue killing Salmon year in and year out. We put alot of pressure on this issue last year and it will be the same this year. Its an environmental disaster and our government is at fault. They are the ones leasing the nets so they can continue to destroy our beautiful rivers. This practice is not only continued in Castlemaine Harbour but continues all over Ireland. We want to concentrate first on Castlemaine because we believe that the Maine river is under serious stress and the figures collected by the Inland Fisheries Ireland are falsified to keep the fishery open. I wont be going nowhere, netting starts in May and we start now, get sharing and signing. Tight lines. Daniel

The rights of autistic people have been gravely breached. The Department of Education and the Department of Health have conspired to share and indulge in private information of 48 autistic people in order to create barriers for them to obtain essential services. This stands in clear violation with our rights under the UNCRPD or the protection of those seeking justice under the Equal Status Act, 2000.