After an 11-year delay, the Government recently took the final steps towards ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. However, it turns out that the government has for now abandoned its pledge to at the same time ratify a key protocol that goes along with the Convention. The protocol gives people with disabilities a real chance to achieve their rights in cases where the government is failing them. The protocol allows groups or individuals to make complaints to the UN to ensure the government does what it says it will do. This government has effectively turned its back on 640,000 people with disabilities in this State by failing to ratify this protocol.

Our University should put the welfare of students at the center of everything that it does. We need a freeze on fees for all students and affordable rental options. We are a collective of undergraduate and postgraduate students in Trinity College Dublin who can no longer stand by and watch the commodification of our education. Last month, in a referendum held by TCDSU 82% of students voted strongly against the implementation of Supplemental Fees. The College Board decided to ignore the voice of the students, and implement Supplemental Fees at a flat rate of €450. Last year, College signed the Student Partnership Agreement, which promises to promote democracy and ensure that students are stakeholders in decisions that College make. Trinity’s decision to introduce supplemental exam fees is evidence of their continuing disregard for students, their opinions, and their welfare. Please sign this petition to show your support of the #TakeBackTrinity campaign. If you are a Trinity student or staff, please sign with your tcd.ie address If you are not please use your preferred email address. We thank you for your support!

Whilst the rest of the Europe prepares for the introduction of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to protect citizens personal data, Fine Gael right now is trying to exempt itself and Govt from these laws! Given the state of the nation where we see daily evidence of Garda and ministerial corruption including the cover-up of the Mary Boyle child murder case, fraud investigations at the Garda training college, on-going criminal activities within the Dept of social protection, allegations of corruption in NAMA, proof of theft, over changing and illegal home evictions by Govt owned banks and most recently smear campaigns and intimidation of Garda whistle-blowers and jailing of anti-corruption activists this is not the time to give the Govt more cover to hide behind, we need greater full transparency than exists presently. Fine Gael right now is trying to circumnavigate data protection laws including the incoming EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It is trying to do this through the introduction of The Data Protection Bill 2018 which in fact not only weaken Irish citizens’ rights dramatically but also see the Fine Gael government is able to break established laws that it will still meanwhile, demand others to obey. By any stretch of the incoming situation being created by Fine Gael, this is blatant one law for them and another for the rest of the people in Ireland. In short, the Data Protection Act 2018 as it is being presented, waiting to be Dail voted on, is a complete disgrace and is far from acting to the benefit of all. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties says that the bill “impacts fundamental human rights, and on first reading gives rise to serious concerns across a broad range of privacy rights issues”. “The ICCL believes that proper analysis and consideration of these issues is required, and we are concerned at the apparent haste with which the Government is pushing through important legislation in a highly sensitive area.” Independent Senator Alice Mary Higgins has stated: “The bill proposes a number of wide, often vague, exemptions which allow the State and public bodies to override an individual’s right to privacy and data protection and, outrageously, it also seeks to exempt public bodies from fines when they break the rules. No financial consequences are a recipe for disaster.” The bill will see state departments will be unaccountable for passing people’s personal data to others, from one department to another or from a department to private companies. This is unacceptable. Section 54 of the bill will seek to restrict the data rights of individuals regarding GDPR when the state deems at it sees fit, that they should be restricted. This is totally unacceptable. The bill will see that the government can process a person’s data contrary to GDPR where the ‘public interest’ is in question. In other words, Ignore data protection. This too is totally unacceptable. The bill will see allow the new Data Protection Commission to have a discretionary option to not investigate a complaint made to it, as it sees fit. This is just incredible unjust and unacceptable. From the expensive farce that is the Public Service Card (the national identity card in all but name) and its attached new national database, accessible by over 140 various state sections, to the giving away of people’s personal data to private companies like Seetec and Turas Nua in “JobPath”, the rights of the people of Ireland regarding their personal information are disgracefully being watered further down. We therefore call on you NOT to support the Dail passing of the Data Protection Act 2018. If you do this, it is a betrayal of the people of Ireland and an open disregard to the protection of their personal rights. Words by Jeff Rudd

The Government’s Strategic Communications Unit is a highly expensive PR Unit, paid for by the taxpayer for the benefit of the Taoiseach and Fine Gael. It is a slap in the face to the Irish taxpayer and it is not acceptable. We call on the Taoiseach to bin the spin - disband the Strategic Communications Unit immediately

The government is supposed to reach a decision in April 2018 on whether or not to grant a license for the right to mechanically harvest seaweed to a private Canadian company. The sale was complicated by a legality. The ownership of the right to harvest seaweed is currently under question. Traditionally local people, owned the rights to harvest seaweed and harvested it in a sustainable way. Mechanically harvesting seaweed is not environmentally sustainable and will have a serious impact on the ecology of the sea. Harvesting rights to seaweed belong to the people and should not be allowed to be sold off by the State for private profit. Seaweed is now a highly lucrative resource which should be harvested in a sustainable way for the benefit of the people of Ireland living now and for future generations.

Galway, with a population of 80,000 people, is a beautiful, thriving, bilingual city in the west of Ireland, situated on the Corrib, and the gateway to the biggest Gaeltacht in Ireland. The people of Galway however face the daily challenge of serious traffic congestion which impacts enormously on their quality of life. In addition, Galway is projected to increase its population to 124,000 people by 2040 so urgent action must be taken to improve the public transport system in the city. We also face a real challenge in fulfilling our commitments under climate mitigation legislation which oblige us to take both immediate and long terms steps to reduce our emissions. A light rail system, as part of an integrated public transport system, will go a long way towards achieving these objectives. It will also provide positive opportunities for sustainable urban renewal. We believe that the provision of a light rail service in Galway has to be an integral and essential part of the solution. Building on the dedicated work of the Gluas team, the matter was raised in the Dáil in November, 2017 with the Minister for Transport with a view to providing a light rail service in Galway. The Minister’s response is interesting and is worth a look: https://goo.gl/paGKDT He issued a challenge to the people of Galway to show that there is a demand for light rail, and if we can show that demand, he is willing to discuss and review the situation. That challenge has led to this petition campaign which started on the streets of Galway on the 13th of January 2018 and which will continue for 8 weeks, with the specific aim of collecting 30,000 signatures. If you haven’t signed the petition already on the streets of Galway, please show your support by signing now. Now is the time to act.

To ensure a safer, cleaner living environment for our current and future generations we want a complete ban of glyphosate weedkiller. We are extremely concerned that our Agricultural sector/farmers are bombarded with misinformation and pressure from government bodies that are directly lobbied by toxic chemical companies. We are also calling on the county council to use alternative organic based methods for all weed control. We are aware of the seriousness of the invasive species 'Japanese Knotweed', but studies have concluded that the long term use of glyphosate weedkillers does not actually kill Japanese knotweed. By using organic means to kill this highly invasive species it is proven to be eradicated in the exactly the same time frame. With the projected construction of Irelands first Soil Recovery centre in the Midlands, it has been stipulated that it won't accept any plant or soil material that's contaminated with any chemicals. It makes no sense to use contractors who have no regard for anything but chemical control, which also includes chemicals such as Garlon Ultra and Speed lite Pro which do not have a base glyphosate ingredient. These weedkillers have two other active ingredients (1.) Amino Pyralide (2.) Triclopyr. These active ingredients are incredibly toxic and will leach into the soil and groundwater. They, like RoundUp, do not ever break down and our filtration systems are unable to remove these deadly chemical time bombs. These chemical-based weedkillers are highly carcinogenic and linked to a variety of potentially fatal diseases. Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller, Pathclear, Gallup, Pistol, Weedol and Mossgo are to name but a few of the weedkillers currently on the market that contain the cancer-causing chemical glyphosate which is lethal to all living organisms. Ireland has the second highest level of glyphosate in our surface water in the EU and the third highest death rate of cancer in Europe. 1. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/farmers-weapons-of-mass-destruction-carry-cancer-fears-1.3148492 2. http://greennews.ie/why-is-ireland-diluting-legislation-on-banning-hormone-changing-chemicals/ 3. https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/france-tables-eu-wide-non-agricultural-pesticide-ban/

St Anne’s Park is a valuable public space given in trust to Dublin City Council by the Guinness family, for citizens of all ages, abilities and social groups. It is also part of the environmental buffer zone for Bull Island, a UNESCO protected environment. Right now Crevak Developers are trying to by-pass proper planning procedures and steal a public space for private gain. An application for this development was previously turned down and people are already objecting for any reason [1] The more of us that raise our voices in objection, the better our chances will be to save St Anne’s! NOTES: [1] http://ilovestannes.ie/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Suggested-grounds-for-objection.docx

In December 2017, with the lead up to Christmas, Tony Lowth and the Gardeners arrived one day to find that the Garden gate had been arbitrarily chained up to prevent us access to a space that we diligently maintain. This act was done with zero forewarning, communication, and ultimately any level of human respect or considerations toward the Caretakers of the Garden. This lack of communication, empathy, and essentially acts of adult bullying, hit Tony particularly hard over Christmas - where he became ill with Shingles from the stress of the situation. The slogan of our Community Garden is "Grow Me" to highlight the concept of "no-dig organic gardening" and "growing" positive social economy - by specifically focusing on soil and compost production, by using local waste around Dublin to "grow" new soil. We source our "soil food" through local businesses which helps them to reduce unnecessary bulk waste; minimizing city rubbish collection output. For instance, we collect coffee grinds from local businesses, leaves and grass cuttings from parks and streets, wood chip and other material from local stables, etc. The Garden essentially acts as a hub for this "waste" by transforming it into incredibly fertile soil - which needs to be maintained daily through physical labour to optimize its effectiveness. Tony Lowth, the founder of the Garden space, has been a pillar to the community by transforming a once neglected space FULL with cans and rubbish, into an amazing plot of green. This space is now home to an array of organic vegetables, herbs, flowers, trees, wildlife, and to the people that pass through. Speaking as a Volunteer Gardener, this space has offered me an opportunity to learn planting and composting wisdom directly from Tony which has been invaluable to me. I have further benefited from being in nature which has been extremely beneficial to my well-being and mental health. And the Garden has allowed me to feel a connection to a community which has inspired me on so many other levels. Going to the garden twice a week was the best part of my week. The purpose and benefit of a Community style Garden, is that it weaves all walks of life together to express, inspire, grow, learn, and connect in an open space. These are all concepts that a school - or any form of creative institution, should be promoting at grassroots level, not ostracizing with a lock.

This is important because money could be better spent in redevelopment in other areas of the city. The park is one of the few left in the city that has been left untouched for years. The park provides many community events throughout the year and brings people together for all types of occasions. This site was privately sold but still comes under the umbrella of the park so if this development goes ahead it opens the flood gates for endless destruction to the park through building. Where does it end?

With the impending uncertainty of Brexit and following a commitment from the Irish Government to stand up for the rights of citizens in the North, opening a passport office would improve infrastructure, service delivery, investment and confidence. 2017 saw over 82,000 passport applications come from the North alone. The call to open an office is supported by a broad range of community organisations, political parties and media outlets, and would go some way in meeting the growing demand for passport applications and renewals from the Six Counties.

Grassroots men and women who have given their lives to the GAA are being cut off from their own games, despite the organisation being built on the strength of their work. It is disingenuous to suggest that the pay per view model is financially essential given the rude health of the GAA in 2018. Based on the experiences of other sports with providers like Sky, we believe that in terms of active participation and meaningful engagement, it is detrimental to the GAA community to develop this relationship any further. (see http://historyhub.ie/the-impact-of-pay-tv-on-sport) The elite model which Sky Sports champions is detrimental to the social fabric of areas in which GAA clubs carry a sincere social responsibility. The GAA’s most significant opportunity lies in restoring value to local community. We can shift the balance back towards the club by encouraging the club game to develop alongside the intercounty game, as opposed to well behind it, as is the current reality. Based on recent motions from Clare, Leitrim and Roscommon, it is clear that people at the coalface of GAA life do not support the organisation's decision to use a pay per view model. We respectfully request that you sign the petition in order to send a clear and unified message to the incoming Director General and President. Le meas Paul Rouse Joe Brolly Michael Duignan Diarmuid Lyng