Since the economic crash in 2008 hundreds of thousands of Irish people have been affected by financial legal issues which can end up in court proceedings. There are currently 20,000 cases for repossession in the Irish Courts. With a typical family of 5 that is over 100,000 people. Some experts say 250,000 - 500,000 are affected by potential repossession in Ireland. While every criminal in Ireland from the petty thief to the rapist, murderer, drug dealer and maybe even Bankers in criminal proceedings are entitled to legal aid, Civil Legal aid is only available for family law issues in Ireland. People in financial difficulty have to try and represent themselves in Court, or, just not go to Court at all, and lose their homes by default; without a defence being put forward. While ordinary citizens go unrepresented, the financial institutions often have a Solicitor, or maybe even two, and one or two Barristers. A Fair Trial requires there to be balance and equality between the parties and is known as an Equality of Arms. In Irish Courts there is #NoEqualityofArms The "Scales of Justice" are completely lob-sided in the financial institutions favour. Ireland... #ThisIsNotDemocracy Article 47 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights says everyone is entitled to be advised and represented if the legal issue involves EU law, but this is not implemented in Irish law and, Judges appear not to have jurisdiction to grant legal aid in Civil Cases. Irish Citizens are being denied one of the most Basic and Fundamental Human Rights, the Right to a Fair Trial. The foundation of democracy is based on the Justice & Legal systems. If basic human rights guaranteed under EU law are been withheld from Irish Citizens then... #Ireland... #ThisIsNotDemocracy Minister, please introduce emergency legislation to make civil legal aid available to the tens of thousands of people in the Irish Courts involved in repossession proceedings. No Fair Trial = Ireland... #ThisIsNotDemocracy Ireland needs #CLAN PS: Please support the Irish #CLAN Please share on social media and ask your friends and family to do the same, the Irish #CLAN needs everyone's support!

Educational researchers agree that our current mainstream school system does not align with meeting the needs of children. We can no longer judge children's abilities in standardized testing, which ignores their creativity as well as talents and often makes them feel isolated, stupid and worthless. Especially children with additional needs are not nourished in the long outdated school system. In most European countries progressive schools such as Montessori, Sudbury, Homeschools and Waldorf Schools have long been a welcoming space for children to flourish, to gain self confidence and to become independent and happy citizens. Unfortunately these schools in Ireland depend fully on fundraising and fees alone because they do not receive a single cent from the Irish government. Teachers often partially work for free, because they believe in the significance of these educational establishments, and more importantly in the children's right to self-direct their learning, no matter of their financial background. It is time to allow parents and children to choose how their personalities will develop healthily, without a religious indoctrination, by letting them learn in an alternative non-denominational school. Please add your name to this petition to collectively ask our new Minister for Education, Joe McHugh, to spread the allocated funds for education more fairly by including alternative schools such as Montessori, Sudbury or Steiner, as well as homeschooling in the state funding, so that no child has to pay fees in order to grow there. With good hopes for the future, Carolin, a former teacher

Dublin City Council are set to bulldoze the Weaver Square Community Garden & Family Allotments from 31st December 2018. This is a serious concern for ALL residents of Dublin 8: 1. Dublin 8 is being subjected to an onslaught of short-term, high-density property development (Hotels, student accommodation) at the expense of the existing community. Over 2000 such units have been constructed in 2018 in this district alone. 2. Dublin 8, a high-density urban community, has the lowest amount of green space per m2 in Dublin. Now it will have even less! 3. This is the latest Dublin 8 community resource lost to property development in 12 months. We have already lost Dublin Food Co-Op, Green Door Market & Flea Markets. There is also uncertainty over the future of Meath St, Liberty Market, St Theresas & now Players Wills site developments. 4. DCC are reneging on written commitments to keep the Weaver Square community garden/allotments. 5. There are alternative vacant DCC sites that could be used for development without destroying this valuable Green Space. 6. Over 300 people benefit directly from the community garden & allotments on a weekly basis. These social, health, environmental & educational benefits will stop on 31st December. The garden & allotments are used by schools, pensioners, community groups & families.

Established in 1996, Lifeline Inishowen provides professional and confidential support to women and children who are experiencing or have experienced domestic abuse: physical, emotional, sexual or financial. The service's volunteers provide support to 54 families per year, on average. HSE funding was withdrawn in 2010. Although Lifeline receive a small sum from TUSLA towards their Child Counselling service, their main source of funding for the past 8 years has been donations through their own fundraising efforts, and their charity shop. Local support has been overwhelming, but is sadly not enough to secure the future of this vital service. Inishowen has a bigger population than Co Leitrim and a larger landmass than Co Louth. The only funded domestic violence support in the entire county of Donegal is located in Letterkenny – a 120km round-trip from Lifeline's Carndonagh base. This is simply impossible to access for Inishowen women and children in controlling and abusive households. Minister Zappone and TUSLA, we demand that the funding for Lifeline Inishowen's running costs is reinstated. The centralisation of domestic abuse services in a big, rural county like Donegal is disastrous for families in Inishowen. Closure of Lifeline will literally put lives at risk. Reinstate the funding to secure the future of these essential services in Inishowen. Lifeline Inishowen Charity nr: 19971

Too many people have to wait to get the vital mental health care they desperately need. While the Government continues to under invest in our services, people get sicker and even die waiting for assessment and treatment. This has to stop - our mental health is too important. Mental Health Reform have said that we need at least 105 million to get our mental health services where they need to be.

The top nine reasons why this is important is 1) We do not want to lose the SDCC depot as this will severely erode the ability to maintain the high standards within the park thereby threatening our Green Flag status 2) We will lose the precious and unique urban farm that delights children 3) We will lose the socially inclusive community garden 4) We will lose the St John of God garden that provides horticultural therapy for people with various disabilities 5) The highly invasive Giant Knotweed is present on the site. The proposal to move it is dangerous and reckless as Whitestown Stream runs parallel to the proposed building site 6) We will lose the last remains of a 200 year old bridge that should be a protected structure 7) Every inch of Sean Walsh Park is an Objective OS zoned area i.e.to preserve and provide for open space and recreational amenities (as set out in the SDCC Development Plan 2016-2022) 8) Putting old peoples homes beside Tallaght Stadium which hosts matches regularly and will host concerts represents extremely poor planning 9) There is at least one more appropriate site available in Tallaght for the proposed Cluid development that would not not cause any of the foregoing problems and issues. *If you wish to support our offline please email [email protected] with your name and address* See why Sean Walsh Park should be preserved from property development: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MpP7Osf3YYo

Drug Policy, and the war on drugs has had children, parents, politicians and stranger murdered in broad daylight. Thanks to gang activity, I myself shake and fear at the noise of bangers going off. The entire country lives in fear of gangs, gangs fed through drug money, drug money coming from the "black market". Little do they realise that the failing drug policy, the politicians and their lobbyists are directly financing this through their stern, "moral" views on dirty drugs. It is absolutely unacceptable. I am sick & tired of burying my friends and lending their brokenhearted families a soaking shoulder to cry on because the government failed them. The governmental position on drugs, the policy set in place in the early 1970's, has absolutely failed them. Where were you when they found their bodies, that nobody heard of because the news would rather report the stash of Class A narcotics they found in a shed, behind a burnt out house and a car filled with hand guns and machetes. Where were you and where are you now? What are you going to do to change this? My name is Sandy Brun, I am a qualified Toxicologist and I hope to graduate with a Master's degree in Neuroscience & Pharmacology. You can find me on LinkedIn. I am sick and tired of burying my friends with dirty drugs in their veins, up their noses and everywhere else. I am sick and tired of being let down by this never ending agonizing political situation that is murdering my friends and breaking the hearts of their families. I've lived in Ireland since I was 10 years old, and I've buried a friend every year since I was 13. You're so proud of the 100th 1916 Easter Rising anniversary that the country celebrated 2 years ago. You're so damn proud to be Irish. You're so damn prejudicial and soft. Stand and fight. For our sons and daughters.

We are in a housing crisis. Many people living with disabilities are forced to share accommodation. Even if they share with strangers people living with disabilities are not eligible for the Household Benefits or Fuel Allowance Package. So people who depend on electricity for medical equipment are excluded because they share accommodation. It makes no sense and feels discriminatory. Allow people living with disabilities eligibility for €35 a month for electricity and for the fuel allowance for the winter. People living with disabilities didn't chose this life and deserve not to be punished for it.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) Council approved rules that will mean that 248 women- in their late 50's, with an average 35 years of experience working as qualified professionals, will lose their livelihoods. The new rules would restrict a qualified Pharmaceutical Assistant (PA) to working ONE HOUR PER DAY in the absence of a pharmacist, rendering the qualification worthless and the job position economically unsustainable. If the new rules are signed into law by the Minister for Health, PA's will no longer be able to provide professional cover for pharmacists’ day off. “It is not possible to get locum cover so if the PA can’t cover I may have to remain closed some Saturdays…It’s fairly disastrous for pharmacy in Ireland”, a pharmacist explains in research carried out to assess the impact of the rules on pharmacy services. PA's have worked on average 18 years in their present pharmacies and know their customers very well. Continuity of care is paramount to patients' health and safety. This is something that PA's offer but the PSI have totally disregarded and ignored this crucial cornerstone. PA's like Sarah explain how “I will be out of a job. I am only 60 and state pension only available at 67…I have two children in college…it will be a financial disaster…I need my work and my money “, Marie spoke of how “I still have a mortgage so am worried about keeping my family home as I am a widow with a disabled adult living with me” NO consideration or provision for compensation has been made by the PSI, in drafting these rules.

The Irish State has no funding stream for services that help to prevent or treat gambling-related harm. We all know someone whose life has been impacted by problem gambling - either their own, or that of a loved one. In fact, 1 in 10 of us will experience gambling-related harm in our lifetime. Unfortunately, the HSE do not acknowledge gambling addiction as an issue and don't even mention the word gambling in their Service Plan. This means that support services are left to desperately under-funded NGOs. Ireland has the lowest Betting Duty in the world - and will continue to do so, even if the rate is increased to 2%. The increase would bring in an additional €50 million to the Exchequer. Problem Gambling Ireland and the Rutland Centre are proposing that €5 million be made available to all relevant addiction services, working in the area of gambling-related harm. This would leave €45 million for other badly-needed state-funded services. We urge you to contact the Minister for Finance and/or your local TD, asking for an increase in the Betting Duty to fund problem gambling support services. Thank you for supporting this cause and taking the time to have a positive impact on the lives of the thousands of people in Ireland, affected by gambling-related harm. Barry Grant, CEO, Problem Gambling Ireland

There will be a public meeting in the Ballyfermot Civic Office at 7.30pm on Tuesday the 4th September. This meeting is to voice the feelings of residents regarding the cancellation of the 79 bus route from the main road up through Cherry Orchard. This means that anyone living in Cherry Orchard will have to walk to the main road of Ballyfermot to access buses. For all young and old it is very important to turn up and voice your concerns in protest of this proposal. As well as the 79 they want to remove the 76 bus route altogether and change the route of the 18 that will no longer go through Palmerstown or out as far as Sandymouth. All support is greatly needed to prevent our local needs from been taken away. There is public consultation on the 19th September between 3 and 7pm in the Ballyfermot Civic Offices...as this is happening, it is very important that residents and people who work in the Ballyfermot area to meet together as a community to develop a community stance.

Incineration is TOXIC. Do not believe the authorities and Politicians.