Workers need protection

At a time when biodiversity is being lost at an alarming rate, instead of this ludicrous scheme and bowing to lobbyists for profit, there should be increased protection for all wildlife and promotion of veganism. Fish stocks have been depleted due to overfishing and not giving time for regeneration, which are the actions of humans, not seals.

Having lobbied for safe working conditions during a global pandemic and being unsuccessful, the workers' trade union, Unite, took on Spike Island management and won basic toilet and sanitation rights that had been shamefully denied to the workers for years. They have now been dismissed from their employment at the Kiosk on Kennedy Pier which is a blatant form of victimisation. No worker should suffer for standing up for their rights. #SupportSpikeWorkers

In the fallout of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, a subsequent economic recession and the establishment of the department of further and Higher Education, the funding crisis of Higher education continues to roar on in an age of soaring rents, poor working conditions for academic staff , inadequate student supports and the highest fees in Europe. Students are hungry for change, and this campaign seeks to earn it. Our demands are for the government to commit to and representatives to support a series of commitments outlined in our pledge... 1. An end to the student contribution charge of €3000, the highest in the EU. 2.An end to the study now pay later and earn and learn policies and a move toward publicly funded education at the heart of government policy. 3.A publicly financed student accommodation building strategy and charter for student tenant rights. 4. A reform of student supports across the island that match the cost of being a student in the new decade. 5. A plan to address the crisis in Irish creative institutions. 6. An end to precarious working conditions for academic staff

This is a message to the Irish Government and the company overseeing the liquidation of the company's assets that a lot of people are behind the Debenhams workers. This is also a message to those on the picket that you have our support and solidarity.

The bill was categorised by the Law Reform Commission in 2016 after focus groups of young teens identified it as a privacy issue. However on greater examination it is clear that this should fall under sexual violence laws. It is important that people who engage in image based crime should face serious implications for sharing inappropriate images without consent. Also it is important that judges and barristers should understand the full impact on victims lives from the sharing of these images, and be trained up to deal with what is a reasonably new crime, with the age of smart phones and widespread internet access.

The Troubles in Northern Ireland cost thousands of lives and tore generations of families apart. The fragile peace brokered after was hard won. It was a process which took years and involved people who had been at war with each other sitting down together to work out a way forward. No matter which way people voted on Brexit, no one wants to put peace in Northern Ireland at risk. Please don’t risk the fragile peace in Northern Ireland. It’s too important to sacrifice.

It will help ensure autistic kids a get a sufficient and useful education, this will also give them greater independence, autonomy and allow for societal inclusion. By creating a specific curriculum that caters to their different needs and is in line with today’s world view, they will be able to teach them things that are useful to their own personal development. Increasing the sizes of classes for those with autism or building specific schools will help ensure that those who need those services can get it. Increasing SNA’s and investing more into individual child costs will also help. As increasing support will help them reach their goals better.

In Ireland our individual ecological footprint is approximately 5.2 Global Hectares per Capita (ghc) but the Planet’s actual capacity is only 1.8 ghc: we are living as if there are almost three Planet Earths. This way of life is not only contributing to mass extinction, pandemics and extreme economic inequalities, it means that, in all likelihood, our country will be uninhabitable for our grandchildren. A One Planet Development scheme would give people the option of moving out of the city and into the countryside to pioneer a way of life that goes some way towards bringing the human-nature relationship back into balance. It would allow people to build small low-impact dwellings, to establish community and to work with the land in a regenerative way to bring systemic change to our food systems.

On 19 August, EU Commissioner Phil Hogan attended an Oireachtas Golf Society dinner along with 81 other people in what was a flagrant breach of Covid-19 public health guidelines. Even before the government announced new measures curtailing the numbers at social events this week, the maximum number of people allowed at indoor social events was 50. Not only this, but it has been reported that Hogan has been spending some of his time at a residence in County Kildare. For the past two weeks, Kildare residents have been asked not to leave the county because of increased restrictions there. Hogan's decision to ignore public health guidelines is unacceptable. In attending this event, he has displayed utter contempt for ordinary people who have done their utmost to abide by guidelines and stop the spread of Covid-19. Hogan's disdain for working people and the poor has been on show before. In 2014 he threatened those who would not or could not pay water charges, saying their water pressure would be "turned down to a trickle". More recently, he has been at the forefront of the push to implement the Mercosur deal, which will undermine small and medium farmers' livelihoods and pave the way for further destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Yet despite the resignations of Dara Calleary and Jerry Buttimer this week, Hogan has thus far brazenly refused to step down. His arrogance is a slap in the face to health workers at the front lines and to all those who have lost loved ones to this pandemic. His actions have also undermined the public health effort at a crucial time. Hogan represents the worst of a rotten political elite that believe there is one rule for them and another for ordinary people. He must resign immediately and apologise for his actions.

Hi There, I don't know how many people this will reach as I choose to remain anonymous as I don't want my personal business all over social media or the internet, but here is our story. My Husband came to Ireland from Nigeria in December 2015 we met in March of 2016 and began a relationship in June of the same year (3 months later) My husband applied to the department of justice under the family reunification process due to his brother holding an EU passport as he is living and working in Ireland for a number of years. This application was subsequently refused, he of course was given the opportunity to appeal this decision, which was also refused. During this time our relationship progressed as any relationship would and we decided after 3 years together to married. As a couple where one of us not an EU / EEA citizen we had to undergo a joint and separate interviews by HSE before we could marry so they could determine if we were marrying for immigration purposes. It was a 5 hour interview process in total and we were asked everything from what color is your front door to where we went on our first date. In the end after an 8 month wait and numerous phone calls with additional questions the HSE found that we were not marrying for immigration purposes and that we were a genuine couple and were given the go ahead to marry. We proceeded to book our wedding date 28th of june 2020, we were busy planning the big day with family and friends we were so excited, However our happiness was short lived. On the 19th of June we received a letter from the DOJ issuing my husband with a deportation order stating that my husband either, had to leave the country by the 19th of July himself or face being detained and forcibly removed. We were absolutely devastated our whole world came down around us. We made the hardest decision we have ever had to make and decided that he would abide by the order and we would leave by the 19th of July for fear of being arrested and detained and we would continue to fight this with the help our solicitor. We also decided that we would still go ahead and get married on the 28th of June as planned. Your wedding day is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life and while it as a beautiful day that we celebrated with family and friends it was constantly at the back of my mind that he will have to leave in 20 days for god knows how long. On the 18th of July 2020 we went to Dublin airport and I said goodbye to my husband, it was the most gut wrenching day of our lives. I have seen him once in the time he has been gone. I traveled to Nigeria to see him, the minister in the deportation stated that there is no reason why I cant live in Nigeria, despite the fact the department of foreign affairs advises against all but essential travel to Nigeria due to the safety in particular of non nationals due to kidnappings and the threat of islamist extremist terrorist organization, Boko Haram. It has been over a year since my husband has left Ireland and it is only getting harder, I am utterly devastated as is he. We are not different to any other husband and wife, we love the same as an Irish couple. My Husband is a highly educated man and has already received offers of employment which we have sent to the DOJ. Please help us,We have contacted the DOJ numerous times as has our solicitor. We feel we are getting nowhere and don't know what to do. I have contacted the new Minister for justice personally via email and facebook but I have received no response. We need all the help we can get just to be reunited and live our lives together. Thank you for your time.

Today ( Aug 27th 2020) another person has lost their life in Ireland's horrible Direct Provision system. It is time now for the 1.47 million Irish citizens outside of Ireland to push for change through whatever channels we can. Colm Brophy TD is Minister for the Diaspora and is the only voice we have and we must make our views clear to him - Céad Míle Fáilte is not conditional! Direct Provision was introduced as an emergency measure in 1999. Today there are 7,000 people living in direct provision. The current government coalition has committed to ending the Direct Provision System within their term however there has been limited communication about any action so far. Last week it was revealed The Department of Justice and Equality compiled daily reports of social media relating to Direct Provision, how much traction they had and how critical they were for the government. COVID-19 has again highlighted how unsafe this system is with multiple outbreaks in centres across the country. In recent times of crises, Irish governments have historically favoured austerity rather than investing in a social safety net. We have to pressure the government to deliver on their commitment by the end of their term AND ensure there are improved provisions to care for Asylum Seekers in the meantime. Irish people all over the world are given the opportunity to support our communities, to contribute to society, and to share our culture in our new homes so we want to remind you of this. Wherever you are, wherever you are from the Céad Míle Fáilte is not conditional. #DiasporaagainstDirectProvision Tag Minister for the Diaspora, Colm Brophy @brophytalks Tag Minister for Justice, Helene McEntee @HMcentee Tag Minister for Integration (DP disestablishment) Roderic O'Gorma @rodericogorman Tag Dept of Foreign Affairs @dfatirl Tage Dept of Justice @deptjusticIRL Tag MASI to show support @masi_asylum