Asylum seekers are restricted from working in Ireland until they have been in the country for over 9 months. Prior to 2018 Asylum Seeker in Ireland were banned from working indefinitely. This was overturned because a Supreme Court ruling in a case, NHV, decided Ireland's policies violated fundamental rights. These historical policies restricting asylum seekers from working fuelled a cycle where people become trapped in direct provision centres and are subjected to inadequate living standards. The restrictions still imposed since 2018 are still much longer than other EU Countries such as Sweden and Portugal which allow asylum seekers to work immediately. Ireland had a recent chance to improve the lives of asylum seekers considerably and choose less restrictive options available to them when allowing asylum seekers to work. They chose lengthier waiting options for the right to work. This is contrary to recent rhetoric offered by some Irish politicians. (https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/direct-provision-system-not-comparable-with-a-man-killed-by-police-varadkar-1.4270979) Allowing asylum seekers a right to work is a step towards combating racism in Ireland, slightly ameliorating the detrimental impact of direct provision in Ireland, and recognising the human rights and dignity of asylum seekers in Ireland. MASI are an excellent grassroots organisation who are campaigning tirelessly on this issues. They can be followed and supported here: https://www.masi.ie/support-us/ *The views expressed above are my own and are I am not directly attributing them to any of the organisations mentioned

WHAT IS PLANNING FOR ALL #planningforall #planningwhatplanning #planningjustice THE SHORT VERSION A brand new planning system designed by the ordinary citizens and most excluded first for the ordinary citizens and most excluded first. The LONG VERSION The planning system governs most aspects of our lives and dictates how our land, natural resources and built-in environment are disposed of. Therefore every Irish resident should be able to take part in it. However, the reality is that only a few of us are able to do so: most of the time, taking part in planning requires financial resources, free time, specific skills, expertises, qualifications and finally established relationships with local authorities and elected representatives. In short, deciding about our land, natural resources and built-in environment is the privilege of a very few privileged among us. Each and every day, all across Ireland, communities try to contest undemocratic planning decisions; however, they are not always successful. Sometimes, they put all their financial resources and energy in bringing a case to court. They may be able to succeed once, but the next day another planning submission is made and all their energy and financial resources are gone. It is obvious to us that cases cannot be solely fought on an individual basis; a more profound systemic change is also needed. By signing the present petition, you support our demand for the implementation of a radically new planning system: we believe that everyone should decide about what the new system should be like, especially those who have long been excluded from local and national decision-making. We ask the government to organise a period of genuine consultation to define a new, inclusive, democratic planning system that would be equitably accessible by all. A planning system by the ordinary citizens for the ordinary citizens. Finally, by signing the present petition, you support our demand that, whatever form the new planning system may take, it should be: free at all stages, inclusive of all forms of knowledge including local expertise, equitably accessible by all no matter your race/ethnicity/nationality, gender/sex, age, (dis)abilities, income, professional/family situation and living conditions and finally fully integrated at local, city, county, national level so as to avoid sacrificed communities/dumping zones. Please fill in our quick survey about your own planning experience by clicking on the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeUFyrrHqErgahWH4k82mOhVGQnuMiyIDpcZywFQyjtqOgZeg/viewform?usp=pp_url

Everyone deserves to enjoy the beauty of a local park and that includes Daniel and his family. Dan has Sotos Syndrome and goes out daily with his amazing parents, Sinead and Keith for runs in his special buggy. Running the park, chatting to locals and saying hello has been a highlight, especially during C-19 as all day services etc. are closed. Now with these new gates, the Tighe family along with lots of other families are now PROHIBITED from entering our parks. This is wrong and SDCC need to remove this prison like gates and let those who are in wheelchairs etc. use the park like everyone else.

Democracy needs to come from the ground up we need for all the people see demoracy in action. Each indidvual needs to be able to voice their concern or idea as long as it is not harmful or discriminatory to anyone else in or outside the EU. Then this collective voice needs to be brought to Europe and listened to

This amenity is very important and has been enjoyed by thousands of people during COVID-19 restriction as a safe place for recreation to walk and cycle with plenty of space for physical distancing. With the lifting of car restrictions onto the Causeway and the Wooden bridge of 18th May it will no longer be possible for the majority of people of all ages to continue to enjoy this amenity safely. Bull Island is an important protected biosphere and it should be kept free from air pollution. It is the stated aim of Dublin City Council to encourage cycling and walking.

Plans have been submitted to Donegal County Council (March 2021) for an asphalt plant to be developed in Gortnaskea, Burnfoot, Co.Donegal. The development will take place behind a large quarry at the foot of the Scalp Mountain. It will be a seven days a week operation producing up to 100,000 tonnes per year. Asphalt plants mix sand and gravel with crude oil derivatives to make asphalt to pave roads, carparks etc. They have a huge impact from both an environment and a public health perspective. They release harmful chemicals into the air during production including arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde and cadmium. Exposure to these toxins can cause cancer, central nervous system issues, respiratory problems and skin irritations. Animal studies have shown that Polycylic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH's) effect reproduction, cause birth defects, and cause damage the the immune system. We want Donegal County Council to take notice of these grave concerns and to refuse planning permission for this development. Please sign to support and protect our community's environment and health, and to show that public health is more important that private wealth.

Everyone no matter what their circumstance or chance of birth deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential. Education is a powerful tool against poverty and inequality for both the individual who can access it and the generations after them. The current Covid19 pandemic poses an unique opportunity to change the entry process to 3rd level education in Ireland and let everyone who wants to be in education in. This petition is inspired by RTE broadcaster Joe Duffy using his platform to promote the importance of equal access to education throughout his life such as his campaign 'Let Them In' 40 years ago. If not now then when? LET THEM IN

Covid 19 made abundantly clear that our existing health services needed radical transformation to cope with the pandemic. Insufficient hospital bed capacity, too few intensive care beds, too few hospital nurses and staff, glaring structural defects accumulated over decades, as well as two separate health services on an island of 6.6 million inhabitants, were shown up as markedly inadequate. The lack of PPE and other public health resources for testing, contact tracing and protecting older people in nursing homes or health and social care workers arose from the absence of a coordinated, efficient national health service. The situation required the enactment of measures which would have been unthinkable pre-Covid 19. The budget of the Health Service Executive was expanded by €1 billion and the recruitment embargo on nurses and other key staff lifted. North and South, agreements were secured with private hospitals that they would temporarily operate as public hospitals, open to both Covid 19 and non-Covid 19 patients. In the South, patients with Covid-19 are being treated as public patients in what the caretaker Fine Gael government itself has lauded as a single national hospital service with no private-public distinction. If the extension of public healthcare can happen in a pandemic, why not also in ‘normal’ health crisis times? Why can it not be used to address the waiting lists of at least 700,000 in the South, 300,000 in the North? To address the totally inadequate step- down facilities or the lack of home care support? Or to enable everyone to have free access to GPs? The measures taken have shown that a comprehensive public health service is both possible and indispensable for providing healthcare to all when they need it. However, the Dublin government’s deal with the private hospitals, while a welcome step of making private hospitals public, is also costing the public purse €115 million a month. This continues the policy of shoring up the private sector with public money, a policy which has been shown in the North to undermine the ability of the NHS to provide timely cradle to grave treatment, free at the point of use.

Limerick Cycling Campaign, the Limerick Cycle Bus and the Irish Pedestrian Network are launching the #WeNeedSpace campaign calling on Limerick Council to provide safe, usable space across the city for people to shop, exercise and commute by walking and cycling during the current crisis. Research published by Sports Ireland on the 30th April shows an additional 500,000 regular walkers, 450,000 runners and 220,000 cyclists. These numbers show a huge increase in people using public space to move around and exercise. This positive cultural change in how we use our streets should be further encouraged by making more space for people to get out and stay healthy during these difficult times. It’s very difficult for young families in the city to get fresh air and exercise while trips to parks and beaches are off-limits. We need to facilitate safe segregated cycle routes in the city to encourage family and more cautious cyclists to come out and get some exercise. A circular segregated cycle would open up the city to young people to get their exercise in a safe way. These temporary actions in response to the current emergency, would be strategic in creating a positive cultural change to make our towns and cities more liveable and contributing to a much needed boost in footfall required to aid the economic recovery when we move beyond the current crisis. Please support this campaign by signing and sharing on social media using the hashtag #WeNeedSpace and read our letter to the Council on the Limerick Cycling website.

At this time of international pandemic we would ask you and the other foreign ministers of the EU to seek a relaxation of the trade blockade by the US to end its blockade immediately, or at the very least to temporarily suspend it to allow vital supplies of food, fuel and medical equipment to the Cuban people allowing them to fight the coronavirus at home and abroad. As the world fights an international battle against the coronavirus pandemic, Cuba has once again proved itself a paragon of internationalism and solidarity. In recent days the island has sent highly skilled medical brigades to many countries including Italy, Grenada, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Venezuela to support foreign health services overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis. On 18 March the Cuban government offered safe haven to passengers of the stricken British cruise ship MS Braemar allowing it to dock in Havana when many other countries had refused. It has also made its anti-viral drug Interferon Alfa-2b available to nations around the world to help in the treatment of patients infected with COVID-19.The island’s altruistic response to the global emergency continues a long history of Cuban humanitarianism. In the last 56 years 400,000 Cuban health workers have responded to natural disasters and helped build health services in 164 nations. This includes sending medical brigades to Pakistan in the aftermath of the Kashmiri earthquake (2005), to Haiti to assist with the devastating cholera outbreak following the earthquake (2010), and to West Africa in the region’s fight against Ebola (2015). Cuba has also trained 35,613 health professionals from 138 countries at its Latin American Medical School since 1998, where many members of the Irish Cuban Solidarity Alliance have visited. At the same time the island has suffered the effects of the 58-year old criminal United States blockade which causes daily shortages of food, fuel and other basic necessities. Last year the cost to the Cuban health sector alone amounted to more than $104 million. As we write, Cuba is itself combating the spread of coronavirus within its own population and needs access of medical equipment and resources to safeguard the well-being of its most vulnerable citizens. Cuba has always put the humanitarian needs of people first, regardless or borders or politics. At this time of international crisis, the US blockade is criminal, not only for its impact on the Cuban people, but also for hindering their ability to assist in the worldwide battle against the virus.

Link to full statement and list of demands: https://tinyurl.com/swe4f8p How to support: > Pledge to boycott the awards & the awards’ outcomes online > Support the boycott by usings our images on your social media > Share the boycott using the hashtag #ARTSBLACKOUT #COVIDARTSCRISIS Twitter - @BLACKOUT_ARTS Instagram - @Arts_Blackout In place of the schemes proposed by the Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht, we are issuing the following demands. We have formulated these in consultation with artists and arts workers across the sector and invite artists participating in the boycott to submit their own demands. Please email [email protected] DEMANDS 1. For the Department of Social Protection to streamline access for artists and arts workers to the COVID-19 Unemployment Payment. A letter of reference from any Irish cultural organisation or venue should be accepted as evidence of working in the sector. 2. For the Government to begin setting up a Universal Basic Income Scheme through a pilot scheme for sole traders, arts workers, the underemployed, the unemployed and the community volunteering sector. 3. For at least a €10 million COVID-19 emergency fund to be made available to the Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht. 4. For the Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht to seek out sustained and meaningful consultation with artists from across the sector. To initiate a far-reaching debate on the current nature of the status of the artist with a view to ensuring the sustainability of artists' careers, practices and activities, as well as artists’ freedom of expression, social and financial recognition, and individual well-being. 5. For all publicly funded COVID-19 Art Schemes to take into account the different circumstances of artists in regards to space, time, materials and favour no particular medium, style, or type of practice. For equality and inclusion to be at the centre of decision making. 6. For all publicly funded cultural organisations to honour artist payments that were contracted to take place during the COVID-19 emergency measures, regardless of the status of work 7. For the Arts Council of Ireland and Local Authority Arts Offices to introduce non-competitive awards during the crisis and distribute funds to applicants equally. 8. For the Arts Council of Ireland to release funds to finance rent on studios, rehearsal spaces, and vital production spaces, to ensure that artists are not charged rent during the COVID-19 lockdown.

We need these measures implemented immediately. Students have been laid off, many cannot survive off their maintenance loans alone, while others do not receive maintenance support. They cannot apply for universal credit and university Hardship/Support Funds are only limited pots of money that cannot support students through the entirety of this crisis. Landlords and letting agencies are still expecting students renters to pay their rent, and a number of students have received emails threatening court action if they cannot afford to pay their rent. One letting agent suggested that students not paying their rent would contribute to the collapse of the global economy. Many students simply cannot pay their rent, and they cannot be left behind during this pandemic. We deserve clarity and protection from this Executive. #NoStudentLeftBehind