Joe Higgins Criticised by former Anti Bin Tax Campaigners

dublin | bin tax / household tax / water tax | news report Wednesday March 31, 2004 14:19 by Community Voice April 2004

Community Voice Article

A new political party launched recently in Dublin 15 has been set up as a result of its members “being used as cannon fodder” in the recent bin tax campaign according to its spokesperson.

The United Communities Party is standing two candidates in the Mulhuddart Electoral area in the forthcoming local elections. The candidates, Paul Hand from Pinebrook Glen and Gerry Murray from Dromheath addressed a public meeting of approximately 50 people in Huntstown Community Centre to launch the new party.

Anti Bin Tax Campaigners Launch New Political Party

A new political party launched recently in Dublin 15 has been set up as a result of its members “being used as cannon fodder” in the recent bin tax campaign according to its spokesperson.

The United Communities Party is standing two candidates in the Mulhuddart Electoral area in the forthcoming local elections. The candidates, Paul Hand from Pinebrook Glen and Gerry Murray from Dromheath addressed a public meeting of approximately 50 people in Huntstown Community Centre to launch the new party.

The founding members of the party were all members of the local anti-bin tax campaign and were involved with both the Socialist Party and Sinn Fein. However, according to Paul Hand they became “very disillusioned with the Socialist Party during the campaign and when Joe Higgins came out of prison he abandoned the campaign in this area”.

Gerry Murray told the meeting that “the County Council had used parts of Dublin 15 as a dumping ground for people and paedophiles who would not be tolerated in other parts of Dublin”. This point was taken up by another female member of the party who told the meeting that “a man had been put into Dublin 15 who had served 9 years for molesting kids. I asked Joe Higgins where he had been housed and he said that the man had done his time”.

Interestingly though the two candidates were seeking to represent “ the working class people of the area” and they were critical of “the big political parties” the main target of criticism at the meeting was the Socialist Party and its leader Joe Higgins.

According to Paul Hand “when Joe Higgins came out of prison he left Dublin 15 to hang there and moved to other areas. Joe is governed by Socialist Party rules whereas we are local people with local issues”.

Both of the new party’s candidates are former members of Sinn Fein and in spite of the fact that they are standing against that party’s candidate, Martin Christie in the forthcoming elections, both candidates conceded that if they weren’t elected they would like to see their transfers going to Christie.

The main issues listed at the meeting were traffic problems, crime and the lack of facilities for young people. Criticism of the lack of youth activities for the area were rejected by one local youth worker who pointed out that the facilities were available but the problem was a lack of volunteers to run such clubs.

“I have been involved in youth work in Huntstown since 1995” she said “and the community will not take ownership of voluntary work. I have people from outside Huntstown involved in youth work in the area. I accept that the government has a responsibility and the politicians have a responsibility but the community has a responsibility too” she said.

According to Paul Hand “we are not in this for the money. I have a job so if I’m elected I will put any money I get back into the community for playgrounds, community centres and schools”. He said. Further meetings of the new party are planned for other parts of Dublin 15 in the coming weeks.