19 May 2016
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Anti Austerity Alliance TD Mick Barry this morning welcomed the climbdown by the Fine Gael-Independent minority Government on the issue of mandatory charging for green bins and said that it was a sign that this right-wing government is a weak government from the very start vulnerable to popular pressure on issues.
Mick Barry TD (AAA), Cork North Central
Deputy Barry warned that the scrapping of mandatory green bin charges wasn’t in itself sufficient and that pressure should be brought to bear to prevent waste companies introducing such charges off their own bat this summer.
Deputy Barry said that apart from the forced suspension of water charges and the defeat in the Dail last night on the issue of variable mortgage rates the Government have already been forced to climb down on the issues of linking child benefit to school attendance and now the mandatory introduction of green bin charges.
Deputy Barry said: “What happened here on the issue of mandatory green bin charges is that the radical Left made the running, Sinn Fein looked over their shoulder at the radical Left and came out against charges too, then Fianna Fail looked over their shoulder at Sinn Fein said no and then the Government were forced to backtrack. While people power campaigns are the key to winning on the issues that matter it is clear that Anti Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit are in a position to force issues onto the agenda of this new Dail.”
