Socialist
Party Election Manifesto 2004
Reject the political establishment - Put proven
campaigners on the Councils
The Socialist Party is standing in these elections to represent working people who feel betrayed by the establishment parties. In contrast, this Government and its local councillors represent the rich and powerful.
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Ireland is the wealthiest country in Europe, but what have the Government done with the wealth? Instead of spending to provide for people’s needs, they gave tax cuts to the rich, one billion a year from recent Budgets! The Government assists profiteering despite the problems it causes. Two thirds of the price of a new house goes to profit or to the Government!
The bin tax will be followed by more stealth taxes and will eat away at any benefit we got from the Celtic Tiger. The Government wants to sell off our public transport system to profiteers which will mean worse services, higher bus fares, low waged casual jobs. Since they lied their way back to office in 2002, they have launched an unprecedented attack on working class people in order to boost profits for big business.
We are the only party that has responded to these new attacks of Fianna F·il and the PDs. It was the Socialist Party who led the biggest struggle yet against this Government – the Bin Tax. Our TD Joe Higgins and Cllr. Clare Daly went to jail for a month for defending the communities that elected them.
We want to build a new mass socialist party that is capable of taking on the establishment. That’s why we want your support. The Socialist Party also wants to help people to defend their own living standards against attacks from the Government or employers. We are campaigning to get rid of the union bureaucrats and for unions that would defend workers’ rights.
Working class people are the majority in society but we must get organised politically and fight to change this country. Vote Socialist Party on June 11th!
What we stand for
Housing:
* Outlaw profiteering - regulations to link the price of new houses to proven building costs
* Outlaw speculation - local authorities to take land for building into a landbank at agricultural prices
* Real affordable housing - eliminate large deposits and provide cheap credit to first time house buyers on or below average industrial incomes
* Local authorities to launch a massive house building programme to eliminate waiting lists and provide decent homes for all
* Rent controls and regulations that guarantee decent affordable accommodation in the private rented sector
Council funding & taxation:
* Increase funding from central Government so councils can provide proper infrastructure, community and leisure facilities
* Scrap the bin tax, the plans to introduce water charges and development levies that unfairly penalise working people
* No sell off or subcontracting of council services and the reversal of privatisations already imposed
* Fund the extension of council services by reversing this Government’s cuts in corporation tax, capital gains and employers’ PRSI
Waste Management:
* Regulations on manufacturers to reduce waste at source by eliminating non-recyclable and non-reusable materials from the waste stream
* A real re-use and recycling programme that could treat 85% of all waste to be funded by those who produce the vast bulk of waste - big corporations, large-scale agriculture and the construction industry
* No to mixed waste landfill and no to incineration
* Comprehensive facilities in the communities so people can separate and recycle all waste and penalties for those who fail to do so
* No privatisation of waste management
Planning & corruption:
* All necessary social infrastructure and facilities must be in place before new residential communities are opened
* The planning process must facilitate the community not just developers – including the right to appeal decisions of councils or An Bord Pleanala to a genuinely independent body
* Plans to be fully integrated with Government Departments so all the needs of the community including health, education and childcare are provided for
* Cancel any rezoning of land decisions found to be corrupt
* The Planning Tribunal is a sham. Where evidence of corruption exists, those suspected should be put on trial as in any criminal case
Decent public services:
* End profiteering in health and pharmaceuticals – for free comprehensive health care for all in a public health system
* For an integrated, efficient and cheap public transport system as a real alternative to using cars and the traffic chaos
* Increased investment in education, particularly primary, to ensure free access at all levels and that all necessary facilities are available
People not profit:
* No to privatisation which means the robbery of working people and a deterioration of services
* Oppose the break-up of CIE and Aer Rianta and the sell off of Aer Lingus
* Run public companies and services democratically through governing bodies that are elected not appointed
* Democratic public ownership of the banks, financial institutions and the key sectors of the economy
A democratic socialist plan of the economy to cater for the needs of society - putting people before profit
Reject
the Government and their 'Citizenship Referendum'
Oppose this Government’s Referendum. They tried to con people into opposing taxi drivers, transport workers, lone parents and teachers. All were accused of holding the country to ransom. The more we allow them to isolate and scapegoat us into minorities the more they will be able to attack everyone’s rights.
When politicians say refugees are responsible for the problems in health and housing, they are lying. Less children are born here now than in the 60s and 70s. That means any problems in maternity wards flow from Fianna Fail’s cutbacks. The actual number of births to women making applications for asylum has declined by over 60% since 2002 and is a tiny fraction of overall births.
Discrimination against children is wrong and sets a disgraceful precedent. This time refugees are the minority being attacked and used to sow confusion but you could be next. If they can deflect people’s anger from themselves and thereby minimise their losses in the election, they will step up their attacks on all working class people. You have a vested interest in rejecting this Government and their Referendum.
European Elections
Joe Higgins TD has been the real opposition to Fianna Fail and the PDs. As a genuine socialist he is different to all other candidates. Last Autumn for refusing to betray the people who elected him, he was sentenced to a month in Mountjoy Prison for campaigning against the bin tax. His determination to stand by working people and his principles cuts him apart. Shock the political establishment on June 11th and elect Joe Higgins to Europe. If elected Joe will donate the entire MEP salary to the fight to change society.
In Europe the Socialist Party fights for:
* No to Bush’s occupation and robbery of Iraq - withdraw all airport facilities to foreign military
* No to European Militarism or any Irish involvement in military actions or alliances
* Opposition to EU proposals that facilitate deregulation, privatisation and cuts in public services
* For co-operation among workers’ throughout Europe in the common fight to improve wages, conditions and defend trade union rights
* No to the big business dominated EU - for a Socialist Europe