Up to 150 construction jobs are on the way to the region after it was announced that construction of the new medical school at the University of Limerick will begin this year.
The minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe made the announcement this morning. It is expected that the work will be completed at the end of 2010.
The full story is in the Leader.
The “I am not a racist but…” club has a new member. Limerick County Councillor Liam Galvin.
In an article on the Limerick Leader website, he made somewhat eroneous statements about migrant workers when he called on those that had lost their jobs to be sent back to their own country.
I am by no means racist, and I would like to help everyone, but I say that the time has come to take people aside and tell them that they had been very welcome here when the good times meant that work was plentiful,”
[..]
“But the time has come to say straight out that we as a country cannot afford all these benefits and that these people would be more than welcome back in five, 10 or 15 years from now, whenever things have picked up again.”
I know I am blue in the face for saying this, but I will say it again for the benefit of the thick and ignorant out there. All workers, be they Irish, Polish, or Outer Mongolian, who have worked here for more than two years are entitled to claim PRSI. PRSI payments are in effect, their own money. Receiving PRSI is simply them claiming money they paid into the PRSI fund while they were working.
Many of those who came here have set up roots here. They have brought their families here, they have their children in our schools, making friends, etc.
Just like the Irish did in the 1950s and 1960s. We Irish stayed nice and quiet when the UK was going through the tough economic times in the 80s. There were no calls from the likes of Galvin for the Irish to get out of England during the 80s.
Don’t even get me started on the thousands of illegal Irish in the United States.
Furthermore, many of those from Eastern Europe who are here are perfectly entitled to be here as they are EU citizens.
And now for the eroneous crap.
“The equivalent of a week’s social welfare would more than pay for the air fares,”
The equivelent of a weeks social welfare won’t make up for the disruption to these people’s children’s education, the cost of moving furniture and effects accross Europe, finding new accomodation for their families in their destination country, enrollment of their children in new schools, and the like.
“This country is bankrupt and somebody has to shout stop, because we can’t afford to go on the way we are going. I see the day when people will go along to the local post office to find the doors locked, because the money just won’t be there.”
To blame the Eastern Europeans for the demise of the post office is complete and utter lies. The sale of postcards for example has been decimated by the advent of SMS text messaging. Why would someone spend 50 c on posting a letter when they can send an e-mail or make a phonecall for a fraction of that cost. The post office has been in decline long before the economy imploded. If he and his colleagues in Limerick County Council were not so dead set against a boundary extension for the City, which would have made way for propper planning in the urban area of Limerick, then this region would have been in a far better position to combat the economic downturn.
Cllr Galvin also said that he believes that a considerable amount of fraud is also being committed through the wrongful claiming of entitlements on the part of foreign nationals.
He has been told, he said, that taxi drivers are picking up foreigners at the airport and driving them straight to the welfare office and straight back to the airport again.
The natives aren’t strangers to Social Welfare fraud either.
As for the claim that Taxi drivers are doing round trips from the Airport to the social welfare office, where is the evidence? How many of these taxi drivers have contacted the Gardai, or Social Welfare fraud office? This claim is nothing but the equivelent to the old “A guy down the pub told me…” without evidence.
Migrant workers who came here when times were good to meet the demand for labour are not a comodity you can throw away when you have no more need for them. They are human beings who deserve better than that.
Full story can be found here.
Don’t know why, but Cllr Galvin’s attitude to migrant workers made me think of this.
Have had my head buried deaply in the Ryan Report for the past few days and should have a post on what the report did say about the Institute in Glin, and what the report failed to cover. Hence the absence in posts.
So here is what has been going down in the last couple of days:
Unedited releases received today are below the fold:
Fruit and veg wasn’t the only thing on offer at the Milk Market this morning, Also being sold was the election candidates idea of a better future. Amongst those canvassing was Dr. Alexander Stafford, who is running in the Ireland South constituency in the European Election. Stafford is the only candidate from Limerick. And he gave the Limerick Blogger a brief interview. You can listen by clicking the icon below.
Former Mayor and City Councillor Diarmuid Scully was the latest election candidate to give an interview to the Limerick Blogger. You can hear the interview below.
Pictured above, Alex Masky, Limerick North candiate Maurice Quinlivan, and Limerick East candidate Tom Collopy
Also on the campaign trail for Sinn Fein in Limerick City Eastwith Tom Collopy was Northern Ireland Assembly member, Alex Masky.
Before they headed off on the campaign trail, I managed to interview Mr. Masky on a range of topics, from Dual Mandating MLSs, Westminster expenses, and the recent report on sexual abuse in industrial schools.
Running in the local elections in the South Election Area of Limerick City is Sean Griffin of Sinn Fein. I managed to get a few questions with him as he prepared to go out canvassing this evening.
The interview is below:
Poor oul’ Richie Smith will be so disappointed when he discovers how little executive authority County Councillors actually have. One thing he hasn’t proposed in his far reaching advert manifesto is manditory sentences for animal cruelty convictions. He’d get my vote if he did, and if I was living in Adare. Anyway, here is a brief summary of what has been going down yesterday. If you are a candidate and are feeling left out, add us to your mailing list. Our address is editors@limerickblogger.org
One press release received today, from Kathy Sinnot in relation to the European Autism Information System, which was launched yesterday in Cork. The full release is below the fold.
Just under 250 more Dell workers will finnish up at the factory next week, it is reported in the Limerick Leader.
It is believed that the lay-offs have been brought forward on Line 5, which manufactures servers, is being brought forward due to declining demand.
Meanwhile, the Dell Workers representative Group are hoping that a date will be set some time next week with the Labour Relations Commission. The group, lead by Denis Ryan, have been working with Senator Alan Kelly and SIPTU in pursuing a better redundancy package through the LRC.
Mr. Ryan has also lashed out at Fianna Fail, accusing them of not supporting the workers. In the City Edition of the Limerick Leader he claimed that while members of Fine Gael and the Labour Party attended meetings organised by the DWRG, no-one from Fianna Fail turned up.
UPDATE: Those who have posted comments on this story have stated that it is not line five, as stated in local media reports, but line 7 that is to close next week.
Iconic surroundings and dynamic shopping were promises which look likely to fall by the wayside as the construction company involved in the Parkway Valley shopping centre faces liquidation.
A Dublin company, Deepdril Developments has applied to the high court to have Dannigers, the operating company involved in the Parkway Valley development, put into liquidation. The hearing is due to take place on Monday.
Work had slowed dramatically following last summer, and it is now believed that the 300 construction workers involved in the development will not now return to work.
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