Selflessness,
Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and
Leadership.
These are the seven principles of public life also known as the
Nolan principals. Following last nights BBC Spotlight programme I am
confident that members of our local council would know more about
the Nolan sisters than they do of these principles.
The
BBC Spotlight programme broadcast on February 18th
2014 featured an interview with the SDLP's environmental stalwart
Shaun Gallagher. Mr Gallagher who was a member of the North West
Waste Management group joint council committee was questioned on
whether or not he knew that one of the preferred bidders for a
FIVE HUNDRED MILLION POUNDS
incineration plant was the same company (Brickklin Waste management)
accused by Derry City Council of dumping illegal waste. Brickkiln was also found in 2013 to be in breach of it's waste management licence.
Mr
Gallagher denied all knowledge despite the case ending up in the High
Court, a process that took 18 months. The journalist continued to
tell Mr Gallagher, that producers had been assured by Derry City
Council that ALL elected members had been informed of the case
against Brickklin waste management company.
The
programme then saw Mr Gallagher insist the interview come to and end
with him accusing the presenter of an ambush. Mr Gallagher later
wrote to Spotlight asking that his interview be removed from the
programme.
From
personal experience it is clear Mr Gallagher does not take too kindly
to being asked questions. In October 2010 on behalf of the Galliagh Concerned Residents Group I wrote to Councillor Gallagher seeking
clarification on his membership of the Outer North Neighbourhood
Partnership.
The
next morning Mr Gallagher who at that point was not a happy camper
paid me a visit at 10am, he was very belligerent, irate and I felt
quite intimidated by his demeanour. This visit led to my husband
launching a formal complaint with the SDLP's chief executive over
Councillor Gallagher's conduct. When I met with the SDLP accompanied
by a leading Trade Unionist, a member of our residents group and our
groups legal advisor I was met by a veiled threat of legal action
against myself on behalf of Mr Gallagher through the SDLP Chief
Executive Mr Michael Savage. When it became evident that no matter
what Councillor Gallagher had done or the evidence presented
supporting my case the SDLP would not reprimand him I decided to end
the meeting.
I
received this response from Mr Gallagher on October 15th
2010:
The
response from Councillor Gallagher contained quite a number of
inaccuracies and the residents group I was part of wrote to the SDLP
to highlight these.
In May 2011 I stood as
an independent candidate in the Shantallow ward of the city to
highlight how residents in my area including myself were being
treated appallingly by our local councillors, council officers and
their lackeys. I knew at that point I would have difficulty getting elected having
done a few calculations. However I proceeded to prove that I could stand in the election and
to highlight that people were fed up with being ignored and walked over.
I am delighted that
this year people from many areas, North and South of Ireland, have
decided to stand as independent candidates in the local government
elections. I am further overjoyed at the prospect of an independent
candidate standing in every council ward in Derry.
If recent revelations
aren't enough to wake people up to the farce that is local government
then I ask what will???? These revelations including the handling of
the Social Investment Fund with the refusal to fund Foyle Search and
Rescue and Hurt. The fact that politicians are happy to put more
funding into building football pitches than employment schemes
despite Derry being an unemployment blackspot. The fact that a
current Sinn Fein Councillor was given a job by another party member
and former Sinn Fein Mayor without any interview process taking place, a job funded from the public purse. The fact the the only
Catholic Secondary school in the Waterside area of the City will be
closed without every measure being put in place to keep it open. And
these are only a few examples of how the political parties are
failing the people.
It would be quite easy
in light of the Spotlight programme to lay blame solely at the feet
of the SDLP. However it must be noted that Sinn Fein Councillor Colly Kelly was Derry City Councils other representative on the North West
Waste Management group joint council committee. I would like to hear
Mr Kelly's position on the Brickklin scenario and I would suggest
Raymond McCartney should do the same.
VOTE ONCE- VOTE
INDEPENDENT- DON'T TRANSFER!
It would be quite easy
to do the same old thing and follow your usual voting pattern and
just put your 1,2 or 3 beside the party representatives standing in
your area. But as you can see the politicians have a lot to answer
for, as do their parties. The party will come first and that's why
this election time I would ask you to consider the Nolan principles I
listed above and measure the current representatives against them. If
you're honest with yourself you'll agree they don't marry up. Maybe
then it's time to vote for one of the independent candidates standing
in your area.
VOTE ONCE- VOTE
INDEPENDENT- DON'T TRANSFER
Its not on heh ! if Shaun Gallagher and here I,d say the bold Shaun is no sheep is in anyway representative of those who give political leadership to the people of this island,and judging from the spotlight interview he surely is,then is it any wonder this place is fucked. big ego,s and greed seem to be the prerequisites to becoming an elected representative here, and the higher up the pole ya go the worse they get. it seems to me that the old adage is correct here "Dont vote it only encourages them".
ReplyDeleteRobust piece Pauline.
ReplyDeleteI think I would only ever vote Independent in future down here.
agreed marty, 'dont vote it only encourages them' and 'dont vote the government always gets in' are good mottos. take rsf's abstentionist policy one step further and abstain from voting altogether. i like drawing stupid pictures on voting card lately in hope it will entertain some extremely bored vote counter. bit silly but fuc* it, at least i can say i exercised my right to spoil my vote. saying that, i'm open to bribes and could vote for a total corrupt slob if the money was right.
ReplyDeleteGrouch they are all fucking slobs a cara and if ya want a bit of craic in the voting booth,stick the voting card in two, what sort of sort of cyanoacrylate you use I,d leave that upto yourself, but the joy of watching the eejits in the count trying to open it is priceless,
ReplyDeletenice one marty, on a more serious note, im thinking of starting a party called: "sinn fein the non-workers party" and will run unemployed candidates in areas of high unemployment north and south and maybe across the water too. we will refuse to take our seats though if elected so they cant cut off our dole. we could decimate Provisional Sinn Fein and put them all on the...erm...dole. would u vote for us marty? imagine seeing mcguinness signing on.
ReplyDeletegrouch a cara, Only if you promise a united Ireland by 2016 and stick to the average industrail wage....but on a serious note with the Northern bank money and the rest invested worldwide,Martybroy Gerry Itwasntme and the inner clique of the PRM will never sign on the dole its something I predicted in 1994, the rest of the movement can sink or swim,Shaun Gallagher and the majority of the elected politicians here are as interested in the peoples welfare as Maggie Thatcher was in kids having healthy bones and teeth ,
ReplyDeletemarty, i get depresed lately a chara, i dont think there will even be an ireland in twenty years,(some kids down here speak with american accents now, i shit u not) never mind a united one. i do hav hope for the political situation changing here ONLY WHEN the english rise up and hang the evil scum behind the crown and city of london. i mean u boys had to fuc*king starve urselves to death to get a bit of help from down here and that help went away quickly enuf too. did u see blog on here about lynch going to heath after bloody sunday. that says it all for me, the irish thing is a bit of a myth now to me, this country is full of shameless sleeveen shoneen croney bastards who will act all irish for the yanks when they go there. i honestly think we were all wiped out in famine/genocide. Until the english hang their evil overlords, my northern bros and sis will hav to put up with bigots and mi5 and collaborating bastards lording it over them. imagine if u went into a coma in 1984 and woke up yesterday - ud think u were being wound up. pube head mc guinness in stormont and berry adams in leinster house, u wud honestly think it was a fuc*kin wind up. now do you see why im a bit daft on my comments, the cun*s hav driven me mad. my motto now is: if u cant beat them, take the piss out of them, have as much fun as possible while taking the piss out of them, and then die. and if there is a god i hope he likes piss takers.
ReplyDeleteGrouch in that case a cara you,ll be glad to hear that Gerry Itwasntme and Martybroy are to give up their political conjobs and become film stars,yip as you say I shit you not,they are to star in Disney,s sequel to the Lion King it is to be called The Lying Bastards...and as the words from the song goes .."they can play the part so well"
ReplyDeleteand morrison to write the dialogue haha
ReplyDeleteFuck Pauline we need independent women with guts, like yourself, who knows what its like to keep a family together on a pittance.
ReplyDeleteWomen who'll face down corruption not slide into it once elected.
You should start writing to the local press and if they don't publish then visit them to ask why not.