Saturday 22nd March 2014
Time to raise the issue of the housing crisis as it existed in Dublin in 2013 which is now March 2014 compounded by the imminent evictions that people face as the private equity funds buy up properties and decide who will own what; who will be the landlord or will they sell on and let people who can afford to take out mortgages or buy houses for cash enter the market?
The An Taoiseach Enda Kenny speech while celebrating St Patrick’s day in the US ruffled some feathers. A great opportunity to state that Ireland is in revival mode and people are looking for houses again. The truth is prices are rising in Dublin but then market supply demand theory provides for this given we are now six years embedded in recession.
Realities must be recognised.
Tokenism tells us that there are individualised deals being negotiated by our State owned bank AIB. Write-downs of amounts of approx e200,000 are finally being provided but beware of that big bad wolf called profit margins and the actuarial expertise that abates what will be a quite different story over the next few years. These deals apply only within a very narrow framework for people who most likely can continue to repay the adjusted amount for the lifetime of the mortgage, which in fact may even be extended to say 30 years.
Constantin Gurdgiev http://rueeconomics.blogspot.com/2014_01_01_archive.html Professor Morgan Kelly provide http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LCofepdUzE more realistic figures and are not as influenced by these quite significantly well timed offers made by AIB (pls note not by Bank of Ireland, and others). Bank of Ireland, quite interestingly, had an intervention by one of these private equity giants – the face being a Mr Wilbur Ross http://www.reuters.com/article/us-bank-of-ireland-ross-idUSKBN0EK1PH20140610. This man of influence bought in and bought out just recently trebling his money over approx 2 year time frame. The question now is where will Mr Wilbur Ross invest next and if he thinks Ireland is still a land of opportunity to make a quick buck in a short space of time.
Questions we need to keep asking:-
100,000 people on the housing list for social housing presently, a significant increase over the past number of years. This number is on the ascent.
Then ask how many social housing schemes are being constructed? Unlike previous decades, mention of some 425 social houses have been built over the last 2 years. How can this tap such inordinate demand and need for housing?
Then ask how many private houses are being built; nothing to cater for demand, I would suggest. Hence the commentary in our newspapers and more importantly from our Taoiseach to urge investors (even those who can “deNamatise” themselves or become bankrupt overseas) to re-focus on Ireland and its existing need for more properties to avert a housing demand crisis.
Could it be possible that there are so many vacant homes as per the previous citizen journalist contributor? We know that Dublin City Council and other local authorities appear to drag their heels when it comes to refurbishing their existing stock of properties. Some say there are as many as 3,500 potential homes just being laid waste to vandalism.
Multi-family is the new word in town. Blackstone, Kennedy Wilson, Lone Star, are names we need to get used to as they change Ireland from the idea of being a home owner to a home renter Nation. IBRC in liquidation has stocks of properties and these are the bidders. These groups will significantly change who is eligible to have a property and guess work would suggest that it won’t be people who receive the HAT formerly the rent allowance.
250,000 are said to be in search of homes.
Homelessness is worse than ever.
Justice Dunne placed a hiccup in the legislation that prevented the Banks from evicting owners of properties when they failed to pay their mortgages. This is no longer the case and we now know that the courts are receiving considerably more orders to evict people. Where will these families go? I would suggest that the deals we are reading about from the AIB apply to people who have employment and who can pay a reduced amount of mortgage. In other words they are in sound employment with life insurance policies.
A recommendation:
Google on you-tube Morgan Kelly lecture on economics – link above
by Michelle Clarke
We listen to the new Prime Minister of Ukraine warn about the corruption of their police force; it goes with the territory. The objective to move forward is to make change and how best to make changes but to acknowledge flaws in the system.
Commissioner Callinan before a Dail Committee chose the words ‘Disgusting’. Whether it applies to the ‘actions’ of the Garda McCabe or former Garda Wilson or to them personally is irrelevant. The fact is their actions are now vindicated. The rot was identified and these men, often referred to as whistleblowers, first followed the procedures within An Garda Siochana to highlight malpractice and by the inaction were forced move a stage further. This is called progress surely. http://www.independent.ie/…/garda-commissioner-stands-by-disgusting-comment-despite-v…
The Morris Tribunal http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Morris1stRpt.pdf/Files/Morris1stRpt.pdf was established in response to known corruption within the Force. It is an ongoing battle to tackle corruption in any industry, in the banking sector, in any police Force for that matter, but what is essential is to acknowledge those who take life changing choices and put society ahead because of their courage to tackle ‘wrongdoing’ which is to the detriment of our society.
Mr Wilson is presently in hospital and we are told it is cancer of the colon. Stress must be a contributing factor. We hope that he receives the ‘apology’ he and Garda McCabe are due for being good and diligent citizens who stepped outside their Garda Siochana role to highlight wrongdoing that harms our societal value code.
JP Morgan in the US recently awarded a whisteblower $64 million http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2014/03/07/j-p-morgan-whistleblower-gets-64-million-2/. This is the economic value placed on the importance of the actions of the whistleblower to highlight corruption.
We are only asking for an apology from the Garda Commissioner Callinan to the word ‘disgusting’.
Government ministers and TD’s are coming forward now with their recognition as to what is nothing but a portal of discovery in the recognition of corruption and acknowledging that sometimes it is necessary for people to exceed boundaries to do something in the interest of the public good.
By Michelle Clarke
Only 12% of the 1,300 (156) are subject to supervision by the Probation Service
Too little supervision surely when we know that the academic experts state that they have not yet managed to find a ‘cure’ and especially when the Granada Institute or alternative counselling is not available.
Irish Probation Journal:
SORAM http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/report-sex-offenders-system-restrictive-262973.html is working: Offenders were being managed on a “day-to-day basis” and there was an effective communication between all agencies. Is this enough? Daily our newspapers report child sexual abuse, pornography cases yet the ‘wilful blindness’ and denial ensures that people are not aware of the dangers that exist in their localities. Sex offenders and where they live causes real problems in the light of a transparent assessment. How many people in Ireland know about the UK and Eire paedos database and its up-to-date reports that include Ireland.
Despite too many years of revelations about child sexual abuse in the Church, education, the home place, by family, by people in authority, we still remain in denial about what happens to these ‘abusers’ and where they live? The fact is we need to know and act in the best interests of those who are most vulnerable in our society.
The report goes on to say:-
For SORAM to be effective at a local level, interventions targeting offenders and internal controls are needed. It said this included treatment, constructive daytime activities, measures to tackle social isolation as well as mental health and addiction issues The question is what is really happening at an effective level? Meantime we have Judges going lenient on sex offenders giving them suspended sentences.
By Michelle Clarke
Lorna Siggins, Western correspondent, Irish Times today, in her article titled ‘Tutu calls for inquiry into Corrib gas project policing’ highlights Ireland’s experience with Shell, the Corrib and the issue of policing. When is it more appropriate than now to raise the issue of ‘policing’ and the history of the Corrib, the people and Shell Oil.
South African archbishop Desmond Tutu and former United Nations assistant secretary general Denis Halliday have called an “urgent and comprehensive” independent inquiry into the the policing of the Corrib gas project
The group of signatories include: Peace and Justice group Afri, human rights Organisation Front Line Defenders and others. They are calling for the inclusion of the Corrib gas dispute to be included in “any Government inquiry” into Garda accountability.
Why? The Oil industry is big business for elites and when companies like Shell choose locations like Ireland, we need to learn from countries like Nigeria, the social, the environmental and corruption costs that align themselves to being rich in a mineral resource but being reliant on the international companies to extract the oil/gas from our country.
The article states a series of incidents which resulted in the involvement of Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) concerning incidents related to policing at the Corrib site in Mayo. Local residents in Mayo are reported to have been subjected to a series of incidents (from assault to serious injury) from 2006 onwards. This resulted in a large number of Gardai being deployed to the Corrib project. The Afri statement states:-
Residents have submitted reports to the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC), the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner without any satisfactory outcome
GSOC have been implicated on several occasions. According to Afri in the year 2008:-
“GSOC sought permission from the then Minister for Justice, Brian Lenihan, to conduct a “practice, policy and procedure” review of the policing of the Corrib gas project, but this request was denied”
In 2013, Ms Sekaggya, UN special rappoteur on Human Rights, who visited Ireland in 2012, called on the Irish Government to investigate “all allegations and reports of intimidation, harassment and surveillance in the context of the Corrib gas dispute”.
Gardai dedicated to the Corrib need to be transparent and accountable. Who pays and at what cost to the services of An Garda Siochana in the exercise of their functions throughout Ireland? Human Rights must be a priority and any breach as highlighted above must be dealt with promptly.
by Michelle Clarke
The name is Mr Michael Parker, Insight PR.
Impero is not asked to take account for how the HSE decides to spend its funds. However Rehab is before the Public Accounts Committee April 10th 2014 and today we are told that Chief Executive Angela Kerins resigns (severance package and for that matter pension unknown). We know that her salary and perks are in excess of euros 240,000, and possibly more when the Public Accounts Committee reports on its findings. We also know the story is that 80 million euros pa from the HSE to Rehab sure raises questions about how the HSE divests funds to organisations that are not fully transparent. Add to this the Charitable Lottery funds and other sources of fundraising and we must start challenging those in “Charitoracy” for some form of transparency and accountability. The promise of regulation dates back to the 1980’s and now the need for such regulation is urgent.
Mental health applies according to the Irish Independent health supplement article yesterday to some 66,000 people. Do they get the care plans? It seems not so. The question therefore must be is mental health a public health provision or is it just haphazard with some 1,200 organisations divesting the HSE of the vital service in line with the Vision for Change that it is duty bound to provide.
Our main thoroughfares in our cities tell the story that many people are falling into homelessness and hostel provision living while their mental health including their dental needs are being ignored. The policy is define and exclude from society by appearance and mental health labels.
by Michelle Clarke
To the PAC committee
A Citizen Journalism site latest comments refers to a posting in January about HeadSpace http://www.headspace-magazine.com/?cat=2 linked to mental health and rehabilitation. Please consider the attached and review the involvement of the Rehab Group (Performance and Visual Arts). As a person with mental health and ABI, I was surprised to read the posting and more surprised to find only today that there is a bursary for people with disabilities relating to the arts available but the closing date is 11/4/14.
The Sunday Mail sends shock waves through my being because we all know that the vulnerable have little access to the numerous ie 1200 plus charity based projects. The HSE have negligently and recklessly divested responsibility for people with mental health, drug/alcohol addiction to often vanity driven “Charitoracies”.
By Michelle Clarke (not bitter but just a person who has relied on the Samaritans because in desperation they are always there to listen while I know that A&E and the wait on a trolley for days is inhumane and treats the person as if they have no dignity).
By Michelle Clarke
Now 4 colleges closed. Too many.
‘Ireland Inc. seeks global recognition and teaching English is one important means of promoting Ireland. Shamefully, visitors who have chosen Ireland rather than other potential countries to enroll in Colleges that teach them English are basically being exploited. They pay large deposits and fees and we have duped these vulnerable students from all over the world, which is totally unacceptable. It sullies the reputation of our country, at a time we can least afford it.
We surely know the importance of the immigration procedures. Incoming students are provided with classes for 25 weeks in the year. They are allowed to work for 20 hours a week, and 40 hours during their holidays. Shame on us to allow so called entrepreneurs to collect large fees and then close up shop leaving these foreign visitors, students, and workers particularly in the services sector, victims of fraudulent scams sanctioned by the Dept of Justice/Education.
Goodwill where education is concerned and ethics, as part of good corporate governance, says these young people must be facilitated to remain in Ireland with their immigration concessions being maintained and an alternative course being put in place immediately.
Urgent action is needed. Employers must be encouraged to ensure 20 hours at work, or maybe more, for a period, and the Department of Justice and Education must find alternative colleges and pay for their tuition to compensate for the fraud that has been perpetrated on these visitors to Ireland Inc.
Michelle Clarke.
Quotation:
Jonathan Swift ‘Give vision to the visionless’.
The power of the pen ie the written word has been subsumed by the visual.
However, the plight of the homeless is now ignored by both and the crisis is as stated by Fr McVerry a “tsunami”.
Sunday Business Post:
‘Pension couple could be evicted anytime’.
Surely, not. This could not be Ireland. This couple, two OAP’s, have lived in their semi-detached house in Castleknock for 14 years.
Their problem is not that the Landlord has chosen to serve an eviction notice on them; it is much worse than that: it is ultimately the banking sector who if they haven’t sold their debts on to the vulture funds, are finally responding to the demands of Central Bank and Mr Draghi of the ECB and they are hunting down the mainly buy-to-lets landlords; ‘BTl’s’ who for the last number of years have been non compliant and who have not paid the banks for the loans they have received.
This couple have just received an eviction notice. What we need to understand here is that there are some 40,000 more BTL’s who will be served with similar notices within the next year.
This couple have lodged an appeal to the High Court…..
For those who don’t understand the procedure, this means at any time they can in fact be evicted. This couple have no rights, or so it seems. They have rented this property for 14 years. They paid a rent of e800 euros a month, a rent which has increased significantly in the last year and is now in excess of £1400 p.m. The landlord in this case has transitioned legally to the bank who wants to sell the property. This couple have looked for a similar property but in no way can they meet the increased rent.
Where is the local authority housing? We can blame the present Government but we also can blame Fianna Fail and the PD’s. They had the clever idea of shifting public sector housing provision from the tender process of Dublin City Council and the construction of designated social housing, to meet the needs of the now 100,000 people waiting years on the housing list, onto the private housing sector. Tax incentives such as section 23 enabled people become landlords and obtain tax incentives.
The crisis with this sector came with the Lehman Brother financial disaster and the emergence of the “Delinquent borrowers” and the negative equity crisis.
Where does this leave Ireland? In a housing supply crisis. For the lucky people in the more affluent areas like South Dublin, we have a mini boom with 100 people turning up to view houses and gazumping being reported in some cases. We are told prices are rising. An example of a house in Clonsilla placed on the market at e190,000 actually selling for e290,000. However, this does little to those who are falling into homelessness.
The Irish Times: A letter from Brother Kevin Crowley, OFM CAP, Capuchin Day Centre.
“I am appalled that despite being alert to the increase in numbers of people accessing services such as the Capuchin Day Centre, the current housing crisis has been allowed to develop and that it took until 2 days before an election before it reached the agenda of the Oireachtas”….
He draws reference to the new dimension of the crisis in that people ask for food parcels to take home to feed their children. Brother Kevin quite rightly highlights the bureaucracies that submerge the promises and the delinquency of the local government and other agencies to combine together and effectively tackle the housing crisis. Too much, he says has been spent on meaningless research, surveys and failed action plans.
Pope Francis talks about waste – the waste of food that amounts to as much as 50% and that to engage in such waste is in fact stealing from the poor. Brother Francis reminds us of Saint Francis of Assisi and quotes:
“Start with what is necessary and do what is possible”.
Some suggestions for our Government especially An Tanaiste who asked for the homeless man to be removed from an area where he intended to make a speech.
The new poor are the 40,000 people who are in the private landlord sector who are now going to face eviction notices if they cannot pay the rent or if the landlords are being forced to sell by the banks then they are to be evicted anyway. Inept pre-election promises to allocate funds for housing is not enough.
Brother Kevin suggests:-
“For those sleeping rough, the night bus and emergency services should be restored to 2010 levels. For families in the private rented accommodation, reinstate the rent supplement or force landlords to accommodate people adequately….. Stop the banks who owe the Irish people billions from repossessing homes”.
Another hands on involved person for many decades now is Fr Peter McVerry a Jesuit.
Regarding the right to a home, he states
“I believe having a home is a basic human right. It should be guaranteed by the State, and provided by the structures of the State and not through charities…..he goes on to say:-
“he is pragmatic, verging on pessimistic, about the outlook for Ireland’s homeless. Most people in this country don’t know anyone who is homeless, and so its very difficult to generate public interest in an issues that people are not familiar with. However, I think that’s going to change with the “tsunami of homelessness” coming down the road, as we will see ordinary working class people losing their accommodation”
It is for the plain people of Ireland to tackle this crisis before 40,000 more people face eviction and are potentially added to the 100,000+ social housing list.
To the vulture funds buying up the multi-family units. Is it your intention to exclude people on rental allowance when you are letting out your massively written down in value properties? Is the investment long-term or short-term? These are questions we need to ask.
Google: Morgan Kelly and his economy viewpoint on housing, small to medium enterprises and education. It is about a need to know at every level of our society. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LCofepdUzE
By Michelle Clarke
Thursday 29th May 2014
A country should be judged by how it treats its vulnerable people.
I visited our so called Employment Office in D’Olier Street that is supposed to create work, seek talent, inspire people. It was an inept building while in affluent D4 but the shame is to see it now even more bedraggled, in a street that is full of no hope, housing the Department of Social Welfare, Department of Social Protection, and the office that has no name. Can we assume that it is the remorphed FAS now Solas?
Labour got their answer in the recent elections. Joan Burton, Department of Social Protection seriously needs to engage with the people out there looking for hope, work, inspiration and sell the product ie employment creation, talent finding skills and do something. We have Google, Microsoft, Dell, Intel etc. and their contribution to Philanthropy is not so much giving money like other larger companies in Ireland but time and teaching people. JobBridge could not be sold to people from the office in D’Olier Street. How can you sell a scam because JobBridge was the Paul Daniels trick that jobs were being created when now we all know this is not true. It is important not to forget that Joan Burton is a chartered accountant and surely knows how to balance the numbers of employed and the facts of JobBridge as now we realise, can only be described as a source of exploitation. This was the accountant at work. We can further ask that if Joan Burton is to lead Labour I hope she has a better foundation about the reality.
Politicians need to walk the streets. They need to go to D’Olier Street and ask serious questions about what has happened over the last 3 years. A few courses are outlined in the front window but a welcome, a coffee shop, newspapers, think-tanks, working to get people with mental problems into the workforce, should be core to finding employment. Nothing inspires.
What did we learn from the FAS fiasco; the Shane Ross reporting on the sick building culture that pervaded for years. We know from John McGuinness, Public Accounts Committee about FAS, now we can add the Rehab scandal. Nobody is seen to do anything constructive. Why? We need to tackle poverty. Poverty of spirit leads to mental health problems, drug addiction, homelessness, poor dental hygiene becomes the major visible indicator of what side of the divide one falls. All of this is about the dividing line of us and them and stigma determines their fate. We have been promised better community health. The research is done by Universities such a Trinity College but the political will and the lack of public health provision (as in Canada) fails dismally to provide for those who fall outside what private health care provides. Labour are to elect a new Leader. Ask Minister Burton her focus of attention in relation to Social Protection?
By Michelle Clarke
http://thediplomat.com/2014/05/a-drug-free-world-try-some-21st-century-remedies/
Mortgage Delinquents, Moral Hazard, is there hope according to the news in today’s Irish Independent?
If you read the case study, then read between the lines, it sure opens up avenues of negotiation for people who have negative equity homes, certain mortgage arrears and unsecured loans with the credit unions and with credit card companies.
They say the ‘devil is in the detail’ but this devil has been hiding since this legislation was introduced in 2013.
What is important to note is that instead of bankruptcy over a 5 year period, restricted living expenses, uncertainty of deals falling through with negative impacts on the family, the banks and the PIA’s, you can now get focused and be out of your economic crisis which emerged in 2008 in three months.
The case study:
The family concerned. They had a small business and it failed. Significantly they are living on reduced income from low paying jobs. They are not in a position to meet their mortgage repayments or other unsecured debt payments eg Credit Union debts, credit cards.
Details:
The couple Borrowed 320,000 euros (date unknown); the value of the house at present is 140,000* euros therefore their negative equity is 180,000 euros and other secured debt is 35,000 euros. The latest option/gestures by the banks may be of interest to many. It is called:-
“Accelerated Personal Insolvency Arrangement”.
It means, if successful, the family in relation to their mortgage laden home, will be out of the debt in three months. The key point here is that they once again “become solvent”.
To negotiate this deal i.e. ‘to get over the line’ as referred to in the article, you have to be in a position ‘to tap family and friends’ for a 10,000 euros ‘bullet payment’. If you are successful and the Bank agrees to the write off of 180,000 euros from the mortgage, which also facilitates the write-down of the 35,000 euros unsecured debts, you have a situation where the unsecured debt is written-down to ZERO. The family can then resume paying reduced mortgage payments and no longer have debts relating to credit cards, credit unions amounting to 35,000 euros leaving the family free re-construct their lives.
Is this a life-line to so many people who have lived in fear of being evicted from their family homes? Now is the time to ensure that if the banks are agreeable to these “Accelerated Personal Insolvency Arrangements” to kick-start the momentum and find ways of raising the 10,000 euros waiver of unsecured debt arrangement with vigour and enthusiasm.
Ireland is renowned for raising funds for the Third World. What if we could raise funds to pay the 10,000 euros waiver from debt obligations of our fellow homeowners?
by Michelle Clarke
* Presently house prices are rising in Dublin, some say by 20%. Supply is limited but this makes this move by the banks ask questions about their predictions for house price increases.
Tuesday 10th June 2014
Catherine Ghent (Solicitor involved with Children and their rights) spoke with caution and depth today on Newstalk. Children today are suffering. Those 1500+ being reared in asylum centres where each adult receives 19 euros per week and 9 euros for each child. 4,000+ people are housed in asylum centres some there in excess of five years. This mirrors the numbers in our prisons. What about those who are classified as children; those with intellectual disabilities, those with mental illness who are imprisoned because no suitable provision is available. Direct Provision is the term we need to engage with.
Community health care provision is grossly inadequate for many people who three decades ago (20,000+) formed those who were consigned to mental asylums. Politicians need to walk Rathmines, O’Connell Street, our rural villages bereft of locals who are now once more on the emigration mission and look at poverty (including that of poverty of spirit) maybe due to alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness which is a haunting reality that we fail dismally to cope especially now. This is inhumanity on our doorstep and it applies to over 4,000 people.
Then there are 4000+ people in our prisons. Add to this the children who are hungry because the present economic war is causing hardship at grassroots. Peter McVerry and others talk of the “Tsunami” of homelessness and desolation ahead ahead and what about these children? We need not forget the children who have disabilities now; the children who attend the creches and who regulates and supervises same?
To contextualise it may be appropriate to read the medical report completed by Dr Cameron in the early 1900’s to establish the dire poverty in our capital city Dublin and other cities. We were a garrison port and prostitution was rife. Slums and falling buildings housed so many in rooms in abject poverty.
Blame now is fostering a culture of dependency at a time when tackling urgent problems particularly relating to present day children is absolutely essential because it is neglected.
Why we must acknowledge the importance of an undisclosed name citizen (or digital) journalism site and it is worth consideration?
For a start it has an all encompassing archive of material from the Peace Process to the Corrib to Tara Hill, Co Meath and now the Gaza debauchery of a human population who live in one of the world’s most confined spaces and where the average age is 17 years of age. The world looks on but this time social media facilitates all of us to be aware and to urge people in positions of power to act in the negotiation for Peace.
Surprisingly, if you read the Sunday Times, Bertie Ahern, former Taoiseach of Ireland, has been visiting Kiev and Eastern Ukraine on what can only be called a “Peace Mission” (and for no remuneration).
Freedom of the Press.
Editorial staff have a very important function but surely where a shareholder has nearly a 30% shareholding and we know that Denis O’Brien has such a holding in the Independent News and Media (INM), it becomes most disturbing to hear that late last Saturday night, Mr O’Brien is reported to have instructed the printing presses to stop and ordered that a reference to its leading shareholder, ie Mr Denis O’Brien, in the column of the Sunday paper by the Independent’s editor, Anne Harris, be deleted, should cause serious concern for the citizens of Ireland. Changes were made to the column. However, there are copies of the original version that had been published and distributed to “street” editions. Luckily, the eagle of eye of journalist, Gavin Sheridan, spotted the story and uploaded Harris’s column on the website thestory.ie.
We know from Mark Tighe’s article in the Sunday Times today that heated debate ensued on Saturday night. According to Campbell Spray, the newspaper’s editor of operations, told colleagues (Stephen) Rae was the “ultimate boss”. To quote from the Sunday Times: “In the original column Harris wrote…… “Denis O’Brien is the majority shareholder in the INM. In theory, with 29% of the shares, he does not control it. “IN PRACTICE HE DOES”. After the copy was changed, the line “IN PRACTICE HE DOES” had been deleted. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Harris_(journalist)
The moral of my story is for writers who have left this un-named Citizen Journalism site to reconsider media provision in Ireland and note that we grassroots contributors are essential both now and in the future.
by Michelle Clarke
Thursday 31st July 2014
Today 3rd October 2016, just over two years after this article was written on a Citizen Journalism platform and sent to an extensive email address list, as above, the Homeless crisis is worse than ever.
Figures indicate we live in a country of many vacant houses/sites/empty warehouses, some say there could be as many as 230,000 empty houses. Dublin 4 includes the “gentrified” Ringsend, fully serviced, with history and some small sites remain. I noticed just off the main street, beside the NCBI (National Council for the Blind Ireland) shop, a small vacant site being brought into action. Containers are being adapated. Windows are in and insulation was being installed. Could this be about solving the homeless crisis? It works in other countries so why not? I heard that something similar is happening in the Royal Hospital Donnybrook. Funds are being donated by philanthtropists. Keep the people informed and give them hope. Recommend @ReUsingDublin
Michelle
Check out this link http://www.homedit.com/22-most-beautiful-houses-made-from-shipping-containers/
Back to 31st July 2014
Two homeless people within walking distance of the Mansion House. What can we do? Virtual should get outcomes and we should be able to access a progress report. It happens in certain states in the US.
What can we do for Michael as he uses a crayon to tell his story of poverty and nowhere to live, outside what was once the most expensive shop on Grafton Street? What about Sharon, thin beyond all acceptance, a child, daily begging on Merrion Row? It is beyond money. It is about a care programme.
What about the young man who sits outside the door of Tesco, Upper Baggot Street. His well-being is deteriorating. Tesco supposedly support the community with their latest scheme. They support Aware. Perhaps it would be more beneficial if they could empower this young man, create a job for him and others with the focus being community. They have the advantage of geographic location spread.
Marioara Rostas http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/the-life-and-death-of-marioara-rostas-181766.html was savagely murdered. The defendant was found Not Guilty. What we know is that this young homeless woman had a barbaric attack on her person that resulted in her death. These are the young people we see on our streets, unclean because they have nowhere to wash, and their teeth decayed because there is no health system to protect them; there is an urgent for community intervention.
The industry of charities needs an overhaul, some mergers and economies of scale, could ensure better outcomes for young people especially those who reach the age of 18, who have been bounced around the care system. They need opportunities and to be empowered.
By Michelle Clarke
Recommend:
“The military tries to present itself as an institution that enables social mobility—as a stepping-stone into Israeli society. In reality, it perpetuates segregation. We believe it is not accidental that those who come from middle-high income families land in elite intelligence units, and from there often go to work for high paying technology companies”.
To the men and women courageous enough to write and sign this letter, I commend your bravery and endorse your position.
Too little is known about the politics of Gaza and Israel but what we all witness is the slaughter of innocents from an unrelenting military Israeli force supported by the US, and it is Israel that claims that provocation from Hamas has invoked them, like the Nazis invoked the British in World War II, to retaliate with all their military, financial and intellectual, might.
To the people who signed this letter, I would like to reply with my humble commitment to a peace effort.
You have already made the significant decision, you have stepped back and identified that war is wrong. The question now is about crossing the bridge. You are the people who can bring this about.
Books in hotel lobbies. What a brilliant idea to invoke the passer by to engage with social media and open debate. The book that catches my attention is ‘This is Charlie Bird’, hard back. A random page selected was 170 and yes we in Ireland, the Island of Ireland, can impact on what is presently happening in Gaza.
To quote enough to make us recall and invoke those with the potential to activate Peace Processes, I include as follows:-
“The Republican leadership was under huge pressure to make a final and decisive step in the direction of constitutional politics……”
“After a Sinn Fein press conference in Buswells Hotel in Dublin, Adams said that he was not certain when a statement from the IRA (Provisionals) would come…….”
“A Republican resource rang me to say that talk about September was inaccurate. ‘When you hear that Martin McGuinness and Rita O’Hare are travelling to Washington, then you will know we’re on’, one Sinn Fein figures eventually admitted….”
Charlie Bird travels North to the Fairways Hotel outside Dundalk……”the person sat into the passenger seat of my car. You’ll need to be in Belfast from half-past ten tomorrow morning. There’ll be enough time to get back to Dublin after that”…..this left Charlie Bird totally confused.
To the 50 Israeli Reservists who wrote the letter, this is how the final stages of the Good Friday Agreement emerged.
Charlie Bird … his latest IRA contact, he said “I’ll call Thomas. He was the fourth, and it turned out my final IRA contact. It was clear that Thomas was a significant player in the republican movement…..he was at ease and highly confident in briefing on developments”. They went for a walk.
They came to a house where a man was reading a paper at a kitchen table. “He handed me a large white envelope. The IRA statement was set out over two pages. It was the first time I had been given any material from the IRA on official headed paper. The 1994 ceasefire statement had been typed on a tiny sheet of paper which, when folded, could fit nearly into the palm of my hand (as written by Charlie Bird). The 28 July 2005 statement was printed on larger lettering that proclaimed ‘Oglaigh na hEireann’ in a bright green masthead”.
…..reading the Statement, Charlie Bird admits to thinking ‘So the IRA’s war really is over’.
To conclude I will quote the words of Oglaigh na hEireann as detailed in Charlie Bird’s book (published 2006); page 172.
“The leadership of Oglaigh na hEireann has formally ordered an end of the armed campaign. This will take effect from 4pm this afternoon. All IRA units have been ordered to dump arms. All volunteers have been instructed to assist the development of purely political and democratic programmes through exclusively peaceful means. Volunteers must not engage in any other activities whatsoever”
Gaza —– Israel
The relentless slaughter of innocents by a mighty military force, backed by the US, and Hamas engaged in provocation and the use of human shields, can halt this war and arrive at a peace settlement, if the will exists to do so.
By Michelle Clarke (Comyn)
Saturday the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign march that starts at the Spire today at 2 pm, destination Israeli embassy, Carrisbrook House, Pembroke Road, Dublin 4.
The week that is the 69th year from when Enola Gay, Nuclear bomb, http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/EnolaGay/EnolaGay.html obliterated the lives of over 100,000 people in Hiroshima, not to mention the decades of hardship for survivors.
Einstein quotation that applies now more than ever:-
“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
The march is organised by Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) http://www.ipsc.ie/ is running now for its fifth consecutive week. Bus loads of people from throughout Ireland are expected and people will walk in this peaceful march to the Israeli Embassy, Carrisbrook House, Pembroke Road, Dublin 4. Damien Dempsey, singer, songwriter will be performing. The march starts at the Spire in O’Connell Street, to Kildare Street, to St Stephen’s Green, to Lower Baggot Street, to Upper Baggot Street, to Pembroke Road……….Dublin 4.
Expected to be present include:-
Eamon McCann Activist
Professor Ronit Lentin
Professor Yasser Alashqur, a Palestinian academic and educator from Gaza
There will be a phone link direct with Dr Bassel Abawardi of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza and Omar Barahouti one of the Palestinian boycott and divestment and sanctions movement.
War destroys lives and particularly children suffer especially that mental torture that forms their memories in their lives going forward.
Pax Manifesto says
Peace Let’s Declare it
by Michelle Clarke (Forster)
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