Joe Higgins TD

Comment: Rejection of Austerity Treaty will boost growing European anti-austerity movement

‘Take the gun out of Irish politics!.’ This was the refrain of the establishment political parties for the last third of the Twentieth Century, meaning that people should be free from any threats when it came to deciding structures governing the future of this island. These are the very same parties which are now holding an economic and political weapon to the heads of the Irish people to coerce them into voting ‘Yes’ to their austerity Treaty on May 31.

They connived with the European Union establishment in February to quietly slip into the draft treaty setting up the new bailout...

AusterityTreaty.ie Website & Pamphlet Launched

A press conference was held today launching the Socialist Party’s austeritytreaty.ie website and the pamphlet on “Austerity Treaty explained: how it undermines democracy & institutionalises austerity”.

In contrast to the taxpayer funded government website, the austeritytreaty.ie website gives the true story...

Comment: Austerity Treaty will only serve to deepen crisis across Europe

A profoundly sinister attack on the democratic rights of the Irish people is being perpetrated by the government and other proponents of the Austerity Treaty. We are being threatened that we have no choice but to vote ‘Yes’ or we will be shut out from all sources of funding in the event that, come the end of 2013, this State will need a new ‘bailout’.

What is being said in effect is that it doesn’t matter what the content of the Treaty is or what the straitjacket prescription of intensified austerity would mean in 2015. It doesn’t matter that the strict structural deficit...

Comment: Rejection of Treaty would be recognition of disastrous austerity policies not working

If it was raining soup, the man would be out with a fork,’ famously said a disgruntled Fine Gael backbencher many years ago, in reference to his party leader’s tendency to always choose the wrong policy option. This unfortunate tendency now characterises the Fine Gael/Labour Government in its response to the current economic crisis. The government has lashed itself more tightly than ever to the austerity wagon just as the wheels are wobbling and in imminent danger of falling off.

The political crisis in the Netherlands is quite significant in this regard. Here is a country whose...

Video: Paul Murphy MEP questions the Taoiseach on the Austerity Treaty

Paul Murphy MEP questions the Taoiseach on the Austerity Treaty

He asks three main questions in relation to the Treaty. Firstly, why was the stabilitytreaty.ie website clearly biased in favour of the Yes side and potentially in breach of the McKenna judgement.

Secondly, he puts it to the Taoiseach as to why voters should believe Fine Gael’s rhetoric when during Lisbon II, promises were made in relation to jobs, which never materialised.

Lastly, the question is posed to the Taoiseach as to how this Treaty can in anyway bring stability when it will mean taking billions...

Comment: Water charges are just paving the way for privatisation

People who walked into newsagents shops all over the country on Wednesday morning might easily have staggered out in a confused and shell shocked state after glancing at the morning newspapers. A plethora of banner headlines would have leapt out at them with horror stories of a raft of new fees, charges and taxes awaiting them in the next few years if government plans are allowed to be implemented.

‘Households to pick up €800 million bill to establish water company’ said the Irish Times. ‘Hogan to announce meter rollout’ announced the Daily Mail. ‘Pay up or I’ll cut off...

Comment: Government & Local Government Agency Continue to Mislead over Numbers Liable for Home Tax Registration & Payment

In my Column in Friday’s Irish Daily Mail I challenge the Local Government Management Agency and the Government over their cynical and misleading use of baseless estimates for the numbers of houses in this State liable according to the legislation for registration payment of the Home Tax.

I appeal to media outles to objectively assess the numbers they use out of respect for the 50% of the population that are boycotting this tax and the large numbers who registered and paid by virtue of feeling coerced and fearful.

The following is my column which gives the factual information...

Press Statement: Joe Higgins TD calls on Ministers Burton and Bruton to intervene into GAME disupte

Joe Higgins TD calls on Ministers Burton and Bruton to intervene into GAME disupte

GAME workers now into 8th day of store occupations

The GAME workers are now into their 8th day of store occupations across 13 different stores nationwide. It has now become apparent that a takeover of 333 of the British stores has taken place.

Joe Higgins TD said of the occupations “Just as with the La Senza dispute, we are once again seeing a major retail store laying-off its workers so as to be more appealing to prospective buyers. This opportunist measure aimed at escaping statutory...