Éilis Ryan – Blog
Bodenstown Oration 2021
The following oration was delivered at the Workers’ Party’s annual Wolfe Tone Commemoration by Éilis Ryan, Workers’ Party Ard Comhairle member. Comrades and Friends, We return today to Bodenstown to remember and to honour Wolfe Tone and the republican principles of the United Irishmen. That we maintain this tradition is testament to the continued importance of the Republican ideal to our Party and in particular of Tone’s contribution to that in the context of the struggle for an independent Irish Republic. Tone’s articulation of our common humanity, his anti-sectarian message, and his unifying and radical enlightenment vision of ‘the common [...]
Northside Dublin Covid19 cases clearly linked to overcrowded housing
Calls for Minister to require hotels open up to those living in overcrowded accommodation The high concentration of Covid19 cases on the Northside of Dublin city show the risks of living in overcrowded housing during the pandemic, according to Workers’ Party representative Éilis Ryan. Ryan was responding to new figures released by the HSE late last week. Ryan, who represents the Dublin Central constituency, said: “Sixteen thousand people nationwide live in housing shared between 8 or more people. Over half of all of these people live in Dublin’s northside or west Dublin - the precise areas the HSE has identified [...]
US Iran attack leads to fresh calls for an end to US troops in Shannon
The Workers' Party has condemned the US air raid at Baghdad airport which killed Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite Quds force and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, the Deputy Commander of Iran backed militias, the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF). The Pentagon confirmed via a two page statement that the order came “at the direction of the President." Workers' Party representative Éilis Ryan said: "The Assassination of Soleimani is incredibly serious and a dangerous escalation of conflict in the Middle East. The region has already been on edge since the US attack on PMF forces near Iraq’s border with Syria and the [...]
Calls for Dublin plebiscite on public land ownership ahead of O’Devaney vote
Workers' Party representative Éilis Ryan has called for a Dublin-wide plebiscite on the use and ownership of public lands, ahead of a vote tonight at Dublin City Council on whether or not to grant the lands to Bartra Capital for development. In 2016, then councillor Ryan successfully proposed a plan for 100% public cost rental housing on O'Devaney Gardens, which was later overturned. Speaking ahead of tonight's vote, Ryan said: "Tonight, five years after the council originally proposed to privatise 70% of Dublin city's major landbanks, a vote will finally take place on whether to dispose of O'Devaney Gardens into [...]
Sinn Féin rent tax break criticised as a “Fianna Fáil-style” public handout to landlords
Sinn Féin have come in for criticism for their proposal that a tax break equivalent to one month's rent be granted to those renting from private landlords. Workers' Party local representative Éilis Ryan today (Monday) said the tax break was a return to Celtic Tiger Fianna Fáil politics, and amounted to a public handout for greedy landlords. Ryan said: "Sinn Féin's proposals to grant a tax break equivalent to one month's rent to every individual in the private rented sector is nothing short of a handout for landlords. It is effectively accepting the right of landlords to charge exorbitant rents, [...]
PTSB blocks banking transaction for mentioning “Cuba”
The Workers’ Party has led criticisms of Permanent TSB for implementing United States legislation which for decades has imposed an economic embargo on trade and travel between the United States and Cuba. The Party says it had restrictions placed on its bank transactions by PTSB last week, because the bank transfer - between two Irish bank accounts - related to Cuba. Speaking on the matter, Workers’ Party representative Éilis Ryan said: “Last week, the Workers’ Party attempted to transfer funds from its’ party account to my account, to allow me to book flights to Cuba for a person who had [...]
State should acquire Buy-To-Let UlsterBank loans
The Workers’ Party have called for distressed Buy-To-Let loans, including those currently owned by UlsterBank, to be acquired by the state, and let to existing tenants as part of the public housing stock. Workers’ Party representative Éilis Ryan, said: “Of the 3600 loans about to be sold by UlsterBank, some 400 relate to properties privately rented to tenants. Nobody’s home should be jeopardised, but with regard to the 3,200 owner-occupied properties involved, there is at least some recognition that they are inhabited by humans. “By contrast, our banks, businesses and government continue to encourage us to think of rented property [...]
EU-Trump trade talks a victory for business over environment, says Workers’ Party Euro candidate
Workers’ Party candidate in the Dublin European elections, Cllr. Éilis Ryan, has condemned the Irish government’s vote in favour of opening trade negotiations with Donald Trump and the US government, at a meeting of the European Council this morning (Monday). Cllr. Ryan said: “These trade talks show that the European Commission and the Irish government are willing to bow down to - and indeed, are quite content with - the United States’ anti-environment, anti-worker agenda. “We saw massive public mobilisations against the TTIP rounds of EU-US trade negotiations - but once again, our own government and the EU prove [...]
Assange arrest demonstrates need for European protections for whistleblowers, says MEP candidate
European election candidate Cllr. Éilis Ryan (Workers' Party), has condemned the arrest of Julian Assange this morning in the UK, and called for stronger European protections for whistleblowers. Cllr. Ryan said: "Assange's arrest was, according the UK policy, carried out 'on behalf of the US government,' and in relation to charges which the US has refused to reveal. This is an astonishing breach of every democratic and legal norm." "With the imprisonment of Chelsea Manning, and today's arrest, the United States has demonstrated it will go to unimaginable lengths to silence anybody who blows the whistle on its military aggression [...]
HSE recruitment freeze is a sign of times to come with downturn on the horizon
The HSE’s recruitment freeze is a sign of further austerity on the horizon from Fine Gael, as the global economy stalls. That’s according to Workers’ Party city councillor and Euro candidate Éilis Ryan. Ryan said: “There is an obvious hypocrisy in Fine Gael committing to solving understaffing on the one hand, and imposing a recruitment freeze to cut costs on the other end. “In true neoliberal fashion, Fine Gael appears to blame understaffing not on lack of staff, but on there being too many sick people.” She continued: “But the return of recruitment freezes to political speak is a sign [...]
Dublin councillor accuses city officials of hypocrisy for hosting Vienna housing exhibition
Workers’ Party Dublin City Councillor Éilis Ryan has condemned what she says is the hypocrisy of Dublin City officials opening housing exhibition on Vienna’s housing model, today (Tuesday, 2ndApril) while refusing to contemplate similar public housing schemes in Dublin. Cllr. Ryan said: “In 2016, I secured support from Dublin City Council for the ‘Vienna Model of Housing’ to be trialled at O’Devaney Gardens. Within a month, the proposal had been torn to shreds by Brendan Kenny and all the major parties on the council, who today tell the media it is the future of Dublin. “It is hypocritical in the extreme for [...]
Coveney comments on mayoral salary expose his elitism
90% of Irish workers earn less than €60,000 - half what directly-elected Mayor will get Euro candidate Cllr. Éilis Ryan (Workers’ Party) has slammed the Taoiseach and Tánaiste’s defence of a proposal to pay directly-elected mayors €130,000, saying their comments expose just how removed they are from working people. Cllr. Ryan said: “For the right-wing in Ireland, holding political office is seen as a smart move on the career ladder. We saw this starkly when Fine Gael MEP Brian Hayes announced he was leaving politics to move directly into lobbying for the banking industry. “Given this is how they [...]
Workers’ Party Euro candidate calls for mandatory MMR scheme, as mumps cases reach six times previous years
Workers’ Party Dublin Euro candidate Cllr. Éilis Ryan has renewed her calls for the state to roll-out a mandatory MMR vaccination scheme for school-going children. The call comes as the HSE revealed today (Wednesday) that mumps cases this year have reached six times as many as the same period last year. Cllr. Ryan said: “There has been a clear spike in mumps amongst teenagers born in the period when bogus research linking MMR to autism was published. It is essential that the state launch an immediate programme to ensure all school-going children have received the MMR vaccination. “This is a [...]
Owen Keegan must resign, says Workers’ Party Councillor
Cllr. Éilis Ryan has called for the resignation of Dublin City Council chief Owen Keegan, saying: “Astonishingly, Owen Keegan has been paid over a million euro of taxpayer’s money since his appointment in 2013. Today in 2019, the number of people homeless in Dublin is five times greater than it was in 2014 - it has grown from 911 in July 2014 to 4635 in November 2018. “Shouldn’t an individual to whom the state has paid over a million euro be held accountable for his performance?” The councillor continued: “Mr. Keegan talks about homelessness as if it is a problem [...]
Clare Daly TD endorses Cllr Éilis Ryan for European elections in Dublin in May
Workers’ Party to run on a platform of opposing elite attacks on public services and workers’ rights, and radical action against war and climate change Euro Parliament backing for Trump’s Venezuela ‘coup’ shows need for more anti-war MEPs Cllr Éilis Ryan this morning (Wednesday) launched her Dublin MEP bid on behalf of the Workers’ Party, at a launch which was addressed by Clare Daly (Independent Socialist TD) and prominent anti-war campaigner Edward Horgan. Addressing the launch of her campaign at an event in Buswells Hotel in Dublin, Cllr Ryan said: “Ten years ago, this month, 120,000 people marched against austerity [...]
Coveney has put “Trump coup” in Venezuela ahead of Irish neutrality
The Workers’ Party have accused Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney of prioritising Donald Trump’s foreign policy ahead of Irish neutrality. Cllr. Éilis Ryan, the Workers’ Party candidate in May’s European Parliament elections, said: “Simon Coveney has, for the first time in our history, given formal backing to United States overseas aggression. Successive governments under Fianna Fáil, Labour and the Green Party have facilitated US overseas aggression by allowing the use of Shannon Airport, but this move marks a new departure, leaving behind even the facade of neutrality. “It flies in the face of the values of anti-colonialism and sovereignty [...]
State home building lender should be used for public housing – not as a developer slush fund
The Workers’ Party has said that the new state lending fund, Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI), is a slush fund to ensure developers’ profits, and would be better off used to build public housing. Cllr. Éilis Ryan (Workers’ Party), who is a candidate for May’s European elections and city council elections, said: “All evidence from the past decade indicates that private developers have neither the interest nor capacity to tackle the housing crisis in Ireland, unless they can generate enormous profits from doing so. Instead of telling those developers they are not entitled to do this, our government launches yet [...]
Subsidies to private landlords grow at double the rate of new social housing in Budget 2019
Budget 2019 is set to expand subsidies to private sector landlords, in the form of HAP and other schemes, by 40% - compared to just a 20% increase in spending on building and acquiring new public housing. This is according to Workers' Party Cllr. Éilis Ryan. Commenting on the figures, Cllr. Ryan said: "Fine Gael / Fianna Fáil's budget is wrapped in so much spin that it's easy to miss where the real shifts lie. But when we look at the figures in greater detail, it's clear where they intend spending money over the coming years - by forcing more [...]
Calls for immediate recruitment into Dublin Fire Brigade in wake of latest short-staffing crisis
There have been calls for an immediate recruitment drive to increase staff numbers in Dublin Fire Brigade, in the wake of yet another day of fire appliances remaining off road due to staff shortages. Cllr. Éilis Ryan (Workers’ Party) said: “On Friday (October 5th), at one point there was no fully-staffed fire appliance operational at Tallaght fire station. One appliance was completely off the road, while only three fire officers were available to man a second fire appliance. “Health and safety regulations say that a minimum of five fire officers should be present in responding to any emergency, but at [...]
Repair and leasing scheme failure shows private sector incapable of tackling housing crisis
The failure of the repair and leasing scheme to come close to meeting its targets demonstrates the inability of the private sector to tackle the housing crisis, according to Workers’ Party councillor Éilis Ryan. Cllr. Ryan was responding to this morning’s (Monday) reports that the Repair and Leasing scheme has delivered only 15 homes nationwide, despite having aimed to deliver 3,500. Cllr. Ryan said: “The Repair and Leasing Scheme is one of countless tax break / subsidy style incentives for the private sector to deliver public housing. In this case, the Scheme provided a €40,000 cash subsidy to a property [...]
FG Land Agency will copperfasten profits for buy-to-let landlords
The Workers’ Party has said that the government’s newly-announced Land Management Agency will copperfasten the role of landlords as providers of housing for those on low incomes. Speaking in response to this morning’s announcement, Cllr. Éilis Ryan said: “The Land Management Agency’s strategy of allowing 50-70% of public lands to be used for for-profit housing will copperfasten our dependence on private landlords to accommodate those in need of public housing. Even if the full quota of public housing is delivered on the land in question, it won’t come near to addressing current and future need. “Given this, much of the [...]
Accusations of Garda bias in policing of private evictions
Workers' Party motion to Dublin Central Joint Policing Committee next Monday will call for garda protocol on how it handles evictions A Workers’ Party Dublin City Councillor has accused An Garda Síochána of blatant bias in using its resources to police private evictions by private security firms, in the wake of the arrest of several housing activists in Dublin 1 last night (Tuesday). Cllr. Éilis Ryan, who is an activist with the ‘Take Back the City’ occupation movement, said: “I have been present at multiple evictions, and there is an extraordinary contrast between the scale of Garda protection of private [...]
Dublin City Councillors to vote on motion calling for mandatory vaccinations in wake of latest measles outbreak
Workers' Party Cllr. Éilis Ryan will be tabling a motion at September's meeting of Dublin City Council, calling for a series of local measures to curtail recent and increasing outbreaks of infectious diseases. The move comes following a further outbreak of measles in Dublin's North Inner City, the area which Cllr. Ryan represents. Speaking on the issue, Cllr. Ryan said: "This is just the latest in a series of outbreaks of diseases which are entirely preventable. Measles is highly contagious, and even moreso in a dense urban area like Dublin. It is right and proper that the city's local authority [...]
Recycling Centre fire raises major questions on safety
Workers’ Party Councillor Ted Tynan has said the major fire still being fought at a Dublin recycling centre raises very serious questions over the operation of such facilities and the threat posed to communities close to these centres in addition to the health and safety of workers and fire brigade personnel. The Workers’ Party Cork councillor said that the latest fire should lead to an immediate review of the operation and licencing of all such facilities including the major recycling centre at Churchfield in the northside of Cork city which is adjacent to large housing estates and playing fields. Cllr. [...]
Councillor calls for planners to reject further hotel planning applications
A Dublin city councillor has called on the city’s planners to reject any further planning applications from hotels. The call comes in the wake of reports from Construction Information Services that 79 hotels are currently either at construction or planning stage in Dublin. Cllr. Éilis Ryan, a Workers’ Party councillor in the North Inner City ward, said: “Vacant sites that have blighted our city for decades are currently being snapped up, pushed through planning, and developed for tourist and high-rent student accommodation. At the same time there is almost no proper residential building happening - either public or private. “We [...]
“Student housing” rented out for €170/night during Pope’s visit
One of Dublin’s controversial new student housing schemes is breaching its planning permission by letting out rooms for up to €170 / night during the Pope’s visit, according to Workers’ Party councillor Éilis Ryan. Cllr. Ryan, who has campaigned extensively against student housing in the inner city, said: “‘Dorset Point,’ a block of 447 bedrooms on Dorset Street owned by Aparto, is being rented to tourists throughout the summer. This is in breach of its planning permission, which states that it cannot be used for any purpose other than as student accommodation. Aparto have not applied for permission to change [...]
Council must CPO properties found to fail health and safety standards, says city councillor
A city councillor has called for Dublin City Council to make extensive use of its powers of compulsory purchase, including in relation to properties on Summerhill Parade currently occupied by housing activists. Cllr. Éilis Ryan, a Workers’ Party councillor in the local area, welcomed the occupation, saying: “The buildings in question were the site of a series of illegal evictions which took place earlier this year. As far as I am concerned the tenants continue to have a legal right to live there, and activists have every right to protect this. “It is criminal that buildings can be left empty [...]
Renewed calls for mandatory MMR vaccination scheme in wake of latest measles outbreak
The Workers’ Party has today (Tuesday) called for the introduction of a requirement that all children who use shared childcare and education schemes, including créches, play facilities, and schools, be required to produce evidence of MMR vaccination. The call comes in the wake of the latest measles outbreak in Ireland, with several cases presenting in Dublin hospitals over the past days. Responding to the news, Cllr. Éilis Ryan of the Workers’ Party said: “Measles is not a minor disease. An outbreak in 2000 in Ireland led to three deaths - and the outbreak was directly linked to a downturn in [...]
Lloyds and Ryanair strikes show up poor conditions of private sector workers
Workers’ Party Councillor Éilis Ryan has said that today’s strikes by both Ryanair pilots and LloydsPharmacy workers are a stark reminder of the poor conditions faced by workers in the private sector. Cllr. Ryan said: “It is hugely courageous of these workers to take strike action, which can ultimately lead to gains not just for themselves but across the private sector. Things such as proper trade union recognition, increments, salary scales and sick pay schemes, should be basic rights in twenty-first century Ireland - not things warranting a strike. “These workers deserve our full solidarity.” The Dublin City Councillor continued: [...]
New mortgage-to-rent scheme means private company profits while state picks up the tab
The state’s latest mortgage-to-rent initiative, under which private company ‘Homes for Life’ would buy up distressed mortgages, and lease the relevant properties back to the council, has come in for attack. Cllr. Éilis Ryan said of the scheme: “This is a ludicrous financing arrangement under which the state will effectively pay the full outstanding mortgage on each property, and possibly more, but a private company will own the house at the end of the day. “Under the scheme, when a distressed mortgage is bought by ‘Homes for Life,’ the private company will be almost fully reimbursed by way of a [...]
City Council votes against Workers’ Party motion to prevent sale of 50+ public housing units
Dublin City Council have backed a proposal to sell over 50 public housing units to a charitable housing body. Cllr. Éilis Ryan (Workers’ Party) led opposition to the proposal, which will see 52 apartments sold by Dublin City Council to Túath housing charity. The state will pay Túath a monthly fee - 92% of market rent per apartment - in order for Túath to repay the loan they will incur in occur to buy the properties. This is known as a Payment & Availability (P&A) agreement. Cllr. Ryan said: “When we sell these properties to Túath, the state will then [...]
London warning: Dublin councillors urged not to offload housing to charities
The city council has been warned against handing public housing over to charitable housing bodies, in light of increasing sell-offs of public housing by such bodies in the UK. Cllr. Éilis Ryan was speaking ahead of a vote at next Monday’s (July 2nd) council meeting, on whether to give 52 newly-acquired public housing units in Ringsend to Túath housing charity. Cllr. Ryan said: “The 52 Shelbourne Plaza apartments were bought by the council for €24.5 million just six months ago. In and of itself, paying €450,000 for apartments whilst giving away land we ourselves own is outrageous. “But worse again, [...]
LloydsPharmacy strike leads to calls for radical changes to 1990 Industrial Relations Act
The Workers’ Party have said it is an indictment of Ireland’s labour legislation that LloydsPharmacy workers have to go out on strike for sick pay and a basic hourly contract. Speaking before visiting striking workers in the company’s Stoneybatter chemist, Cllr. Ryan said: “Most people’s reaction to the core demands of LloydsPharmacy workers, is astonishment that such basic conditions as minimum guaranteed hours and are not required by law. In 2018, it is inexcusable that any company would fail to provide these things. “In a city where the cost of renting is increasing by 10% every single year, workers are [...]
FOI reveals cancelation of Literary Festival event ‘The Question of the 8th’ based on wrong information
A Freedom on Information request by Workers’ Party City Councillor, Eilis Ryan, has revealed that the controversial decision by Dublin City Council to cancel an event about the book "The Question of the 8th" at the recent Dublin International Literary Festival, was based on inaccurate information concerning its organisers. Email correspondence released to Ryan reveals that Council Officials made a decision to cancel the event, whose scheduled participants included the writer and journalist Úna Mullally, while under the impression it was organised by a campaign group named 'Repeal the 8th.' However, when Council Officials were informed of their mistake in [...]
NAMA should sack Poolbeg receiver for reneging on social housing commitments
Cllr. Éilis Ryan The Workers’ Party have called on the Minister for Finance to instruct NAMA to sack the receiver appointed to a number of portfolios, including the land bank at the former the Irish Glass Bottle site. The calls comes following the receiver’s decision to renege on an agreement reached with Dublin City Council, that 30% of housing on the site would be social and affordable. Cllr. Éilis Ryan of the Workers’ Party said: “Councillors received notice today (Tuesday) that the council’s senior executives intend to enter into fresh negotiations with the receiver (David Carson, for Deloitte) [...]
Public Expenditure officials warned government against EU army 2% expenditure requirements
Cllr. Éilis Ryan The government received advice from senior officials in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) in March 2017 that raising its defense expenditure to 2%, as required under the EU’s PESCO military pact, would be a significant financial risk to the state. This is according to documents obtained by the Workers’ Party last week through a Freedom of Information request. Speaking on the information, Cllr. Éilis Ryan of the Workers’ Party said: “I specifically sought out information from DPER in relation to PESCO’s 2% expenditure requirement, because it seemed like such an ill-advised financial [...]
Digital data usage regulations urgently needed ahead of 8th amendment referendum
The Workers’ Party have called on the government to ensure regulations are in place governing the use of digital data by Cambridge Analytica-style companies, ahead of May’s referendum on the 8th amendment. Workers’ Party councillor Éilis Ryan said: “Kanto, the company hired by anti-choice campaigners to run their digital campaigning in the lead up to May’s referendum, were founded by the people behind Cambridge Analytica. Given the accusations now being levelled at Cambridge Analytica about how they bought and used personal data to influence votes in Britain, it is essential that regulations are introduced well in advance of the May [...]
Dublin City Council should rezone vacant land to deliver affordable housing
Cllr. Éilis Ryan Workers’ Party Dublin City Councillor Éilis Ryan has called for the introduction of a new zoning category for Dublin’s vacant lands, to ensure housing built on those lands is affordable. Introducing the proposal, Cllr. Ryan said: “The vacant land register lists almost 31 hectares of empty, privately-owned land in the Dublin City area - enough land to develop 2,000 - 2,500 housing units. The owners of this land must pay a vacant site levy - but for many, the profit to be made from hoarding the land to drive up housing prices far outweighs the [...]
New Panda recycling charges show need for producers to pay for plastics
The Workers’ Party have today (Wednesday) issued a call for a series of measures to force retailers to reduce plastic packaging. The call comes in the wake of new recycling charges announced by Panda waste collection company today. Cllr. Éilis Ryan, Workers’ Party said the new charges were totally predictable: “Once you put private companies in charge of something, they are only interested in profit, and it was blindingly obvious that China’s decision to stop importing European plastic waste would have this effect. Panda had to find a new source of profit - charging customers.” Cllr. Ryan argued that charging [...]
Calls for student rent caps in response to €200 million student accommodation expansion
The Workers’ Party have issued a call for rent caps to be introduced across all purpose-built student accommodation, to regulate the rapidly-expanding private student accommodation market. The calls come in the wake of an announcement by Global Student Accommodation (GSA) and Harrison Street Real Estate Capital that they are expanding their investment in the market by a further €200 million. Speaking on the matter, Cllr. Éilis Ryan of the Workers’ Party said: “There is an absolute boom in student accommodation in Dublin, and I don’t mean that in a positive way. To take GSA as an example, they already run [...]
