First Video!

I’ve put up a Youtube video on the site, introducing myself and speaking a bit about the forthcoming elections.

I’m hoping to put up more over the next few weeks, outlining the main issues upon which I’m campaigning.

Spending limits will prevent big money buying influence in local government

I’m delighted to see that John Gormley has introduced spending limits for local election candidates. This is the first time we have ever had a cap on spending for a local election campaign and these limits are evidence of the efforts by the Green Party to keep big money out of politics. The Tribunals have shown the corrosive influence of money on politics and related decisions on planning – something we in Dublin 15 know all too well. These new spending limits will ensure that no one can buy influence in local government.

After the last local election in 2004, the Community Voice newspaper compared the spending of the different candidates in the Castleknock ward for the 4 weeks of the campaign. My total spend on that occasion was €900. One of my opponents declared spending a whopping €20,000.

This time around, the absolute maximum any candidate will be allowed spend in the Castleknock ward is €15,000. This figure applies during the 60 days running up to polling day, twice the length of time the spending restrictions apply during a general election campaign.

I think bringing in these spending limits can only enhance the quality of the campaign we will have across Castleknock and Blanchardstown. Too often, wealthy candidates feel they can buy up ads on bus shelters or pay to blanket drop glossy brochures. With these new restrictions, I think we will see this campaign fought more on the doorsteps. As someone who has been knocking on doors since last April, I obviously welcome a campaign which relies on interaction with the voters, rather than the American style ‘glamour campaigns’ that we have seen in Dublin 15 in recent elections.

Another item of interest in the area of electoral reform is the study on the establishment of an Electoral Commission for Ireland.
This is another aspect of the Green Party’s plans to completely overhall how elections are run in Ireland and to make it more transparent and independent.

Press Release – Green Party selects O’Gorman to run in Castleknock ward in local elections

24/07/08

The Dublin West Green Party has selected Roderic O’Gorman to contest the Castleknock ward in next year’s Local Elections. O’Gorman was nominated at a selection convention held in St Mary’s Parish Hall, Clonsilla on Wednesday evening.

“I’m honoured to have been chosen to represent my party in the Local Elections. The Castleknock-Blanchardstown ward has changed quite a bit since I ran in 2004, with the loss of Clonsilla village and the addition of parts of Mountview, Blakestown and Mulhuddart village. The key issues that I will be focusing on will be proper planning in Dublin 15, the delivery of schools, investment in community facilities, particularly for young people and campaigning for improvements in transport such as extra buses and trains and traffic calming measures where these are necessary”, stated Roderic O’Gorman.

“I know that I’m going to have a real fight on my hands if I am going to take a seat in the Castleknock-Blanchardstown ward. I expect to be up against four sitting councillors and possibly other well known candidates. But I think I have an advantage in the amount of door-to-door canvassing that I have been doing over the last four years. Myself and my team never really stopped after the General Election. People in the area appreciate active local representatives and that’s the type of service that I will deliver if I’m elected as a councillor”.

“Dublin 15 has never had a Green Party member of Fingal County Council. This has put us at a disadvantage in influencing many of the big planning decisions that have been made in the area over recent years. Further, the Fingal County Development Plan will be up for review next year. I will be asking people to give me their No.1 vote so I can be in there, putting a Green perspective on these key decisions”.

“Obviously, this is the first election that I will be contesting as part of a party that is government. Myself and my local group have been canvassing door-to-door twice a week since March and the reaction has been extremely positive. The vast majority of people are pleased with the work that the Green ministers are undertaking in their departments, particularly the reforms that John Gormley is making to planning and environmental legislation. I’m looking forward to having a good debate with the residents of the Castleknock-Blanchardstown ward and the other candidates over the course of the next 11 months about the future development of the Dublin 15 area”, concluded Roderic O’Gorman.

Ends

Further Information
Roderic O’Gorman: 087 417 9777
rodericogorman@gmail.com

Editors Note
Roderic O’Gorman contested the 2004 local elections in the Castleknock ward, picking up 5.2% of the first preference vote. He was the Green Party candidate for Dublin West in last year’s General Election, wining 1,286 first preference votes. Originally from Mulhuddart, Roderic now lives in Blanchardstown village. A law graduate of Trinity College and the London School of Economics, he currently is a lecturer in Griffith College Dublin, teaching EU Law, Constitutional Law and Family Law.

Tuffy’s stance on inefficient light-bulbs is disappointing

I’m very pleased to see that the EU Commission has rowed in behind Minister John Gormley’s blan to phase out the use of traditional inefficient light-bulbs. This project is an important step in Ireland tackling its high level of carbon dioxide emissions. Not only will the measure be good for the environment, but it will also save consumers money as the energy efficient CFL bulbs last much longer. John now intends to implement a public consultation programme to ensure that the phase out of the old bulbs occurs as quickly and efficiently as possible.

At the same time I have to say I’ve been really disappointed by some of the comments coming from Jonna Tuffy TD, the Labour spokesperson on the Environment. It’s stated Labour Party policy to ban inefficient bulbs by 2012. I would have expected Labour to have welcomed Minister Gormley’s proposal to get rid of them more quickly. Instead, Deputy Tuffy has issued a tirade of press releases attacking the proposal( here, here and here). Indeed, in her most recent statements, she seems to be saying that the European Commission is not supporting Minister Gormley, despite the fact that the Minister met with both Commissioner Verheugen and Commissioner Dimas, who indicated their agreement.

From what I can make out, Deputy Tuffy wants a much longer time period taken to implement the change to CFL bulbs. Has anyone told her that climate change needs to be tackled now? Ironically, after the publication of the last report from the International Panel on Climate Change, Deputy Tuffy released a press release calling for “immediate action on climate change agenda”. Yet now she seems determined to put every roadblock she can find in the way of John Gormley’s proposal – a measure that will make a significant cut in our carbon emissions.

i reckon Deputy Tuffy needs to decide if she is serious about tackling climate change or if she and the Labour Party are going to spend the next 5 years playing politics with this all important issue.