Gavin Mendel-Gleason – Blog
Government should immediately move to prevent PTSB mortgages to Vulture Fund
The Workers’ Party have called for immediate intervention by the state to prevent the sale by Permanent TSB of up to 10,000 mortgages to Start Mortgages, an Irish affiliate of the Texas based Lone Star vulture fund for a reported €1.3 billion. Gavin Mendel-Gleason, the Workers’ Party representative for Dublin North West, said the government, which still owns 75% of Permanent TSB, had an obligation to protect the mortgage holders whom he said would be pawns in a game of high-finance and were liable to be left in deep trouble by the sale. Mr. Mendel-Gleason said that the decision [...]
Legislation needed to put manners on rogue employers such as Ryanair
Gavin Mendel-Gleason The Workers’ Party have called for the introduction of legislation to “put manners” on rogue employers such as Ryanair which refuse to engage in the state’s industrial relations resolution mechanisms and employ bully-boy tactics against workers. Workers’ Party Dublin North West representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason, said Ryanair’s industrial relations style was based on stonewalling all approaches by workers’ representatives and deliberately ramping up confrontation. Mendel-Gleason said that while Ryanair and other employers could thumb their noses at the Workplace Relations Commission with impunity, workers and their representatives constantly had to fight for justice with one hand tied [...]
Dublin water restrictions show up failure of Irish Water to tackle infrastructure
Gavin Mendel-Gleason The Workers’ Party have said that water restrictions in Dublin show up the failure of Irish Water to invest in infrastructure. Gavin Mendel-Gleason, Dublin representative for the party, said: “Dublin continues to see as much as 57% of water lost to leaks, as compared with around 25% in London. Irish Water have not even begun to address this. As of 2017, we had spent close to half a billion euro on installing meters which have now barely been used. Why was this money not spent on urgent conservation measures instead?” “Clearly, in the context of a [...]
Workers’ Party calls for any agri-industry job vacancies to be opened up to undocumented migrants and asylum seekers.
Gavin Mendel-Gleason The Workers’ Party has criticized a recent announcement by government to seek 800 non-EU workers to take up work permits in the agri-food sector. The Party has called for any job vacancies in the industry to instead be opened up to undocumented migrants and asylum seekers in Ireland. Workers’ Party representative in Dublin Northwest, Gavin Mendel-Gleason, said: “ICTU have been heavily critical of this shady government scheme, and with good reason. The proposed rate of pay (€22,000) is well below the pay rates agreed between trade unions and employers in the sector. Non-EU workers have a [...]
Minister Coveney must condemn United States withdrawal from Iran nuclear agreement
Gavin Mendel-Gleason The Workers' Party have called on Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney to condemn the United States withdrawal from a nuclear agreement with Iran. The call comes following an announcement from US President Donald Trump that he intends to withdraw from the agreement and re-impose sanctions on Iran. Speaking on the matter, Workers' Party representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason said: "Iran has in no way breached an agreement which was reached between itself and major global powers, following protracted negotiations. The withdrawal of the United States from the nuclear agreement with Iran signals its fundamental untrustworthiness in international [...]
Syria Air Strikes will strengthen the hand of jihadi extremists
Gavin Mendel-Gleason The Workers’ Party have condemned air strikes carried out by United States, French and British forces on Syria Friday night, saying they will only strengthen the hand of jihadi extremists who control territory inside Syria’s borders. Speaking on the matter, Workers’ Party representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason said: “Friday night’s attacks will doubtless have been welcomed with glee by the ‘Army of Islam’ jihadists who the Syrian army had only weeks previously successfully eliminated from Ghouta province outside Damascus. “The victory in Ghouta for the Syrian army was a decisive blow against the control of Islamic fundamentalism in [...]
Workers’ Party speech marking the 102nd anniversary of the Easter Rising
The Workers’ Party Easter Oration, Sunday 1st April 2018 The following speech was delivered at Workers' Party commemorations in Dublin, Cork and Waterford. Welcome Comrades and Friends, We stand here today on the 102nd anniversary of the Easter Rising - that momentous event in Irish history, when the brave men and women who fought in Easter Week struck a blow for freedom against the might and brutality of Empire, and for the establishment of an independent egalitarian Republic. Gavin Mendel-Gleason delivers the oration in Arbour Hill Cemetery. Easter offers us the opportunity to reflect on the sacrifice of those [...]
Varadkar Russia comments show him up as a sycophant more concerned with famous friends than leadership
Gavin Mendel-Gleason The Workers’ Party have condemned Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s suggestions that Russian diplomats be expelled from Ireland. Workers’ Party Dublin Northwest representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason said: “Tory governments have never hesitated to lie and mislead the Irish government in relation to security affairs. Collusion and cover ups relating to the troubles continue to come to light even today. This is without even going into the still-ongoing war in Iraq which was started on the basis of fictional evidence. “So, for our Taoiseach to so quickly run to the defence of a Tory Prime Minister shows just where Varadkar’s [...]
Kildare bus privatisations expose NTA preference for low-wage companies
Gavin Mendel-Gleason The Workers’ Party have said that the tender criteria used by the National Transport Authority (NTA) to select operator Go Ahead for six Kildare bus routes exposes the NTA’s wage reduction agenda. Workers’ Party representative in Dublin Northwest, Gavin Mendel-Gleason, said: “NTA CEO Ann Graham has said that privatising these routes will lead to a higher quality bus service. And yet, when we look at the criteria against which the NTA selected the winning operator, we find that costs were given a 65%, compared with just 35% for quality. “Trade union recognition and wages are completely [...]
Calls for Canadian-style expanded state pension scheme in response to ‘Roadmap for Pensions Reform’
Gavin Mendel-Gleason The Workers’ Party have issued a proposal for a radically-expanded state pension scheme, in response to the government-issued “Roadmap for Pensions Reform” proposal, released last week. Workers’ Party spokesperson Gavin Mendel-Gleason announced the proposal, saying that the government’s Pensions Roadmap was just a continuation of subsidies to private pension providers: “In respect of pensions outside the very minimal state pension, the Roadmap’s ‘big idea’ is that there be a standard 30% pension-related tax relief credit for all workers, regardless of the tax rate which they pay. This is simply a continuation of a decades-old failed policy, [...]
Workers’ Party calls on Minister to veto bonuses for AIB chiefs
Gavin Mendel-Gleason The Workers’ Party have today (Thursday) called on Minister for Finance Paschal Donohue to veto proposed bonuses for AIB senior executives. The call comes in response to a proposal contained in AIB’s annual financial report, to effectively double the salaries of a number of senior AIB executives, by issuing them with a 100% of salary bonus. Speaking in response to the proposal, Workers’ Party representative in Dublin Northwest, Gavin Mendel-Gleason, said: “The single justification given for doubling salaries across the senior ranks in AIB appears to be that AIB needs to ‘attract’ talent with higher salaries. Unfortunately, [...]
Viridian failure is further proof that privatisation is not working for consumers or taxpayers
Gavin Mendel-Gleason The Workers’ Party have said that the decision of energy company Viridian to close its remaining electricity generating plant in Dublin is further proof that privatisation is not working for Irish consumers or taxpayers and the party has called for the Viridian plants to be taken over by the ESB. Workers’ Party Dublin North West representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason said that coming in the wake of the Carillion collapse and the resultant crisis at six schools being constructed under Public Private Partnerships, the pull-out of Viridian was another sorry lesson for the government’s privatisation policy. Mendel-Gleaon said: [...]
Workers’ Party set the record straight in response to bizarre and fabricated housing claims by Ballymun Sinn Féin Councillor Noeleen Reilly
Gavin Mendel-Gleason Reilly’s claims in social media post about the Workers’ Party’s attitude to O’Cualann Housing development in Ballymun are ‘totally fabricated’ says Ballymun Workers’ Party representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason Mendel-Gleason stated: ‘My attention was brought to a post on Facebook by Ballymun Sinn Féin Councillor Reilly in which she claimed that the Workers’ Party had accused O’Cualann Housing Co-operative of being developers and ‘‘creaming off the system.’’ These are totally fabricated, outrageous and downright bizarre lies from an elected representative who really should know better than to engage in such behaviour. The Workers' Party is not in any [...]
Budget: Home Building Finance Ireland is just a cash cow for developers
€750m fund for property developers means state would bear almost entire risk of new, for-profit developments The Workers' Party has said that the €750 million Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI) initiative announced yesterday by the government, is just a cash cow for developers which will not result in any more homes being built. Gavin Mendel-Gleason, Dublin North West representative for the Workers' Party, said: "The government aims for the €750 million fund to enable the construction of about 6,000 homes through private developers. This is only marginally higher than the 5,000 homes the same amount of money could build directly. [...]
Workers’ Party brand Construction Industry Federation (CIF) calls to scrap apartment parking spaces as absurd
Workers’ Party representative for Dublin North West Gavin Mendel-Gleason was responding to claims by CIF Director General Tom Parlon that parking spaces in apartment complexes could cost developers up to €100,000 each to build - and should no longer be mandatory. Mendel-Gleason said: ‘The Workers’ Party has a costed policy for universal cost rental housing, and our figures accurately account for the cost of underground parking. €100,000 is an unbelievable figure and does not reflect industry estimates of costs which are closer to €20,000. By removing the outlandish profit margin - 10-20% - building apartments with adequate underground parking is [...]
Public housing construction needed to resolve housing crisis
The Workers’ Party have said that only the construction of large amounts of public housing, directly built using a state housing corporation, will resolve the current housing crisis. Workers’ Party Dublin North West representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason criticised Minister Eoghan Murphy for using vacant housing as a distraction from the real issue: Earlier this week Minister Eoghan Murphy told us about plans to identify vacant houses and asked local authorities to assist this work. He launched a new website where people can put in the details of vacant homes in their area. This is simply a distraction. The truth is that [...]
The Workers’ Party to protest US interference in Venezuela
US interference in Venezuelan elections and threats of intervention and sanctions unacceptable according to The Workers' Party. The Workers' Party have warned that the United States is embarking on dangerous and destabilising actions in Venezuela. They are protesting the moves at the US Embassy in Dublin tonight, 10th of August at 7pm. Workers' Party representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason warned: The US Secretary of State Tillerson has stated unequivocally that the US are seeking to overthrow the government of Venezuela. They have implemented some sanctions, floated others, and hinted at direct support for an opposition coup. The Workers' Party will be protesting [...]
Workers’ Party criticises media coverage of Venezuelan elections
The Irish media have today come under attack for what has been termed "dishonest, biased and unprofessional reporting" of the past days' elections in Venezuela. Gavin Mendel-Gleason, Workers' Party representative for Dublin North West, said: The Irish people have been staunch supporters of the many Latin American movements which have fought against US-led coups and interference over the past century, and as a US citizen now living in Ireland, I am acutely aware of the damaging and malicious role which the US has played in Latin America. The current escalation of violence in Venezuela is no different. The US has [...]
The Workers’ Party welcomes Citizens’ Assembly finding on mandatory pension scheme
Workers’ Party’s representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason has welcomed the finding of the Citizens’ Assembly that a mandatory pension scheme should be introduced. Responding to the developments, Gavin Mendel-Gleason said: A mandatory pension contribution scheme would ensure not only that all workers would be cared for in old age, but would provide the state with much needed funds for strategic investment in the economy. It is good to see that a policy which is held by the Workers’ Party and by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) also sees such popularity with the Citizens’ Assembly. He continued: Our calculations show that [...]
Workers’ Party says Grenfell Tower Block Disaster holds lessons for Ireland
Local Councils must take full control of social housing provision and the concerns of fire service workers must be addressed, are two of the lessons for Ireland from the horrific Grenfell Tower Block Disaster, which is believed to have resulted in over 100 deaths, according to the Workers’ Party Dublin North West representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason. Gleason said: “What has become clear in the days since the horrific fire in the Grenfell Tower Block in North Kensington in London is that outsourcing to private companies the provision of public housing invariably leads to a deterioration of safety standards and death. “The [...]
AIB tax-holiday a direct subsidy to private speculators
The Workers' Party have condemned the 30-year "corporation tax holiday" the government is granting AIB in order to attract private investors in the state bank. Workers' Party representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason said: Its extraordinary that, for the period AIB has been in state hands, loopholes allowing the bank to avoid corporation tax have been closed off. But as soon as the bank is set to return to private hands, the Minister for Finance announces a massive tax holiday. It demonstrates the government's transparent favouritism for the private sector. The Workers' Party has previously called for AIB to be retained in state [...]
AIB’s bad loans firesale prioritises investors over those needing housing
The Workers’ Party has condemned AIB’s plans to escalate the sale of its bad loan books, in order to entice investors to buy shares in the state-owned bank. Workers’ Party representative for Dublin Northwest, Gavin Mendel-Gleason, was responding to comments made yesterday (Wednesday) by AIB Chief Executive Bernard Byrne that AIB intended to clear its bad loan books within three years. Mendel-Gleason said: “It is astounding that a state-owned back would be actively selling off bad debts ahead of a planned privatisation. Effectively what this means is that it is government policy for taxpayers to absorb all AIB-related losses, before [...]
Workers’ Party describe investment bank advice to government on AIB sale as like the ‘fox guarding the hen-house’
Workers’ Party Dublin North West representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason has described as deeply worrying the fact that the government is receiving advice from investments banks such as Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank on the possible sale of AIB Mendel-Gleason said: "It is shocking to think that Merrill Lynch could have any involvement in providing advice to the government on such an important issue as this, given their record. Merrill Lynch were engaged by the government in 2008 to evaluate the potential cost of bailing the country’s banks out. They underestimated the cost by approximately €48 billion and were paid handsomely for [...]
Queries raised on why planning authorities failed to prevent Drumcondra creche closure
In the wake of the announced closure of a creche in Drumcondra to make way for a Lidl development, the Workers’ Party have raised queries as to how the creche demolition was not spotted by the planning authorities when revieiwing Lidl’s planning application. Speaking following the announcement today (Friday) of the creche’s closure, Workers’ Party Dublin Northwest representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason said: In its application to build a supermarket and office space on the Drumcondra road, submitted last December, Lidl made crystal-clear that they planned to demolish the creche currently on the site. While the city council did not fully approve [...]
Blair’s true politics laid bare by his appearance at Conservative EPP conference in Wicklow
The Workers’ Party has condemned the visit today (Thursday) by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to the conference of the European People’s Party (EPP) in Wicklow, the European parliamentary party of which Fine Gael is a member. Gavin Mendel-Gleason, Workers’ Party representative for Dublin North West, said Blair’s appearance at the conservative party conference shows up the reality of Blair’s politics – and his acolytes in social democratic parties across Europe. Mendel-Gleason said: That in the middle of an election in the UK, Tony Blair would spend time speaking at a conservative party conference rather than campaigning for the [...]
Blasphemy row sparks calls for new constitution
Workers’ Party representative for Dublin North-West, Gavin Mendel-Gleason, has responded to the row over Stephen Fry’s comments with a call for a new constitution Mendel-Gleason stated: ‘The farcical investigation into Stephen Fry’s comments shows that Ireland urgently needs a new, secular constitution - one stripped of the religious content that was inserted to please the Catholic Church. The 1937 constitution has always underpinned the reactionary nature of this so-called Republic and has been used by successive governments as an excuse not to secularise Ireland.’ Mendel-Gleason continued: ‘Our blasphemy laws are deeply reactionary and have an impact beyond our own borders. [...]
Over 100 Bus Éireann Workers Petition RTÉ for Fair Coverage of Dispute
Bus Éireann workers have today lodged a petition with RTÉ calling for fair coverage of strike action. The letter, which was drafted and submitted by the Workers’ Party with hundreds of signatures from Bus Éireann workers in Meath, Cork and Dublin, expressed its disappointment at the bias of RTÉ coverage in favour of Bus Éireann management. It states: “While it comes as no surprise that the billionaire-owned print media would openly and unashamedly take the side of the employer in this dispute, we demand better of our publicly-owned media.” The workers point to the fact that many journalists and reports [...]
Dublin housing reaching Celtic Tiger levels of unaffordability for average worker
The Workers’ Party has condemned the figures on increasing house prices in Dublin have been met with Workers’ Party Dublin representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason. Responding to figures released today (3rd April) by Myhome.ie, Mendel-Gleason said: The average asking price of a house in Dublin is now €347,000. This is more almost nine times the CSO’s estimate of average household income in Dublin, at approximately €39,000. Back in 2005, at the height of the housing bubble, housing in Dublin was priced at up to 11 times the average workers income. We’re not far off that point now – and no measure the [...]
Warning that Jobstown jury selection bias denies justice
There have been warnings that the Director of Public Prosecution's (DPP's) attempts to curtail representation of a broad set of activists on the jury of the Jobstown trial, could undermine the defendant's right to a fair trial. Responding to the DPP's office's calls for the exclusion of jurors who are from Tallaght, were active in the water charges campaign, or have expressed views on water charges, Dr. Gavin Mendel-Gleason (Workers' Party representative for Dublin Northwest) claimed that the prosecution are trying to make use of a well known effect in science known as "selection bias". Mendel-Gleason is a statistical researcher [...]
Dublin 3-bed house price now more than ten times the average household income
The average price of a three-bedroom semi-detached house in Dublin is now more than ten times the average household income in the capital, according to Workers’ Party Dublin representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason. Commenting on figures released today (March 27th) in the Real Estate Alliance’s Q1 2017 House Price Survey, Mendel-Gleason said: The average cost of a house in Dublin has risen to €404,167. This is more than ten times the CSO’s estimate of average household income in Dublin, at approximately €39,000. The chasm between average earnings and average house prices shows once again that any attempt to solve the house crisis [...]
Renewed calls for AIB to remain in public ownership
Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s revelation that the government intends to use revenue from the sale of 25% of the state’s stake in AIB for debt reduction has been met with calls to keep the bank in state ownership. Currently, 99% of AIB is owned by the state. Reacting to the Taoiseach’s statement in the Dáil yesterday (22nd March), Workers’ Party Dublin representative Gavin Mendel-Gleason said: The state stepped in to bail out bankers at the beginning of the crash and, as the majority shareholder in AIB, taxpayers paid handsomely for its recovery. For us to sell off the bank now that [...]
