Monday 5 March 2012

The political Mongrel Tommy Cullen should stop waffling and oppose austerity


Letter in response to Cllr Tommy Cullen's which appeared in the Wicklow Times on 28th February. 

Dear Editor

I wish to respond to the letter penned by Cllr Tommy Cullen which was carried in your paper on Tuesday 28th February 2012. I think it’s important to set the record straight here and state some facts.
Firstly, I think Cllr Cullen should stop trying to ride two horses, is he still a member of the Labour party?- as he canvassed for the Labour party in the general elections and presidential elections last year? The party he supports is now in government and are the ones implementing the austerity policies which include the Household Charge and Septic Tank charges. I can understand why anyone would not want to be a member of the Labour party, however Cllr. Cullen must stop being a political mongrel and come clean once and for all about his membership of the Labour party.
Memories are still very fresh in West Wicklow of the antics of Tommy Cullen and the Labour Party, in 1985 when they as members of the Coalition Government introduced the service charges and insisted that people pay the unjust charges. At the end of the day Cllr Cullen has a long record of work with the Labour party so he must share collective responsible for the austerity policies Labour and Fine Gael are pursuing.
Sinn Féin is consistent in its opposition to the Household Charge and Septic Tank charges, we have opposed them nationally and locally. Sinn Féin is the only party to speak out against both charges at the Wicklow County Council budget meeting on 19th December where finance staff of the council stated that there was not one cent of the Household charge included in the budget estimates, however Cullen was not present for most of the meeting so he would not be aware of that fact. There has been no vote of any description on Wicklow County Council to bring in either the Household charge or Septic tank charges, because this is a national decision by the government.

Cullen states "Sinn Féin on the 29th October 2008 voted to bail out the bankers" The simple fact here is there was no vote of any description on that date, the Bank Guarantee Scheme was brought forward by Brian Lenihan on 17th October 2008 and Sinn Féin voted against it.
 The political Mongrel Cullen must stop doing the dirty work and being a mouth piece for the parties of austerity. If he is sincere in his opposition to austerity, he must severe his connection to the Labour Party.
 People are hurting, people are fearful, penniless and broken, but I will not be distracted by Cullen and his twisted political agenda, I will continue giving these people a voice and offering them an alternative.
If Cullen or anyone else wants to stand alongside myself and my party they are more than welcome to do so, we offer alternatives and solutions not lies and deception.

Yours sincerely

Cllr. John Brady (Sinn Féin)

No comments:

Post a Comment