‘We have a right not to feel this way’

LEINSTER House has been the scene of more than a few political executions over the years but, for a few hours at least, behind its gates was the safest place most TDs and senators could be.

In keeping with tradition, the first day of the new Dáil term yesterday saw the streets outside become the temporary home for a diverse cluster of protesters keen to be heard.

While the numbers were smaller than previously, an eye-catching and deafening mix of vuvuzelas and screaming campaigners made sure the Coalition is aware a large part of the public remains gripped by austerity-fuelled anger — regardless of how much emphasis is being placed on a stabilising economy.

Thanks perhaps to a line of gardaí blocking the path into Leinster House, the clear frustrations did not result in any politician coming to an unseemly end yesterday.

But how they deal with the genuine issues literally at their door is likely to decide whether it is a temporary or long-term career survival.

“We are suicidal, we have been through some very dark days,” explained 61-year-old twin sisters Anne and Margaret Kennedy, who have an extremely rare condition called mitochondrial disease which means they are confined to wheelchairs.

Dressed in perfect pink as they watched the more boisterous elements of the crowd from across the road, the Wicklow natives said repeated cuts to the health budget has meant the HSE cannot provide adequate supports.

The result might be explained away on paper as tough fiscal times, but for Margaret and Anne it means they and other wheelchair users are effectively trapped at home with second-hand equipment that fails to take account of their needs.

“This is a human rights issue. You can’t just throw anything at people when it comes to supports. We can’t get headrests, the wheels are falling off the chairs, the tyres are burst, the steering is off, and the chairs they are giving are second-hand.

“Even when they are new for us or other people they may not be suitable because it’s not a one-size-fits-all, wheelchairs for users need to be properly assessed to their needs, for example where do I put my head if I have a muscle waist disorder or how can someone with spinal problems use a chair with no proper suspension?

“We know one woman who hasn’t been out of her home in three years, it’s horrendous out there,” said Margaret.

“Disability benefits are being cut, the mobility allowance is gone, and everything’s adding up. We’re no spring chickens and we’re frightened. We have a right not to feel this way,” she explained.

Yards away a different form of fear — the reality of that other great albatross still wringing Irish politicians’ necks, mortgage arrears — was etched on faces.

IBRC customers say there are being left to fend for themselves, and have no where but the streets — both in terms of protesting and, potentially, literally — to turn.

“This group [IBRC mortgage holders] wants legislation to protect us, because at the minute we’re in the hands of IBRC vultures who are outside the remit of the Central Bank and its code of conduct because of the bank’s own situation,” said Denise McCormack.

“We can’t go to the financial ombudsman either, and the interest rates we are being told to pay are the big issue. We’re terrified we’re going to lose our homes, but the Department of Finance is just blanking us. He [Fnance Minister Michael Noonan] says now’s not a good time.”

Rather aptly behind the same barrier, the Dublin Council of Trade Unions-backed Young Workers Network was making the case for rent control to be put in place to ensure a second version of the housing problems are not repeated, while a gathering of anti-pylon and wind turbine protesters flanked the other side of Leinster House hopeful hot air will not be blown at the issue.

Despite the strong words, of course, no politicians were in any real danger other than perhaps getting a dose of reality.

However, a minor scuffle between an “anti- corruption group” which insists it is not affiliated to any party and gardaí over where they could protest showed how easily the genuine issues could spill over into something far more confrontational.

The incident led to 47-year-old Aisling Butler being “thrown” — to use her words — onto the ground by gardaí in a disputed incident that saw a cameramen and reporters rush to the scene.

When the performance was repeated 30 minutes later after she fell to the ground and told officers feet away to “stop kicking me”, gardaí arrested the individual as her bull-hornholding colleagues shouted abuse.

The first victim of the new Dáil term? Perhaps. But, politically, unlikely to be the last.