First of budget protests begins at Dáil

A SERIES of protests against the budget began yesterday with the People’s Movement delivering a briefcase to the Dáil containing suggestions for a more equitable approach to the economic crisis.

Around 40 protesters marched the short distance from the European Commission headquarters on Dublin’s Molesworth Street to Leinster House to present the proposals.

At a press conference earlier, artist Robert Ballagh, a patron of the movement, said if its analysis of Europe had been heeded it would have helped prevent the Irish “economic shambles”.

“With every treaty we signed with Europe, we sacrificed an element of our national sovereignty and democracy,’’ he said.

“Now we find ourselves coming to the end of that road with practically all our sovereignty lost.’’

Dublin Independent Councillor Cieran Perry said he was supporting the movement’s call to give their “gambling debts back to the banks and not make Irish citizens pay for others greed”.

The protest is the first of what are expected to be much larger gatherings outside the Dáil today and later this week.

At 7pm last night Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh and his supporters began an overnight vigil at Government buildings. Mr Ó Snodaigh called for the suspension of the budget plans and an immediate general election. He called on more people to join his protest and “make their voices heard when Lenihan delivers his budget”.

Workers Party spokesman Malachy Steenson said he expected several thousand to join protests outside Leinster House in opposition to a Government “who have sold future generations of Irish children into slavery”.

Meanwhile, internal union disagreement over the Croke Park deal has led to a number of firefighters and ambulance paramedics leaving SIPTU in order to establish a frontline public sector workers union in conjunction with the Psychiatric Nurses Association.

The PNA general secretary Des Kavanagh said he expected 2,500 members to sign up within the next six weeks and a new name for the organisation would be agreed shortly.

In response SIPTU general president, Jack O’Connor said while his union respected “the rights of people who take a different view” his union had endorsed the Croke Park agreement in a democratic vote.