Bringing a message to Labour conference

One of the reasons I attended the demonstration last Saturday at the Labour Party conference, along with many others from Glór na Tuaithe, was to protest against the closing of Garda stations in rural Ireland.

Like the Garda Representative Association we recognise the huge importance of rural stations, because we deeply appreciate the vital role the gardaí play in both rural and urban Ireland.

But I felt that we needed to bring our message to the door of the Labour conference so the party’s ministers, TDs and faithful got to see how angry we are at their broken promises. So myself and some of my colleagues were at the vanguard of those who pushed and shoved their way through Garda lines. There was no violence on our part, just pushing and shoving. Sure, there was a group of upper-middle class kids, some with hankies covering their faces, who were playing revolution: at least one such clown spat at the gardaí. This sort of activity I would condemn, as I do the use of pepper spray by the gardaí, which was a complete over-reaction.

The gardaí are clearly disaffected, too. And why wouldn’t they be? They are suffering, just like the majority of us.

Our fight is not with the gardaí. It is with the bankers and speculators (both foreign and native) and the crooked politicians who brought us to this situation and who expect the people of this Republic to pay for a crisis that is not of our doing.

Cllr Seosamh Ó Cuaig

Cill Chiaráin

Connemara