2008 September Archive at South Down Greens

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Archive for September, 2008

GREENS IN GOVERNMENT UPDATE – THE SCOTTISH GREEN PARTY

Published

Cadogan Enright

on September 30, 2008

in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS

. 0 Comments

Down Greens Canvassing with Robin Harper, Leader of the Scottish Greens.

You may be familiar with the Green Party in Government in the Republic of Ireland but you may not be aware of Green Party achievements in the Scottish Assembly!

On the 11th of May 2007 the Greens signed an agreement with the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP), which meant that the two Green MSP’s voted for Alex Salmond as First Minister and supported his initial Ministerial appointments. In return, the Nationalists backed a climate change bill as an early measure. The SNP also agreed to nominate Patrick Harvie, one of the Green MSPs, to convene one of the Holyrood committees: Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change.

The Scottish Greens have since then had an extraordinary year, making significant changes to government policy. Patrick Harvie MSP’s work on legislation to protect the disabled and to increase equality legislation is likely to succeed. The Scottish Greens also secured a ban on ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Firth of Forth within a week of last year’s election.

During the budget process this year, the Scottish Greens persuaded the SNP to shift money from subsidising domestic flights and into public transport, to put £18.8m into a fund for community-led carbon reduction schemes. The SNP also agreed to carbon-cost all future budgets from 2009, which will be a world first unless the Irish Green Party implements it first!

GREENS SEEK RAILWAY REVIVAL IN DOWN

Published

Cadogan Enright

on September 30, 2008

in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Cadogan Enright, Health / Local Services and Traffic/Rat Runs/Roads

. 0 Comments

The map shows the difference in the number of railway stations in operation during 1950 in comparison with today.

The Down District Green Party have proposed the reinstatement of the former Belfast and County Down Railway as a practical means of tackling congestion, fuel increases, carbon emissions, boosting property prices and standards of living in Down.

Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright said, “We in Down District were recently named as the area with the largest carbon footprint in the UK, and much of this is due to the fact that most people work in Belfast and commute from towns like Downpatrick and Newcastle. For example, around 4000 civil servants travel to and from Belfast every day from the Down area, the vast majority of these travelling by car and 5300 daily commuters head for the Greater Belfast area.”
“This results in heavy congestion on the main arterial routes into Belfast, as well as congestion in the city itself, and causes long journey terms for drivers every week.”

“The Down Green Party believes the solution lies in the reintroduction of the rail service which existed in the area until 1950. The railway used to run from Belfast to Newcastle, via Saintfield, Crossgar, Downpatrick and Dundrum, with a link to Ballynahinch. Reintroducing this line would allow the majority of travellers to avoid using a car and so would take thousands of cars off the road.

Cllr Enright explained that the plans would provide cheap, efficient transport to the people of Down, and would save them a lot of money in fuel costs as the price of oil is set to escalate in the future. The service would also cut journey times dramatically, allowing people to spend more time at home and removing the stress of driving in heavy traffic. Combined with the reduction in fumes and emissions in Belfast and the towns on commuter routes, all this would have a positive effect on living standards.

“The reality is that we as a society have to reduce our carbon emissions and rail transport is one of the solutions. This is recognised across the world as countries change from road to rail. We are lucky to have the basic infrastructure of the railway still in existence, much of which I have walked, and so we need the will to drive this solution.”

“There are many who say that rail transport is not economically viable, but this is simply untrue. With small towns in the Repubic now getting commuter train services like Sligo, Cobh, Ennis and Mallow it is silly for Translink to pretend it cannot be done here.”

COUNCIL DEBATE ON QUOILE FISH KILL

Published

Cadogan Enright

on September 29, 2008

in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Cadogan Enright and QUOILE RIVER POLLUTION

. 0 Comments

Photograph shows Cllr Enright with Angling Chairman Trevor Love on the Quoile River one week after the pollution incident.

Down District Councillors received a report presented by Green Party Councillor Cadogan Enright at last weeks council meeting regarding the recent fish kill in the Quoile River.

The analysis report by local Environmentalist John Peacocke was based on statistic dada from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA). John highlighted failures in the NIEA’s approach to investigating the massive fish kill in the Quoile at the start of this month.

Cllr Cadogan Enright proposed that the council write to the NIEA asking why they did not test the area of the river by the sewage works and plank drain upstream of the Belfast Road. This was the area complained about by local people and anglers as the source of the kill.

This proposal was supported by all parties.

Cllr Enright also requested that the NI Rivers Agency be invited to the council and to affirm or deny that they are pumping sewage and polluted water into the Quoile at Dunleath Park, Downpatrick Railway Station, Church Street and the Quoile Quay.

This proposal was also approved on a cross-party basis.

Welcoming these decisions, Downpatrick Anglers Chairperson Trevor Love said, “We appreciate the work of Cllr Enright and the support from councillors of all parties in holding the NIEA and Rivers Agency to account.”

Press Cuttings: Concern over fish kill investigation stalemate, Meeting sought with Rivers Agency over Downpatrick pollution, Fish kill prompts calls for forum

Minister accused of destroying renewable energy industry

Published

Cadogan Enright

on September 19, 2008

in 6. PRESS CUTTINGS

. 0 Comments

greenrebates1, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.

DOWN AT ODDS WITH MINISTER DODDS ON ENERGY COSTS

Published

Cadogan Enright

on September 19, 2008

in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Cadogan Enright, Council, Renewable Energy and Working with other Parties

. 0 Comments

Picture shows Green Councillor Cadogan Enright and his son Cadogan Jr. at the installation of a renewable energy central heating system at his home in New Bridge Street, Downpatrick.

Down councillors have reviewed the Finance Ministers proposals aimed at encouraging in energy efficiency and dismissed them as woeful, wholly inadequate and a fig-leaf for his failures this year in the energy arena.

Green Councillor Cadogan Enright pointed out that “Minister Dodds has personally stopped the “Reconnect” grant scheme for families struggling with high heating bills to install cheap renewable energy in older houses, and his department had also reversed proposals to include renewable energy in new houses to save money for hard-pressed house buyers.”

Councillor Enright said ”These proposals are a pretence at doing something when he and his department have organised the destruction of the renewable energy industry in Northern Ireland this year, and hundreds of newly trained people are having to go South for work in this sector.”

Several councillors dismissed Minister Dodds proposal of a once-off rates rebate of £150 to people who insulated their roofs or walls as completely inadequate and no substitute for the damage done this year by minister Dodds and his department.

Sinn Fein Councillor Eamonn Mac Conn Midhe said that “As a builder I have crawled into hundreds of roof-spaces in County Down, and almost none are uninsulated these days. These proposals are a joke; the Assembly needs to bring back the renewable energy grants and implement renewable energy as a normal part of building regulations as in the South. The building industry needs the work and consumers need cheaper energy.”

Councillor Enright proposed that the council should write to the minister rejecting his proposals and express the councils wish that the reconnect grant be re-established, that the original building regulations be implemented by the department of Finance and that the Assembly play its role in combating Global Warming and high energy bills. This proposal was seconded by Cllr Eamonn Mac Conn Midhe who added that low-energy light fittings be included also.

The councillors strongly supported that idea that any building that had been made “zero-carbon” should be given a 5-year “rates holiday” and it was decided to include this request in the proposal from Green Cllr Enright and Mac Conn Midhe to the department of Finance.

John Dumigan was requested to draft a strong response that could be reviewed before sending to Minister Dodds at the department of finance.

The Wood Pellet Boiler was installed at Cllr Enrights house by Kilkeel based business Rozell Renewables – www.rozellrenewables.com

Press Cuttings: Minister accused of destroying renewable energy industry, Criticism of energy costs, Councillors reject inadequate proposals for energy savings

DOWN GREENS HOST DOWNPATRICK FAIRTRADE DIRECTORY

Published

John Hardy

on September 14, 2008

in Fairtrade

. 0 Comments

The Down District Greens will be showing their support for Fairtrade by hosting the Downpatrick Fairtrade Committees Fairtrade Directory of local business.

Directory Coming soon!