This morning.
Can Johnny have those tough conversations?
Will he persuade the vax hesitant?
Only time will tell.
Meanwhile…
Ah here.
More ‘people-powered research here.
Tag Archives: Uplift
This morning.
Emails were sent out to progressive activist group Uplift subscribers appealing for donations towards funding an “environmental investigative journalist” to write about 5G.
To wit:
‘5G, the new high-speed mobile and internet connectivity system is causing huge confusion and concerns.
There are worries circulating on social media about its possible impact on our health and environment – but there seem to be lots of positives about it too.
We have had reports that a far right organisation has been hosting local meetings saying they’re concerned about 5G….
The more questions about 5G that go unanswered the more the far right get what they want – to make people feel distrustful and fearful.
That’s why our people-powered community is going to investigate for ourselves the truth about 5G.
As a community, we need information we are confident about – and that helps us have informed conversations with our friends and family.
…So here’s the plan. An experienced investigative environmental journalist has agreed to investigate 5G and the worries that it might not be good for us.
But we need to hurry – we have to book him by the end of the week and to do that we need to first raise €1,500 to cover his fees.
So can you chip in €10 to pay a journalist to investigate the concerns about 5G?
A worthy, if slightly pricey (we’d do it for crisps and a hug), endeavour?
Or something else entirely?
We may never know.
Meanwhile…
Brussels halts 5G plans over radiation rules @broadsheet_ie @UpliftIRL fyi https://t.co/o5xiSR4EXz
— Gemma (@wickedfairysad) April 26, 2019
*sizzle*
Petition on Uplift
A petition has been launched calling on the Government to reverse its plans to put an estimated two million documents relating to the work of three commissions out of the reach of the public for 75 years.
The documents are related to the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, the Residential Institutions Redress Board and the Residential Institutions Redress Review Committee.
Details of the plans to seal the documents emerged when Minister for Education Joe McHugh published the Retention of Records Bill in February.
The petition has been launched by Laura Collins, who is a daughter of an industrial school survivor.
Laura writes:
“This legislation cannot be passed. It goes against the FOI (Freedom of Information) Act.
“…If they lock these records away for 75 years, no one could investigate the cover-up which they created around the institutions and how they went on to further abuse survivors’ rights.
“They had gagged survivors during the Ryan Report so they cannot speak out. But we can, as their children. Please sign this petition and take a stand and help lift the blanket of secrecy. Thank you all.”
The petition can be signed here
Won’t Pay
at
The Bill
at
This morning.
Following the second part of a two-part documentary on RTÉ 1 about Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe last night.
A petition calling for the State not to pay for the legal representation of former Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan in an action taken against him by Maurice McCabe has reached more than 14,000 signatures.
At the Disclosures Tribunal Judge Peter Charleton accepted Fianna Fail TD John McGuinness’s evidence that Mr Callinan told him Sgt McCabe “fiddles with kids” and referred to both Sgt McCabe and former Garda John Wilson as “fucking headbangers” in January 2014.
He accepted that Mr Callinan told Mr McGuinness, during a meeting in a car park of Bewley’s Hotel on the Naas Road, Dublin, on Friday, January 24, 2014, that Sgt McCabe sexually abused his children and nieces.
And he accepted that Mr Callinan led him to believe there was a live investigation of some kind, causing Mr McGuinness to believe that charges against Sgt McCabe were imminent.
Judge Charleton accepted that Mr Callinan told Fine Gael TD John Deasy, on the way to a Public Accounts Committee meeting on Thursday, January 23, 2014, that Sgt McCabe was not to be believed or trusted with anything.
He also accepted the evidence of the Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy – whose report into the quashing of penalty points was being discussed at that PAC meeting – that Mr Callinan told him Sgt McCabe was not to be trusted, that he had questions to answer, and that there were live allegations of sexual offences against him.
The judge also accepted that Mr Callinan told RTE journalist Philip Boucher-Hayes, before a broadcast of RTE’s Crimecall in December 2013, that Sgt McCabe was a “troubled individual” with a “lot of psychological issues and psychiatric issues”.
And the tribunal heard that Mr Callinan briefed celebrity solicitor Gerald Kean before Mr Kean went on the Marian Finucane Show in January 2014, during which Mr Kean alleged that Mr McCabe and Mr Wilson had not cooperated with an internal garda investigation into the penalty points controversy.
After Mr McCabe sent Mr Kean a legal letter about his comments threatening a defamation action, Mr Kean sent the letter on to Mr Callinan asking for his help in replying to Mr McCabe.
Mr Callinan, in turn, wrote up several paragraphs for Mr Kean to insert into this reply to Mr McCabe – which were inserted word for word.
Judge Peter Charleton wrote:
“So, the Garda Commissioner, by profession a criminal law enforcement officer, was drafting a letter for a solicitor on a legal problem, defamation, which the solicitor had. No comment is needed on this. Maurice McCabe subsequently took a defamation action against RTÉ and Gerald Kean. The case against Gerald Kean was not ultimately pursued, while a settlement was reached between Maurice McCabe and RTÉ.”
The petition can be signed here
Watch ‘Whistleblower’ Part 2 here.
Yesterday: How Was It For You?
Homeless charity Safety Net has launched a petition on Uplift calling for the removal of prescription charges for homeless people.
Safety Net writes:
Homeless people suffer more ill health than the housed population and therefore have a higher need for prescription medication.
Many homeless people cannot afford the €2.50 prescription charge payable on every item.
Homeless health services repeatedly come across homeless patients who cannot afford their medication and so may not complete a course of antibiotics or take heparin for a clot. They often end up in hospital because of this.
Homeless people are registered with local authorities and therefore it is possible to identify individuals so they are exempt from this charge.
The petition can be signed here
Thanks Anthony Flynn
This Sunday.
From the Garden of Remembrance, Dublin 1 at 2pm.
Via Uplift:
A new National Maternity Hospital is urgently needed but cannot be allowed to be owned by the Sisters of Charity. Parents for Choice, Uplift, and National Women’s Council of Ireland and Justice for Magdalens are organising a national people powered march to send a message to Health Minister Simon Harris that he must urgently deal with this crisis and guarantee that the hospital will not be owned by a religious order.
This morning.
Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Emily Duffy (as Snow White) with an open letter signed By 10,698 people on behalf of campaigning group Uplift. To wit:
Dear Minister Noonan
Everyone has to pay their tax and that includes Apple, one of the world’s most wealthy corporations. When they’re allowed to avoid paying their tax bill, we all suffer.
As the Minister for Finance you have a duty to protect and safeguard the interests of every man, woman and child in Ireland. You claim you do not have enough money in the public exchequer to ensure quality healthcare for everyone; to properly resource our schools and universities; to ensure every worker has a living wage, to end homelessness. Apple’s tax bill would go a long way to solving these problems.
We, the undersigned, remind you that you have a choice and an opportunity to stand up for the people of Ireland over the interests of Apple. We call on you to not appeal the decision that Apple owes Ireland €13 billion. Don’t stand in the way of Apple paying what they owe.
FIGHT!
Earlier: Apple Green
Rollignnews
Anne Marie, from Uplift, writes:
Uplift, with support from the trade union Unite, commissioned a Red C public opinion poll on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) trade deals. From the results…
– 74% of people polled in Ireland want a referendum on TTIP and CETA.
– 62% agree that EU standards should not be changed to match US or Canadian standards.
– 4 out of 5 people don’t think that US or Canadian corporations should be allowed to sue EU governments whose legislative changes affect their profits.
– 69% of people would be concerned if TTIP or CETA were agreed
Previously: Luke’s TTIP
Adrian Fitz-Simon writes:
I made a video to help the efforts at Uplift in getting signatures for the Syrian refugee petition they’ve devised. It’s a version of Paul McCartney’s ‘Let ‘Em In’ cut to difficult-to-watch footage. My hope is it will help get the petition over the 45,000 signature target.
The Uplift petition currently has almost 37,000 signatures.
You can sign it here.