Fingal Council’s vote against incinerator welcome
– Gormley disappointed by FG/Labour’s NIMBY attitude
Green Party Chairman John Gormley TD today welcomed the decision of Fingal County Council to support the campaign against the proposed incinerator at Poolbeg in Dublin. Deputy Gormley however expressed dismay that the motion was not backed by Fine Gael and Labour Councillors. Cllr Joe Corr, the Green Party Cathaoirleach of Fingal Council, was forced to use his casting vote to ensure that the motion was passed at last night’s monthly meeting of the Council.
“This vote demonstrates that only the Green Party is fully united against the proposed incinerator,” said Deputy Gormley. “Fine Gael and Labour on Fingal County Council appear to have fallen for the Government’s ‘divide and conquer’ strategy. They seem to believe that it’s acceptable to put an incinerator in the heart of Dublin Bay as long as it’s not in their own back yard. This NIMBY attitude puts them in the same bracket as the FF/PD representatives in Dublin South East, who make a lot of noise about opposing the incinerator locally, while doing nothing to change Government policy, which backs the incinerator.
“The incinerator is a problem for the entire Dublin region, and the Green Party is fully united on this issue. We have a consistent policy which focuses on the alternatives to incineration, and we will oppose any municipal incinerator whether it be in Dublin City, Fingal, or anywhere else in the region. We need to build a Dublin-wide campaign against the incinerator, and the Labour and Fine Gael representatives in Dublin South East need to convince their colleagues elsewhere in Dublin to get on board,” concluded Deputy Gormley.