John Gormley

Dublin City Council has released this computer-generated view of the proposed incinerator at Poolbeg as part of their planning application to An Bord Pleanála:

Green Party Health spokesperson John Gormley TD said that Ireland has been exposed as the ’sickman of Europe’ when it comes to alcohol abuse, following today’s report showing Ireland has the highest number of binge drinkers in the EU.

Deputy Gormely said: “While many Irish people and their children will be enjoying the planned festivities and events over the holiday weekend, a significant number will be binge drinking and ending up in our hospitals and courts. This is not a new phenomenon and after dozens of reports and a high level task force on the issue, the Government has had plenty of opportunity to tackle the problem.

“Since 2004, most of the recommendations of the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol have been languishing in the filing cabinets of the Government. What has been the reaction of Fianna Fáil and the PDs to the growing problem of alcohol abuse in Ireland?; surrender to the drinks industry, the shelving of the Alcohol Products Bill and the withdrawl of the Groceries Order, which allows off-licences to sell alcohol at below cost.

“With the news that one supermarket is offering ‘buy 12 cans, get 12 free’, it is obvious that calls for the responsible selling of alcohol have fallen on deaf ears. Self-regulation in the in the off-licence sector is not working. The Government must now step in and urgently implement all the recommendations of the Task Force. The Green Party will make this a priority in Government and will not put the interests of the alcohol industry and retailers ahead of the those of society.”

Green Party Chairman and TD for Dublin South East John Gormley has welcomed the announcement that an oral hearing into the proposed incinerator at Poolbeg will go ahead, but has cautioned that a hearing so close to a General Election could turn into a political circus.

Deputy Gormley said: “I’m delighted that we’re finally going to have an oral hearing on the planned incinerator as it will give the local community the chance to put forward the compelling case against the proposal. However, I am concerned about the timing, as the General Election is likely to be held within weeks of the hearing.

“The proximity of the election will encourage all of the candidates in Dublin South East to try and outdo each other in making grandiose statements of opposition to the incinerator, rather than focussing on the planning and environmental case against the proposal. In particular, we can expect the candidates from Fianna Fáil and the PDs to assert their total opposition to an incinerator at Poolbeg, while simultaneously campaigning for the re-election of the Government which is responsible for the proposal in the first place.

“These candidates have done absolutely nothing to reverse the Government policy which has landed the people of Dublin South East with the proposed incinerator, but they will take the opportunity afforded by the oral hearing to paint themselves as the project’s greatest opponents.

“I hope to be proved wrong, but I’m concerned that the very important issues raised in the submissions made to An Bord Pleanála may be overshadowed by electioneering. I trust that the Board’s inspector will not allow him or herself to be sidetracked, but the intense atmosphere of a General Election campaign may not be the best context for a hearing of this importance,” concluded Deputy Gormley.

The Green Party today said that it would stop the fluoridation of Irish water supplies if elected to Government. Health spokesperson John Gormley TD said that water fluoridation had reached its sell-by date and that the latest international research meant that fluoridation was no longer tenable.

Speaking at a press conference in Dublin, Deputy Gormley said: “The latest advice from the American Dental Association tells parents to avoid using fluoridated water when bottle feeding babies because of the dangers of fluorosis - the staining and pitting of teeth which can result from overexposure to fluoride. This advice should be heeded. The balance of international evidence proves that water fluoridation should be stopped immediately.

“There has been a huge increase in fluorosis in Ireland in the last decade. And as it is wholly impractical for mothers to source non-fluoridated water, it is prudent to stop water fluoridation immediately. There have been no increases in incidences of tooth decay in countries that stopped fluoridating their water supplies. We are satisfied that such a move in Ireland would not lead to increased dental caries. In fact, countries throughout Europe which do not fluoridate have better dental health than Ireland. It is now proven that fluoride does not need to be ingested to prevent dental caries, as had been previously thought. This means that fluoridated toothpaste is more that adequate to deal with dental decay.

Read the rest of this entry »

A new version of John Gormley’s address to the Green Party National Convention in Galway has been posted on Google Video. This version is superior to the earlier footage posted on YouTube, which only featured one camera angle. This version has wider shots of the audience and convention stage, and includes the entire speech in one clip:

Update: This version is now available on YouTube also.

People in the Ringsend and Irishtown are shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Alan Young on the weekend. I was only speaking to his sister, Paula, on Friday morning. She and her entire family have my deepest sympathy at this very difficult time.

I got to the Newtownards count centre by train and bus yesterday. When I got there I congratulated Brian Wilson, but he wisely suggested that it might be premature to forecast victory. Well, today it happened. And he didn’t just sneak in for the sixth seat as had been predicted by the pundits. No, Brian got the fourth seat in North Down - an excellent performance.

Now comes the hard bit. There’ll be plenty of wheeling and dealing, plenty of juicy offers and he needs to be wary. It was a combination of his perceived independence, his environmental credentials, and his excellent track record that got him elected. If he plays his cards right he can build on that and Greens in Northern Ireland will go from strength to strength. A special word of thanks to Cadogan Enright. What an organiser. I don’t think I’ve seen a better postering campaign any place. Cadogan has big plans for the Greens in the North, and at this stage who can doubt him. They are now the sixth party in the province. What an achievement in such a short space of time. And what a platform for their colleagues in the south. I’m looking forward to Brian Wilson MLA campaigning down here in May.

I got a call yesterday morning from Dartmouth square residents about the latest activities of Mr O’Gara. He had set up a makeshift store to sell marble tiles. I cycled up to the square to investigate. One of Mr O’Gara’s colleagues was “pruning” a tree. When I enquired about this, Mr O’Gara said the branches were overhanging the path and that he was merely making it safe for pedestrians. A photographer appeared from the Irish Times. Residents had let me know that on this occasion they did not want to give Mr O’Gara the oxygen of publicity - so I decided to head home.

It’s clear that this is yet another try-on by Mr O’Gara. He’s hoping the arbitrator in the CPO process will give him a few bob for his “property”. How it ever got to this stage should be the subject of an investigation. He should never have been handed the keys to the park.

Green Party Chairman launches campaign in Dublin South East

Green Party Chairman John Gormley TD today launched his general election campaign in Dublin South East with a plea to party activists and voters to ensure that Fianna Fáil and the PDs are ousted from government.

“I know from speaking to delegates at our Convention last weekend that they want Fianna Fáil and the PDs out of government,” said Deputy Gormley. “There is an unquenchable thirst for change in the party.

“Bertie Ahern can’t quite decide whether he’s St Paul or St Augustine. Last year we had his Pauline conversion to socialism, but when it comes to the environment it’s a case of ‘make me green, but not yet Lord’.

“All his plans for the future are in the future. Yes, he’s going to tax SUVs – but after the election. He’s going to introduce smart metering – after the election. At least Bertie now knows what smart metering is. He has the lingo now. He can just about talk the talk. But where’s the action?

“At the last election Fianna Fáil said they had a lot done, but more to do. In relation to the environment they have nothing done and a hell of a lot to do. Look at Dick Roche’s attitude to the higher insulation standards agreed by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown council. Look at the poor recycling facilities in Dublin South East. Then there’s the problem of the sewage treatment plant, the litter in the canal and the proposed incinerator, which Minister McDowell falsely claimed had collapsed. Look at the failure to deal with graffiti and the poor bus services.”

– Tánaiste’s rushed laws may have omitted to criminalise the soliciting of minors

Reacting to news that laws prohibiting the solicitation of minors for sex may have been repealed as a result of fast-tracked legislation introduced last year, Green Party Chairman and TD for Dublin South East John Gormley said: “In the Dáil I previously referred to Minister McDowell as a binge legislator. He is somebody who piles up the legislation then rushes through it. Like all binges this can only end in a sorry mess.

“The mess in this case is the ill-thought-out Criminal Law Sexual Offences Bill that was fast-tracked through the Dáil last summer. These emergency laws apparently forgot to criminalise the soliciting, or ‘grooming’, of a minor for sexual purposes. In these times with stories about internet grooming and child abuse so alarmingly frequent, such an omission would be a national scandal.

“McDowell’s knee-jerk and populist approach to law-making is unsustainable and one of the main reasons why the country so badly needs a change of government.

“The Tánaiste is now living off his notoriety and nothing more. This latest example of incompetence will persuade even more people that he is unfit for government.”