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A MEATH MAN who spent 23 days on hunger strike over the property tax before ending his protest on medical advice last month is hoping to send a strong message to politicians with a new action planned for September.
The 45-year-old is planning on forming a human chain around the gates of Leinster House to prevent TDs from entering, and he’s calling on “anyone who has an issue” with current government policy to join him.
So far, 595 people have signed up to do so since Rochford set up a Facebook page for the planned event yesterday morning. He has a further 166 ‘maybes’.
He said the numbers were “not bad” for one day, but that he was planning to drum up further support by speaking to various groups around the country in the coming weeks.
Rochford told TheJournal.ie his number one priority was to stop the Government from heaping more pain on taxpayers already pushed to the brink as a result of the downturn, and he said the coalition had been “walking up and down on the Irish Constitution” since its election.
Asked whether he was fearful gardaí would be compelled to act if protesters tried to prevent Dáil members from accessing Leinster House through any of its entrances, Rochford said there was “no doubt” they would try, but he called for members of the force to join with protesters in a “blue flu” action:
We need the gardaí to join here, and the military too. They’re feeling the pain as much as anyone these days.
A home improvement contractor by trade, Rochford says he was not entitled to state support after most of his work dried up in 2008, due to his self-employed status.
He had managed to keep his home in Trim out of arrears, but his refusal to pay the property tax means he’s now not entitled to a tax clearance cert – leaving him without the ability to earn an income of any kind.
Rochford met with two Fine Gael TDs after ending his hunger strike action, and says he also had an “unproductive” phone call with Taoiseach Enda Kenny in recent weeks.
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“Don’t tailgate”, if only people would listen
Ireland gets a few days of sun and the tar melts…we get rain and the surface becomes dangerous…what crap is the road made from
@Terry O’Callaghan: Drivers here are bad in any weather
@Terry O’Callaghan: you just answered your own question . Is made of crap
Walking along the streets in cork it hard to stand up straight, slipping and sliding with every step.
@Lily: Had a few lunch time drinks did we?
@Lily: Patrick’s street is lethal after rain, like an ice rink with the stone slabs they have for the widened pavements
Enda’s fault!
Get a set of Pirelli Aquathread and this is irrelevant
Worth every penny
@Quentin Moriarty: Pirelli Aquathread?
@John O’Shea: brand and model of tyre John
@Gordon Jono Power: I knew that much Gordon thanks. Just myself, Pirelli and google have never heard of these mystical Pirelli Aquathreads.
@John O’Shea: I think it’s the P400 Aquamile – the power of Google :-)
So a couple of days with no precipitation is a “dry spell”, OK, I suppose it is in Ireland…
Drive accordingly to weather and don’t buy an aerodynamic superlight car . My car is old and heavy and crappy roads rain gale snow hail frost or sun it does not make a blind bit of difference . My friend says oh girl be careful there’s ora he or yellow alert I go yeah well I just got home didn’t notice was it windy yeah a bit . Takes three hours to drive home so what’s the hurry for ? Give space and let the others in the hurry go.
@WilhelminaMCallaghan: sorry orange or yellow gale alert
@WilhelminaMCallaghan: three hours to get home!! What commute have you got?
@WilhelminaMCallaghan: I think aerodynamic cars are best – less energy from the wind causing them to be blown off course? And the weight … I would have thought that a ton or so of car is going to be as planted on the road as a ton and a half.
I’m sure it’s tyres, traction, torque delivery and that kind of thing that matters. Good tyres and a traction control system. But obviously it’s the nut behind the wheel that matters most
have your say