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A EUROPEAN ELECTIONS candidate wants to strengthen local democracy and to hand more power back to the public.
At 72, TJ Fay is the oldest candidate with his hat in the ring for a seat in Europe, and is running in the Midlands-North-West constituency.
He has previous experience with unions and worked for over 35 years as a photographer, but is now focusing his efforts on the People’s Movement for Change (PMFC), described as “radically different from the sham ‘democracy’ that we are used to”.
Fay’s approach in office would be to promote this form of governance, where decisions are made at local and regional level by the public, operating in “cells”.
“It’s not just another another talking shop, we are working for change,” he told TheJournal.ie, saying that the group aims to have 1 million members within two-years of holding their first convention.
Sports clubs or local credit unions
The system would function similar to sports clubs or local credit unions, he said.
“We have completely over-the-top legal and financial systems, it all has to be restructured. The political system cannot be restructured though, it has to change, and so we have come up with this template.”
Fay added that the reaction on the doorsteps has been positive so far. He’s also avoiding handing out leaflets, instead using strips of pages from a foolscap notebook and writing down his details.
Fay has his sights set on gaining on a seat in the European Parliament – an organisation he believes the public are “fed up with”.
“There’s a lot of disquiet,” he said.
“It’s filled with bureaucrats and super-millionaires, getting involved in the affairs of other countries like the Ukraine”, where he added that Europe’s work to defuse tensions in the region has been “oil to the fire”.
“Robbed fisheries”
Fay’s policies in Europe will focus on two main areas – that private bank debt be “lifted off the back of the people”, and to demand the return of Ireland’s “robbed fisheries”.
“We will take them back if we have to,” he said, although noted that any decision on this would be taken through a PMFC group and so would be unlikely to involve “irrational actions”.
He added he would push for turf cutting to be limited to either hand-held tools or very small machines.
Fay heavily criticised sitting MEPs, saying they have not raised enough awareness of EU social enterprise grants.
“They allow the community to come together,” he said, noting that social enterprise has played a role in the recovery of other bailout countries such as Greece and Portugal.The European politics facts and figures…
As we build up to the 23 May polling day, TheJournal.ie‘s been giving each European Election candidate we interview a quick pop quiz on the institutions.
How many seats will the EU Parliament have after the election?
It’s 600, or around that. [Incorrect, it's 751, down from 766]
What year did Ireland officially join?
It was around 1970, I was involved in anti-EU campaigning, we didn’t like terms, and we were right. [Incorrect, it was 1973]
What was the last country to join EU?
Serbia, I know it was one of the Baltic states. [Incorrect, it was Croatia]
What was the last country to join Eurozone?
Latvia, one of the Balkan states, or Lithuania. [Half-point, it was Latvia]
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How do they get away with selling rotten fruit n veg?
Biggest eyesore of a street in the country.
@Fergus Fring: What ,what Fergus. One would want to pull one’s neck out.
@The Viking: It’s hideous. Cheap tat, cash for gold, second hand electronics shops and the street itself is constantly littered from street traders…
Next time you walk down it, take a look at these buildings with ‘historical significance’. Most of them have visible concrete blocks behind the windows on the second floor. Obviously no one living there because they’re so derelict and decrepit.
The street should be leveled and regenerated.
@Fergus Fring: Stay in Dundrum Town Centre if you don’t like character.
Quite a few negative comments on here. A bustling lively market is an asset to a city, an facility for shoppers and an attraction to tourists and in fact Dublin Tourism promotes the market but the reality must be disappointing to visitors. The market is being deliberately run down in order to facilitate the huge shopping centre plan — what some of the “level it and redevelop it” brigade no doubt would like — which is what most people do NOT want (and the Save Moore Street From Demolition campaign have the signatures to prove it).
Most of the street traders on Moore Street are fourth generation — one or two are fifth. The Council does not supply water, heating or light, only the meagre shelter of the stands. As Mary Kelly noted, no toilets either. They have a hard life and as Marie Cullen said, their children would not want it. But others might. However Dublin City Council will not issue any new licenses.
The small business shopkeepers also struggle, particularly those from the junction with Henry Place going north.
The Council provided large bins along the street and also street cleaning teams go up and down regularly (their depot is in Nos. 24/25). Recently they removed most of the bins and of course, cardboard boxes and paper do pile up and also blow along.
The buildings are deteriorating because the property speculator is waiting to demolish them (all except Nos.14-17, which are owned by the State).
An upgraded market and a walk-through historical experience in the upper floors would boost the area enormously. Kilmainham Jail, which the State was going to demolish until a community group began to renovate it, now attracts so many paying visitors that one needs to book or to check on line for a free space to chance turning up. That site requires a bus journey whereas Moore Street is right in the City Centre. There is a lot to attract visitors from other parts of Ireland and from abroad (who rate culture and history much higher than shopping in all surveys): a site where an actual battle took place, where the HQ of the Rising was relocated for two days, where 150 men and women fought the last days of a rising against the largest empire the world has seen and against the butchery of World War and where at last they surrendered. A street and lane-ways where civilians and Volunteers were shot down and where no less than five of the seven signatories of the Proclamation spent their last days of freedom.
Conserving and regenerating the Moore Street Quarter could also contribute to the regeneration of the north city centre as a whole, especially at night. Shopping centres might look busy in the day but at night they are wastelands.
I fully agree that the street should be leveled and regenerated.
Alas the State would have to pay compensation to the large number of illegal cigarette/tobacco vendors. Judging by the amount of sellers and the brisk trade they do, the compensation would run into the €millions.
The law is an ass:
It is hard to believe you can bury your head in the sand regarding the cigarette and tobacco sales that are costing the state and me the taxpayer billions over the years.
have your say