My question relates to Europe’s Overseas Aid policy.
Would you campaign to ensure that the European Parliament and the European Commission put pressure on Member States to meet their individual aid targets of 0.7% of Gross National Income by 2015?
Given the current economic problems there is a risk that Member States will cut back their overseas aid budget. Failure to meet aid commitments puts the most vulnerable people in the world at risk.
Would you also campaign to ensure that EU overseas aid is transparent and the Accra Agenda for Action is implemented to ensure that aid reaches those people that need it most?
Thank you
02.06.2009
Reply from Joe Higgins
Dear ,
Thank you for your query. I would indeed campaign for aid not to be cut back and for direct meaningful aid directed to sustainable projects. I have deep reservations about the current EU policy regarding trade with poor countries which I think are predatory and therefore the EU can be quite hypocritical, putting itself forward as a paragon of virtue in the world but insisting on the dictates of big business when it comes to forcing its goods on countries where local producers are badly affected as a result. I also believe that the key to resolving the awful problems of poverty and preventable disease in ´Third world´ countries is a fundamental transformation of society where power is removed from the major corporations and financial giants and placed in the hands of working people, small farmers and the poor. On the basis of planning for people rather than for corporate super profits, we can resolve the most horrific problems as there are enough resources in our world to cater for all of humanity.
sincerely,
joe higgins
The role of regional and local government
28.05.2009
Question from
Great work, Joe, the Labour Party make me sick and I´m definitely voting Socialist after I turn 18. However, I´m ambiguous on your policy regarding the bin tax. I see the principle of it -- taxing people for something that they´re already being taxed for, and flooding government policy with yet more capitalist measures, is never a good thing. But it seems common sense to me that you should only pay for the collection of what you actually put out there, and it´s preferable to burdening people with a universal tax, regardless of circumstances, like the pension levy. People have control over how much bin tax they pay, at least. On the other hand, I do regard refuse collection as a right, not a privilege to be bought with dirty money. So my question is, how do you propose to provide an incentive to recycle and consume less packaging in place of the capitalist principle of paying by the wheely bin?
31.05.2009
Reply from Joe Higgins
Dear ,
Thanks for your letter and query on the bin tax. The bin tax is primarily seen by the Government and Council officials as a revenue gathering exercise rather than an environment measure. That is why in Fingal, for example, as well as a bin tag, householders now also have a yearly charge for recycling and composting. There is now a big push to bring back water charges on the ground of water conservation. This is utter hypocrisy. In the last twelve years hundreds of thousands of new houses have been built without such simple measures for water conservation as dual flush toilets and rainwater tanks being included because the Department of the Environment and Councils did not include such measures in building regulations. Yet they preach that families must pay water charges to ´help conserve water´.
When we fought and defeated water charges in Dublin in 1994, ´95, ´96, we callled back then for such measures to conserve treated water. They did not listen or act. The economic burden that water charges would be on ordinary people was shown when Minister Mary Hanafin said a year ago that if we hadn´t forced their abolition, every household would now be paying between €700 and €800 per year! Lastly with regard to reducing waste and recycling, we believe that most people are very willing got do this out of a sense of responsibility to the environment. People were doing this before they started to charge. In case there was a minority which didn´t give a damn we would have Bye Laws requiring people to separate their waste and having sanctions if anybody didn´t do so. But the biggest changes would be made in manufacturing and retail where we would oblige by law a massive reduction on packaging which is only there to try and make products look better than other products in competition. Hope all this is of some interest and thanks again. Look in my Euro website joehiggins.eu and also the Socialist Party website for more of our ideas. All the best, joe higgins
The role of regional and local government
26.05.2009
Question from
For those of us who intend to register our vote, but have no Socialist candidate to vote for ... what should we do at the polling station ?
Is it best to spoil our vote with "Socialist Party" or vote for "The Next Best" even if we have a problem with this ?
27.05.2009
Reply from Joe Higgins
Dear ,
Thank you for the query re who to vote for in areas where the Socialist Party has no candidates. Unfortunately right across Europe there is a huge vacuum on the Left in politics because of the sharp move to the Right and in favour of market capitalism by the Social Democratic and Labour Parties.
That leaves us with the task of building a new mass party for working people but of course we have a problem of non representation in the meantime. What I would do is to see if there was a genuine community or independent candidate and if so vote for him/her. I mean genuine, not somebody waiting to get elected to start horsetrading with the right wing
parties. In the event that there are only right wing candidates I would not
give them any support whatever.
Best wishes,
Joe higgins
Social policy
22.05.2009
Question from Dos
Mr Higgins,
What’s your position on immigration? For those who are already living in Ireland or within EU. I’m referring to non EU citizen obviously. Seems to me all the candidates are already shifting to blame game which happens nearly every election I have witnessed since arriving in this country 12 years ago. Why don t you as politician change the mind set?
11 years working and contributing my Taxes yet I’m not an Irish citizen? I do get annoyed when I see politicians going around pretending that they care for those non EU citizen living and working in this country?
Well Mr. Higgins you there’s a lot admiration amongst the African community for the work you do but certain policies you have described are very liberal and pro anti immigration. And I ask why now change?
Best of the luck in the elections
Reply from Joe Higgins
7 interested people are waiting for reply
Economy
19.05.2009
Question from
What is your position on the importation of foreign labour to create a cheap exploitable labour force and the use of the minimum wage to reduce reduce wages?
Candidates
Dos 
