Latest news with #EnoughisEnough
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
If Labour and SNP won't push for change, populists will
What mainstream parties lack is the bite. The impetus to be unashamedly radical with the powers of the parliament to introduce wealth taxes on income, property and assets. But there's some new players in the game. 'New' is perhaps stretching it a bit given Jeremy Corbyn is hardly a fresh face to political proceedings. But his new party may be. And in the other corner, we have the Reform steam train pulling into town. Announced a few weeks ago by former Labour MP Zarah Sultana, the ex-Labour leader and Ms Sultana look set to lead a new left leaning political party. We have few details, if any, on the policy platform this party will stand on. We don't even have a name. But that's hardly been a barrier when, according to YouGov, 18% of Britons would consider voting for them already and other polls put them neck and neck with Labour at a UK level. Will voters flock to a new party led by Jeremy Corbyn? (Image: PA) That tells us two things that should send alarm bells ringing in Labour HQ. Firstly, yes, polls are fickle and being the party of government is never a popularity contest but if you're neck and neck with a party of no-name and the haunting spectre of your ex-leader is looming large over you, you've got some serious reflecting to do. Secondly, in the process of that reflection, the penny may finally drop that appeasing the right-wing of the electorate isn't where electoral salvation will be found. Becoming a pale imitation of the Tories or Reform, with the Prime Minister himself cosplaying their patter with his 'island of strangers' immigration speech – words he has since admitted regret over – won't turn his ship around. Read more Roz Foyer: It's been abundantly clear that working people are searching for a radical solution to their ills. Look at the rallies that we saw the length and breadth of the country during the cost-of-living crisis demanding an urgent solution to sky-high bills, increasing inflation and rising mortgage payments. The Enough is Enough movement lit a fire in folks' bellies. The momentum was there. The people turned out. Rallies in every city and town, from village hall to community centre, clearly looked for an alternative to what is being served by mainstream politicians in Westminster and in Holyrood. It was a tremendous, heartening collective of energised working class people looking for an alternative, but rallies alone can't maintain the momentum, and those who turned out in their thousands drifted back to either voting for one of the mainstream or not voting at all. Perhaps this new project can be different. Time will tell. But this could have implications as we hurtle towards the Scottish Parliament elections next year. Scottish Labour and the SNP now find themselves at a crossroads. They can either step forward with a bold, progressive vision that speaks to working people, or retreat into the familiar comfort of caution. If they choose the latter, they risk not only losing ground to Reform UK on the right but potentially ceding space on the left to a new political force that may well speak the language of trade unionists, campaigners and working-class communities more vociferously than they do. For Anas Sarwar, if he wishes to be the next First Minister and stave off the threat of Reform and a potential challenge from a new left project then he must act as the workers' champion. [[Scottish Labour]] must show that it is ready not just to manage [[Holyrood]] but to lead in the interests of Scotland's working-class. That it will build a Scotland where workers' rights are protected – through the devolution of employment law; where unions are seen as partners in progress, not problems to be sidelined; and where public services are fully funded and [[pub]]licly owned. Is it time for John Swinney to reflect on the SNP's current policies? (Image: Gordon Terris) For John Swinney, if he wants to be seen as more than a First Minister that steadied the ship, then he must be bolder. In an era of low-growth and stagnant living standards it isn't enough to be all things to all sides. You can't bring down energy bills while giving unconditional support to the private companies that run our energy system. You can't bring down rents while exempting developers from rent controls; and you can't build first-class [[pub]]lic services while cutting more than 12,000 [[pub]]lic sector workers. It's about offering hope. Hope means confronting inequality. It means redistributing wealth. It means building homes, raising wages, investing in care and green unionised jobs and giving people real power over their lives and communities. It means collective bargaining, workplace democracy and an end to exploitative employment. If Labour and the SNP won't lead that charge, then others will. We're already bearing witness to it. Reform has stolen some of the clothes of the left. Farage's bombastic promises on re-opening mining pits and nationalising steelworks, whilst pledging to reinvigorate high streets and bring jobs into local communities that have been left behind by deindustrialisation, is striking a chord with folk who, otherwise, were disposed to voting for left-leaning parties. Read more Roz Foyer: Now, of course, this is the quintessential privately educated, super-rich career politician trying to speak the language of working people. But understandably when someone who isn't Labour, Tory or the SNP promises the world to folk who are feeling disenfranchised or sick of politicians not delivering change, people will gravitate. The message is therefore simple: to those drafting Scottish Labour's and SNP's 2026 manifesto: you are running out of time to show you're serious. You can't defeat the far-right by chasing their rhetoric. Nor can you dismiss demands from the left as irrelevant. The only path forward is to offer a vision worth voting for: a Scotland of fairness, dignity and collective strength. Roz Foyer is the general secretary of the STUC
RTÉ News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Intention to appeal ruling on A5 upgrade
Stormont Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has said that it is her intention to pursue an appeal against a court judgment to stop the improvement of a key road in Northern Ireland. Ms Kimmins was speaking as she met campaigners from the A5 Enough is Enough group. Last week, the High Court in Belfast quashed a Stormont decision to approve the major scheme. It ruled in favour of a legal challenge to the £1.2 billion upgrade of the A5 linking counties Donegal to Monaghan through Tyrone and Derry. The judge found the project did not comply with Stormont's own Climate Change Act. He said the environmental impact of the scheme had not been properly assessed or scrutinised. Minister Kimmins said that to appeal the court's decision would need approval by the Northern Ireland Executive. "It's my priority that we find the best solution but the quickest solution. That is very complex. "We need to do it very carefully and that's why I will not be knee-jerking in terms of decisions but we are carefully considering that [an appeal]. My officials, our legal team, are all doing that. "I'm delighted to have the Enough is Enough campaign here today because I think its important that we all work together, that we provide united collaboration on this very important scheme, and that we get to the end result as quickly as possible." Ms Kimmins said the upgrade is a flagship project and there are "wider implications" from the judgment. "Everything remains on the table. We will look at all the options available to us. My priority and my determination is that we find a solution and we get this road built, so that no more lives are lost." First Minister Michelle O'Neill said that Ms Kimmins "will bring forward a recommendation" to appeal the ruling. She said the executive "agreed to continue working together with the local community to get this road built". Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins will bring forward a recommendation to the Executive to appeal the A5 road court ruling. Today, we met with the Enough is Enough campaign group and agreed to continue working together with the local community to get this road built. The… — Michelle O'Neill (@moneillsf) July 1, 2025 Following the meeting, A5 Enough is Enough Chairman Niall McKenna said: "The judgment itself last week said that the one thing that is certain is that further delay will lead to further deaths on the road. "We have implored the department to act decisively and to act fast and we would welcome an appeal." The flagship project has been promised €600 million from the Irish Government. Since the scheme was first proposed by the Stormont Executive in 2007, 57 people have died on the A5.
Belfast Telegraph
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Infrastructure Minister says she will not give up on A5 renovations
Speaking outside court in Belfast today, Minister for Infrastructure Liz Kimmins says she 'will not be giving up' on renovations for the A5. Kimmins also paid tribute to the 'Enough is Enough' campaign group who represent the families of those who have died on the road, saying that the court's decision will be "heartbreaking". There has been 57 deaths recorded on the A5 since 2006.
Agriland
20-06-2025
- Business
- Agriland
DAA issued with enforcement notice over passenger cap breach
Fingal County Council has issued an enforcement notice to Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) requiring the authority to comply with planning conditions relating to a 'passenger cap' at Dublin Airport. The local authority has written to DAA over what it said was a breach of planning conditions imposed by An Bord Pleanála. The Dublin Airport passenger cap has proved controversial, with aviation sector stakeholders wanting to see the cap increased or removed altogether, and DAA applying to have the cap increased by 8 million people, or 25% higher than its current figure of 32 million. However, many environmental stakeholders, as well as farm organisations, have suggested that this would not be in line with environmental targets, with the farm organisation believing the move would be unfair given the climate-related restrictions on farming. A spokesperson for Fingal County Council said today (Friday, June 20): 'The two-year period provides an opportunity for DAA to progress its planning applications to increase passenger capacity at Dublin Airport, or take such other steps as they consider appropriate to achieve compliance.' The conditions were attached to planning permissions granted in 2008 for the construction of Terminal 2 and the extension of Terminal 1, and 'clearly stated' that the combined capacity of both terminals must not exceed 32 million passengers per annum. In response to complaints received alleging that the conditions were breached in 2023 and 2024, Fingal County Council, as the relevant planning authority, initiated a formal investigation to assess compliance with the conditions. A warning letter was issued to DAA, providing them with an opportunity to respond, which they did. Fingal County Council said it acknowledges the 'operational complexities', but that information provided by DAA does not constitute sufficient grounds to prevent further action. The investigation has determined that a breach of relevant planning conditions has occurred and remains ongoing. The county council said that, in accordance with its legal obligations as the planning authority, it issued an enforcement notice under section 154 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. DAA has been given two years to bring its operations into compliance. Passenger cap controversy The efforts to increase the Dublin Airport passenger cap has proven controversial with the farming community and farmer representatives. In early 2024, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), as part of a wider nationwide campaign of protests known as 'Enough is Enough', protested against the proposed increase. Speaking at a protest in February 2024 at Cork Airport (which is also run by DAA), Cork Central IFA chairperson Mathew Hurley said the aim of the protest was to highlight 'the unfairness' of Dublin Airport seeking to grow passenger numbers by 25%, while farmers must cut their emissions by the same amount. Also in early 2024, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) said that any suggestion of lifting the cap on passenger numbers at Dublin Airport without referencing increased emissions would be 'surreal'. ICMSA president Denis Drennan said at the time that farmers, and the country's multi-billion euro dairy processing sector, will be closely watching the government's reaction to the 'campaign' to increase passenger numbers at Dublin Airport.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Ivory Coast opposition weighs next move ahead of presidential vote
AI- Representative Image Ivory Coast's opposition is weighing its options after four of its top figures were excluded from the October 25 presidential race. Tidjane Thiam, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI), was removed from the electoral roll in April after a court questioned his Ivorian nationality. Former president Laurent Gbagbo, his former ally Charles Ble Goude and exiled ex-prime minister Guillaume Soro were also ruled out over past convictions. None of the four can run or vote. Can the disqualified candidates be reinstated? Reinstatement hinges on revising the electoral roll before an August 26 deadline which has been ruled out by electoral commission head Ibrahime Kuibiert Coulibaly, who cited time constraints. Gbagbo, Ble Goude and Soro would also need an amnesty law or presidential pardon to wipe their records. "In the current context, nothing indicates we are heading towards such a decision," William Assanvo, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), told AFP. Do Thiam and Gbagbo have a plan B? The option of a surrogate candidate -- as seen in Senegal when opposition firebrand Ousmane Sonko endorsed Bassirou Diomaye Faye in the presidential ballot after he was barred from running himself -- is off the table for both the PDCI and Gbagbo's PPA-CI. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo "Gbagbo never imagined such a scenario. He is part of the generation that blocks the political horizon of the youth in his party," said Francis Akindes, a political analyst at Bouake university. "If we put forward someone else with a chance of winning, they too will be eliminated," a close associate of Thiam said. The government insists it is not meddling in the electoral process and is merely implementing rulings from an independent judiciary. The idea of rallying behind Jean-Louis Billon, a former trade minister and PDCI dissident who says he wants to represent the party, is not under consideration. Is a boycott on the table? With no alternative plan, talk of a boycott by the side-lined opposition parties is resurfacing. "We will never again miss elections," Gbagbo said in August 2023. Gbagbo on Thursday unveiled a civic movement called "Enough is Enough" aimed at rallying social demands and resisting a potential fourth term bid by President Alassane Ouattara. On Saturday, he told supporters to be "ready for a fight". "At some point, we will have to flood all the streets of Abidjan." Assanvo, from the ISS, said Gbagbo's PPA-CI has mobilisation capacity, but for Thiam's PDCI party, taking to the streets is not part of its "political culture". "What's happening is playing out among a political elite that young people don't feel connected to," said Akindes. A source close to Thiam said the results of an election without the PDCI or the PPA-CI will have "no legitimacy". Can the opposition unite behind one candidate? The PDCI and Ble Goude's Cojep party have joined a broader opposition group known as the Coalition for Peaceful Change (CAP-CI). The coalition has two declared and eligible candidates -- former first lady Simone Gbagbo and ex-prime minister Pascal Affi N'Guessan. For now, CAP-CI members are calling for political dialogue and electoral reforms and are avoiding committing to a single candidate. Gbagbo's party, at odds with both his ex-wife and Ble Goude, remains outside the alliance. "This coalition is not an electoral alliance, it's a coalition to demand a fair vote," Assanvo said. "Will it change its nature? That seems unlikely."
