On Wednesday 6th November the Dail will debate a People before Profit motion that can restore some basic democracy to this country.
The motion will prevent the Government using a procedural trick called the “money message” that has stopped over 55 new laws being passed so far. Th money message is a part of the Dáil’s rules or Standing Orders.
It means they can block any Bill their friends in big business or the fossil fuel industry don’t like.
This rule is meant to comply with a Constitutional clause that says only the Government can spend or appropriate public money. However, the mechanism is being used to block all bills, even bills that have no direct cost to the state or only small incidental costs.
That’s not what the constitutional clause was for, but it is how Fine Gael is using this rule to block every bill they don’t want passed.
This is despite these new laws winning a clear majority of TDs in a vote in the Dail.
If this motion is passed then the Government can no longer:
- Block a new Anti-Evictions Bill that will stop landlords evicting people on spurious grounds
- Or block a ban on fossil fuel exploration that the Climate Movement so desperately demands
- Or block new rights for workers on pensions and redundancies
- Or continue blocking access to medicinal cannabis
- Or block the rights of parents to give their children non religious sex education in schools
In all over 55 new laws could be passed if we unblock democracy on November 6th.
Please support us by emailing your TD and join our protest outside the Dáil, Kildare Street 5.30pm on Wed 6 November.
Join with others fighting for a better climate, a better and fairer society and real action on the housing crisis.
