Ending Homelessness by 2010

Just a short blog because its late (and take with a grain of salt)...

I just had an epiphany, I now know how the Government is going to deliver on its promise to end homelessness by 2010. It will be by stealth (wow theres a surprise) by bringing in individual pieces of legislation that will all accumulate to getting rid of homelessness.

Step 1
Make it illegal to be on the street in the first place (like begging, standing outside a particular business - aledgedly harrassing people - rather than the truth that the door is open and they have one of those lovely big fans pumping out warm air just over the inside of the door etc)...

Step 2
Bring in anti-social behaviour laws so that same homelessness person who is now not allowed to beg or stand near a particular shop, is settling down to kip for the night and to get rid of the cold and dispair has a nice large 3 litre bottle of some rank cider, but hang on thats anti-social and cant do that so the homeless person will have no 3 litre bottle of devils bit - so instead will have the 4 euro extra per day in their pocket (oh hang on, they won have the moeny cause there not allowed to beg) to get a mortgage for a new house...

Step 3
Destroy certain areas of the country, get rid of all the jobs, the foreign nationals will all leave the country so there will be vacant houses, give the banks all the tax payers money so in turn the banks can turf people out of their houses and thats loads of vacant houses for the homeless to move into...

Step 4
Destroy the housing market so values drop so low that the homeless people can buy the houses nobody wants (with the 4 euro per day saved not buying the devils bit cider)

Woowoo, no homelessness by 2010.

Civil rights in Ireland...

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President Obama reigns supreme – but where does Ireland stand on equality?

(John Ryan, November 2008)

Finally, America sees the light and elects a black President – Barack Obama. So, now that the dust has settled and a Clinton will also be back in the White House, we can acknowledge it’s not just a great day for America, but for the world also. President John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural speech, on 20^th January 1961, famously said “All this will not be finished in the first hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first thousand days, nor in the lifetime of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin”. In June 1963 he introduced his Civil Rights Bill although, as we know, he never got to see it pass as he was assassinated shortly afterwards (the bill was passed in 1965). So, we can applaud America, but out of the other 200 or so countries in the World, where do we stand?

Well, in January 1918, women over the age of 30 voted in a general election for the first time - Ireland was only the 14^th Country in the World to give women the vote. In December of that year, Countess Markievicz became the first women ever to be elected as an MP to the British House of Commons, although, as a member of Sinn Féin, she did not take her seat!

The Irish Constitution (warts and all) was passed in a referendum on the 1st July 1937 and included some fantastic pieces of legislation whilst removing references to the Oath of Allegiance, appeals to the Privy Council, the British Crown and the Governor General. It had provision for our civil rights and liberties, including; Equality before the law (as we know not quite there yet), The state is bound to protect "the personal rights of the citizen"; Inviolability of the home; Freedom of speech, assembly worship and association;

The state must not endow any religion and the state may not discriminate on religious grounds. In regards to those in prison, the death penalty is prohibited’ a trial for a serious offence must usually be before a jury and whilst a prisoner is in jail when the prisoner has done their “time” they can still vote – u

nlike many countries that restrict prisoners rights even after they have paid their debt to society.

Homosexuality was formally decriminalised in 1993. This was the result of a campaign by Senator David Norris and the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform, which led to a ruling in 1988 that Irish laws prohibiting homosexual activities were in contravention of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform was founded in the 1970s to fight for the decriminalisation of homosexuality, its founding members including Senator Norris and current and former President of Ireland Mary McAleese and Mary Robinson.

The Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act, 1989 outlaws incitement to hatred based on sexual orientation whilst in latter years 3 pieces of legislation were enacted, the Employment Equality Act 1998 came into force on the 18th October 1999, and was amended on the 25th October 2004 by the Equality Act 2004 and Equal Status Act 2000 came into force on the 25th October 2000 giving us further protections, so, all in all, not too bad.

However, the Irish government have fallen somewhat short in the last 10 years, continuing to allow America to use Shannon as a stop off point whilst bringing people who have been detained without a trial for an undetermined amount of time to Guantánamo Bay (Gitmo for short, you know how the yanks like to simplify everything – somewhat like most of them) for certain torture.

Ireland continues to deny LGBT full equality and instead offers snippets of equality when they need a few extra votes – dog licences here we come.

Specifically, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service still will not take donations from males who have ever had anal or oral sex with another male, even if a condom or other form of protection was used and even though the IBTS publicly admit this is clearly discriminatory, they still have not taken their finger out, Ireland is the only country in the EU that refuses to legally recognise gender change. There is at present a case being taken by Dr Lydia Foy to have her new gender legally recognised. On 19th October 2007 Dr. Foy won her case in the High Court to get a birth certificate in her female gender however this is being challenged by the government.

Iarnrod Eireann (Irish Rail) have recently put back up posters in train stations banning same-sex couples from travelling on their free passes even though in 2003 an Equality Authority tribunal ruled in favour of a gay couple who claimed CIE -- the parent company of Irish Rail -- was discriminatory in its free-travel pass scheme on the basis of sexual orientation. The Tanaiste Mary Coughlan is the person responsible for this.

So, lets get out there and fight for equality. And I am not going to use the word “full equality” as equality is not debatable. You either have equality or you do not. Its black and white, right and wrong. So, start by talking to the EAGLE committee and talking to your local politicians and businesses. Lets start naming and shaming those who are not for equality and lets start honouring those who are.

(John Ryan, November ’08)

A little about me

Okay then, after a couple of false starts, lets get going.

My name is John Ryan and I am from wexford Town. I am 31 years of age.

My hobbies include reading, watching DVD's, keeping track of politics and current affairs, playing Scrabble and working with the local LGBT support group. Last November I also joined the Labour Party.

I was on the first committee of EAGLE - the Equality Alliance of Gays & Lesbians in Eire. EAGLE was launched as a non-profit organisation earlier this year and i am also a board member. I am a fouonder member of the Menapia Scrabble Club (with 3 branches - 1 in town, another in Enniscorthy and the 3rd in New Ross) also the Secretary of RISPA - the Republic of Ireland Scrabble Players Association. So, as the saying goes - if you want something done ask a busy person...

In my spare time I work in the Environment Section of Wexford County Council. I love the Council and if anyone is interesting drop me a line and maybe I can help you make up your mind. I started in the Council in May 2001 - under BLG - in the Finance Section. And before you ask - NO, I DIDNT KNOW SOMEOnE WHO GOT ME THE JOB - I went to college, did Hotel and Catering Management and got a Diploma in Business Studies from Athlone Institute of Technology which kind of helped. Since I have worked in Planning Enforcement, Planning Bonds & Contributions, Roads Section - N11 Gorey to Arklow Bypass Project - back to planning validations office and then to Environment (in that order) - so loads of great experience also - certainly not boring...

Anyway, thats me.

John