Address to the Labour Party Conference

Free live streaming by Ustream
My speech to the 2009 Labour Party Conference in Mullingar on Banking and Finance. This was carried live on RTE ONE on Saturday.

Cllr Keith Martin, Labour's candidate for Mayo County Council was a keynote speaker at the 2009 Labour Party Conference which was held recently in Mullingar.  Speaking on a motion for banking and finance reform Cllr Martin spoke of people's fear of job losses, reposessions and emmigration and criticised the government for failing to provide hope and a plan for recovery.

Cllr Martin contrasted President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal and message of hope with Brian Cowen's Bord Snip and warnings of worse to come for future generations.  According to Cllr Martin FDR told the American people they had nothing to fear but fear itself while Brian Cowen told the Irish people to be afraid.

Cllr Martin warned that what he called the government's rehashing of the failed slash and burn policies of the 1980s would only lead to a return of the failed economy of the 1980s and said that small businesses in Westport needed access to credit and a return of consumer confidence.  

Concluding his speech Cllr Martin called for a strategy for recovery and a return of hope saying it was "time to end the fear."

Watch the speech here
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1309191

Delegates

 As we meet here today there is a great deal of fear across our country, a great uncertainty as to the economic course our nation is taking.

 In my own constituency of Mayo in towns and villages like Westport and Louisburgh Murrisk and Aughagower people are afraid.

Afraid of losing their jobs

Afraid of losing their homes

Afraid of, once again, of losing their children to emigration

Upon his election in 1933, at the height of the great depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt told the American People that they had nothing to fear, but fear itself. 

In Ireland, in 2009, at the height of our recession Brian Cowen tells us to be afraid.

Instead of a plan for national recovery we are offered an bord snip

Delegates the government's rehashing of the failed slash and burn policies of the 1980s can only lead to a return of the failed economics of the 1980s.

Meanwhile small businesses in towns like Westport, counties like Mayo and across the country need access to credit and a return of consumer confidence.

Delegates this motion before you sets out specific policies to combat the current crisis and it is these kind of policies, which restore confidence and offer hope, which must lie at the heart of economic recovery.

Let this policy be the first step in a new deal for a new Ireland

Delegates, Friends, It is time to end the fear, 


086 0691182

My Speech to conference

Free live streaming by Ustream
My speech to the 2009 Labour Party Conference in Mullingar on Banking and Finance. This was carried live on RTE ONE on Saturday.

Blogging from the conference

Hello, I am just finished my address to the 2009 Labour Party Conference here in Mullingar. I think my speech was received and I will post it here later today along with a Youtube clip of it here and on my campaign website www.thingscanonlygetbetter.ie


You can get my Twitter updates at www.twitter.com/keithster or at www.labour.ie

-- Post From My iPhone

Dave Fallon addresses

Dave Fallon addresses the conference in Mullingard.

I'm your guy! Vote Martin No. 1 on June 5th

My latest Youtube video which outlines my three main priorities for the coming five years for the Westport Electoral Area.  Please give me your No. 1 Vote.

www.thingscanonlygetbetter.ie

St Patrick's Day Parade

A sunny day on the reviewing stand outside Westport's Town Hall. 

Rents reductions are needed to prevent job losses

More jobs will be lost in Westport unless landlords reduce rents on shops, offices and pubs, that's the warning to the incoming President of Westport Chamber of Commerce from a member of Westport's Multi Agency Enterprise Group.  Labour's Cllr Keith Martin has written to the new President of the Chamber urging the Chamber of Commerce to address the issues of rent levels in Westport.

Cllr Martin also warned that any further Rates freezes or reductions by Westport Town Council would have to depend on co-operation from the business section in the area of rent levels.  

"Westport Town Council is doing its bit to help businesses stay open but we need to see a rents initiative from the business sector in return for a Rates initiative from the council."

This warning on rent levels follows Cllr Keith Martin's earlier call for landlords and developers to be "realistic" in relation to the level of rents being charged on commercial properties in light of the recession.

According to Cllr Martin "Rents in Westport are still uncompetitive and too high for the town, especially now that we are feeling the recession.  Landlords have to be realistic when charging rents as businesses feel the economic pinch.  Wages are being frozen and cut, profits are down and landlords should be prepared to renegotiate rents rather than see businesses close.  I would suggest that businesses renting properties renegotiate their rents with their landlords and that rents should be reassessed every six months or so until things get better.  

"Landlords and developers who have mortgages on the properties they rent should pass on the decrease in mortgage rates on to their tenants and should make every effort to lower the rent they charge as less rent is better than no rent.  Landlords with no mortgages should try and reduce rents even further."

"We need everyone to be realistic, Westport Town Council have frozen Commercial Rates on businesses and now we need to see landlords and developers freeze and reduce commercial rents.  Otherwise we will see more and more businesses close.  Things will get better but we need to work together.  We need to keep businesses open and we need to keep people in jobs."

086 0691182

Labour Force One launches!

With the upbeat campaign message and song of "Things can only get better!" Labour's Cllr Keith Martin is hoping to make a historic breakthrough in south-west Mayo and take one of the four seats in the Westport Electoral Area.

But campaigning in an area as big as County Louth is no easy task, especially when one considers the number of boreens, bog roads and back roads than Cllr Martin must travel up to meet the those thousands of elusive voters who do not live in the towns and villages of west Mayo

So to allow him to meet the electorate in a bit of comfort and privacy Cllr Martin has converted a small caravan into a mobile clinic which travels the electoral area allowing him to work from his office-no matter where he is.

"It was a case of Mohammad going to meet the mountain as this is one of the largest electoral areas in the country and my constituents are spread out from the town of Westport out to Clew Bay and Clare Island, down to the boarder with County Galway and back up to Westport. This mobile clinic allows me to meet people in comfort and privacy. Its also great for my canvassers and I to have a base to operate from."

The caravan is decked out with Labour Party logos and Cllr Martin's website and contact details, and inside it is kitted out with a gas stove and sink, shelves of books and application forms and a desk for paperwork and a laptop.

"Its not super high tech but we do have Sat-Nav, wireless broadband and tea and coffee facilities on board and I use the shower room as a soundproof area to use the phone for my radio interviews and when discussing sensitive or confidential issues. Its not Air Force One but it does the job. In fact, we call the caravan Labour Force One and it's getting a great reaction from the public who often wave or give a honk on the car-horn when we pass by."

In addition to setting up shop in villages and on the side of the road Cllr Martin is taking his clinic to every church in the area to maximise the number of voters he can meet before polling day on June 5^th. From a speaker system in the towing car Cllr Martin addresses a crowd wherever he can find them and when on the road the speakers blare out the 1990s hit "Things can only get better!" by D:Ream.

A Town Councillor in Westport for the past five years Cllr Martin is ready to take the step up to Mayo County Council and while very familiar with the challenges faced by towns like Westport he is very aware of the rural issues like broadband, clean water and housing.

"Working on my Uncle's farm I know what it is to milk cows, cut and save hay and turf and even to help make butter in a plunge churn. I know that farming in Mayo is hard work for little return and that cattle and sheep farmers are hurting since the last budget. The issues are those of jobs, housing and basics like water, roads and broadband.

"Tip O'Neil once said that 'All politics is local' and I believe the same can be said for economics. I believe that we need to fight the recession at a local level here in Mayo and I am ready to lead that fight. Already I have proposed a three point plan for businesses of Rates freezes, Rent reductions and Rates rebates for start up businesses which will keep people in work and help to create new jobs and opportunities. We also need Mayo County Council to start work on a new N5 link to Mullingar."

Once elected Cllr Martin has given a commitment to keep his mobile clinic on the road so that voters will see as much of him after he's elected as they did before.

"I think the message has to be one of hope. People are tired of recrimination and blame and we all know who is responsible for putting us in this mess. My message is one of hard work and hope. I believe if we're positive, if we work together then things can only get better!"

Contact:

Keith Martin

086 0691182 Mobile

098 24852 Office

www.thingscanonlygetbetter.ie

Labour needs you

Labour needs you

Its not that easy being green!

With John Gormley preaching to the Labour Party and Fine Gael about the responsibilities of government this video is a nice reminder of all the issues, causes and people the Green Party have left behind in their pursuit of power.

For the record rendition at Shannon ended by order of Barack Obmama, Tara is still being destroyed by a motorway and there is no solution at Rossport.

For more visit http://www.youtube.com/user/cllrkeithmartin

Where's the beef?

It was the previous weekend when I finally lost all hope in relation to the Government's handling of the economy.  One day Mary Coughlin was dismissing the idea of another budget, the next day the Government confirms a new budget is on the way; it seems that no-one in the Government has any idea what to do and they are just reacting to events as they unfold.

All the while our economy is like a 747 dropping out of the sky while Brian Cowen and Brian Lenihan sit in the cockpit watching the altimeter numbers whiz round in complete despair.  We need someone to grab hold of the controls and pull us out of this dive before its too late.  Instead we have rabbits-caught-in-headlights for leaders.

I now believe that it is time for a general election.  Fianna Fail have lost control of the economy, have lost the confidence of the people and have no plan of action for how to deal with the crisis.  We need an election to give each party a chance to put out its stall of policies and plans and allow the people to decide who they want to fix the economy and give that party/ies the mandate to get on with the tough job of pulling us out of this nose dive.

I no longer believe that FF are in any way competent to deal with the situation.  I believe Brian Cowen and Co with their €300,000 salaries are as out of touch with the people as Czar Nicholas II of Russia was with the Serfs.  

There is also a complete lack of leadership.  Government today is more concerned with the avoidance of blame rather than leadership.  Brian Cowen is not up to the job and is so terrified of any comparison with Haughey and the 80s that he will not come on TV and tell us what's going on or how he plans to deal with it.

FDR got America through the great Depression by creating employment and by reassuring and informing the people with a series of "fireside chats".

The people of this country really don't care who fixes the economy, as long as someone makes a decision and explains that decision.  We are aching for leadership and that is why they people turning to Eamon Gilmore and Labour in huge numbers.

The situation is thus

1. There is no plan for recovery
2. There is no leadership
3. The longer we wait to enact a plan the worse things will get

We need an election to select a new government which has the following 

1. A clear recovery plan
2. A mandate for tough action
3. Clear leadership

Otherwise we're dead.

Join the Party, join the Labour Party!

Join the Labour Party

 

The Labour Party is hosting a recruitment evening in the Bakehouse Rooms of Henehan's Bar on Bridge Street tonight March 10^th at 8pm.  This is part of a nationwide recruitment drive by Party Leader Eamon Gilmore.

 

Membership of the party is open to all according to Chairman of the Mayo Labour Party,  Sean Sammon.  "The Labour Party is the hardest working party in Mayo and we are gearing up for the upcoming local elections and are looking forward to our Party Conference at the end of March.  The Labour Party, in Mayo and nationally, is going from strength to strength and we are now inviting those people in Mayo who want to make a difference to join us and help us get Mayo moving again.

 

"Anyone interested in joining the Labour is invited to come along tonight and have a chat and a cup of tea with us.  For more information on the Labour Party in Mayo call us on 098 24852 or visit www.labour.ie"

Letter to the editor

Dear Editor,

 

I would like to reply to your column in last week's Western People.

 

In your piece you suggested that the government postpone the Local Elections scheduled for June as you see them as an "unnecessary luxury", "a distraction" and because of "local candidates making ridiculous unattainable promises to a desperate electorate".

 

Firstly, I have to draw you attention to the Twentieth Amendment of the Constitution which requires that local elections be held every five years.  Consequently, your suggestion to postpone the Local Elections as a money saving measure would require a constitutional amendment which would prove just a costly as the Local Elections, whether or not it were to succeed. 

 

Secondly, I would also draw your attention to the same Amendment of the Constitution which "recognises the role of local government in providing a forum for the democratic representation of local communities, in exercising and performing at local level powers and functions conferred by law and in promoting by its initiatives the interests of such communities."  There can be no democratic representation if elections are postponed to save money and prevent distractions!

 

Thirdly, I think it is the duty of papers like the Western People to hold up to public scrutiny those local election candidates who are, in your opinion, "making ridiculous unattainable promises to a desperate electorate".  You should name and shame those who would cheapen the role of local democracy by such behaviour.

 

Finally, as a hard working councillor and candidate, who believes passionately in strengthening local democracy, I am disappointed to see you use your column to undermine local democracy and elections as an "unnecessary luxury".  Democracy is too important to be postponed, and too vital to be dismissed as a distraction.

 

Instead, you should use your column to encourage voters to demand the best from candidates and their parties, and demand that those same candidates outline policies which will deal with the recession at a local level.  Your column should be a bully-pulpit which demands only the best for Mayo from those candidates who would seek office. 

 

Do not run the system down, build it up by making local election candidates reach higher and deliver more for Mayo.  The electorate deserve nothing less than this from the Western People and its editor.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Cllr Keith Martin

33 Pairc na Coille

Westport

Co. Mayo

 

086 0691182

098 24852

098 25747

Call to Mayo builders to register for home grants scheme

Labour's Cllr Keith Martin is calling on Mayo's building trade contractors to register with Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) so that they can take part in the recently announced Home Energy Saving scheme which will provide grants to homeowners who invest in energy efficiency improvements.

 

Currently the SEI are compiling a Registered List of contractors who will be approved to undertake work on the scheme and once there are sufficient number of registered contractors the scheme will open for homeowner applications.

 

The scheme will grant aid homeowners for Roof Insulation, Wall Insulation (this includes either cavity wall, internal dry lining or external insulation), Replacing High Efficiency Gas or Oil fired Boilers with Heating Controls and/or the undertaking of a Building Energy Rating.

 

According to Cllr Martin "This is an ideal opportunity for those in Mayo's building trade to find new work and create employment in the area of making Mayo homes more energy efficient.  I would urge all of Mayo's builders and associated tradesmen to register with the SEI as soon as possible so that they can be available for the uptake on the scheme.  I anticipate that there will be a huge demand for the scheme, based on the number of queries I have dealt with on the issue.

 

"In the meantime householders can register their interest in the scheme by visiting www.sei.ie, by calling 1850 927000 or e-mailing hes@sei.ie  The SEI expect to begin issuing application forms to householders applying for grants towards the end of March or early April once they have a sufficient number of contractors registered for the scheme.  I would call upon every Mayo builder to register for this new opportunity."

 

 086 0691182