Today I had the honour of welcoming two Fairtrade producers to Westport where they gave a talk to local school children and toured some to the businesses stocking their products.
Click on the picture to view it full sized.
Friday, 29 February 2008
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Meeting at the Mansion House
I traveled up to Dublin's Mansion House at the weekend for a Labour Councillor's meeting which started off with a coffee and a chat with Party Leader Eamon Gilmore TD.Eamon and I discussed Westport and Mayo and how the Labour Party was building on old roots as Mayo was once a power base for Labour with TD and former Labour Party Leader elected from the county in 1927.
Thomas J. O'Connell (21 November 1882 – 22 June 1969) was an Irish trade unionist and politician, and was leader of the Irish Labour Party from 1927 to 1932. O'Connell was born near Knock, County Mayo. From 1902 to 1916 he worked first as a national teacher and then as a school principal. In 1926 he became general secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation. In the June 1927 election he stood instead in the new five-seat Mayo South constituency, where he topped the poll, and he was re-elected at the September 1927 election.
Eamon will be coming to Westport this year as part of his tour of the constituencies and as a West of Ireland man he is well aware of the needs of Mayo for infrastructure, broadband and investment by the IDA.
Monday, 25 February 2008
Crime and Policing
Westport like every other town and village has a growing problem in relation to Anti-social behaviour and crime.
The extent of the problem in Westport was brought home to me in the report from the Superintendent of Westport which revealed that 50 burglaries were committed in the Westport district between the months of January and May. This is in stark contrast to a total of 58 burglaries for 2006.
There were 56 cases of Public Order offences between January to May 2007 and in the same period there were 56 cases of Criminal Damage.
I have also been contacted by residents in Cloonmonad and the Northwoods area whose quality of life is being disrupted by anti-social behaviour such as drinking, littering and noise from drunk and abusive persons.
I don't think enough is being done to combat this and I have asked the Westport Branch of the Labour Party to arrange a Public Meeting on the subject. Justice Spokesperson Pat Rabbitte TD has agreed to come and speak and when the rest of the line up and date and venue is confirmed I will let you know.
The extent of the problem in Westport was brought home to me in the report from the Superintendent of Westport which revealed that 50 burglaries were committed in the Westport district between the months of January and May. This is in stark contrast to a total of 58 burglaries for 2006.
There were 56 cases of Public Order offences between January to May 2007 and in the same period there were 56 cases of Criminal Damage.
I have also been contacted by residents in Cloonmonad and the Northwoods area whose quality of life is being disrupted by anti-social behaviour such as drinking, littering and noise from drunk and abusive persons.
I don't think enough is being done to combat this and I have asked the Westport Branch of the Labour Party to arrange a Public Meeting on the subject. Justice Spokesperson Pat Rabbitte TD has agreed to come and speak and when the rest of the line up and date and venue is confirmed I will let you know.
if only!.....Bush apologises for the Iraq War
An interesting video edited to make Bush appear to do the decent thing before he leaves office.
New Look site
I have updated my blog www.councillorkeithmartin.blogspot.com and jazzed up its image. I have also gotten a new address for the site www.councillorkeithmartin.com
Please let me know what you think. Image is everything, especially in politics!
Please let me know what you think. Image is everything, especially in politics!
Thursday, 21 February 2008
Feburary Meeting
Just posted the report from our February Meeting up on the Branch's website www.westportlabour.blogspot.com
Still waiting on the decision of the Minister in relation to Mining near Croagh Patrick.
Still waiting on the decision of the Minister in relation to Mining near Croagh Patrick.
Thursday, 14 February 2008
HSE forum members should resign!
“Resign, it’s a waste of time!” is Westport councillor Keith Martin call to the 40 councillors who sit on the HSE Regional West forum.
The Labour Party councillor says the councillors are wasting their time debating motions, passing resolutions and calling for action when the HSE executive are not obliged to carry out any instructions from the 40 members of the forum.
“It is a farcical situation whereby councillors are travelling to meetings from places as far apart as Limerick, Galway, Clare, Mayo, Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Roscommon, North Tipperary and North Cavan to discus health issues only to be ignored by HSE staff. Its like a bad comedy and its time for the 40 councillors to cry halt to the farce and not attend these meetings until the Government returns to them the powers councillors used to exercise under the old Western Health Board.
“According to the HSE, ‘the objective of the Executive is to use the resources available to it in the most beneficial, effective and efficient manner to improve, promote and protect the health and welfare of the public.’ How this can be done by ignoring the public representatives, who know the needs of their constituents better than anyone, is beyond me.
“There are people lying on trolleys in corridors yet the HSE is not answerable to the councillors on its forums even on that issue. What purpose do these talking shops provide? Are they just forums for debate or to allow councillors let of steam at HSE officials?
Cllr Martin says he is “calling on the 40 councillors who represent the people of the west of Ireland on this farcical forum not attend the meetings until their powers are returned to them. My message to the councillors is, resign your positions en masse; it’s a waste of time going to meetings that have no powers to change anything about HSE local policy or procedure. Enough of the talking, its time for action.”
The Labour Party councillor says the councillors are wasting their time debating motions, passing resolutions and calling for action when the HSE executive are not obliged to carry out any instructions from the 40 members of the forum.
“It is a farcical situation whereby councillors are travelling to meetings from places as far apart as Limerick, Galway, Clare, Mayo, Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Roscommon, North Tipperary and North Cavan to discus health issues only to be ignored by HSE staff. Its like a bad comedy and its time for the 40 councillors to cry halt to the farce and not attend these meetings until the Government returns to them the powers councillors used to exercise under the old Western Health Board.
“According to the HSE, ‘the objective of the Executive is to use the resources available to it in the most beneficial, effective and efficient manner to improve, promote and protect the health and welfare of the public.’ How this can be done by ignoring the public representatives, who know the needs of their constituents better than anyone, is beyond me.
“There are people lying on trolleys in corridors yet the HSE is not answerable to the councillors on its forums even on that issue. What purpose do these talking shops provide? Are they just forums for debate or to allow councillors let of steam at HSE officials?
Cllr Martin says he is “calling on the 40 councillors who represent the people of the west of Ireland on this farcical forum not attend the meetings until their powers are returned to them. My message to the councillors is, resign your positions en masse; it’s a waste of time going to meetings that have no powers to change anything about HSE local policy or procedure. Enough of the talking, its time for action.”
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