Burst Water Pipe in Rathfarnham

The Water Section of South Dublin County Council are carrying out works today to repair a burst water main at Butterfield Avenue, Rathfarnham. Customers in Butterfield Avenue, Washington Lane and surrounding areas may experience reduction in pressure or no water today whilst the repair works are being carried out. 

SDCC hope to have full water service restored by mid afternoon.

Diversions on Whitechurch Road

Over the past few days, I’ve had calls and emails from residents concerned at how council work on Whitechurch Road will affect bus services in the area.  Today is the first day of a contingency plan that will run until May 21.

I understand that there a number of elderly and disabled people in the Whitechurch area concerned that the new arrangements will add up to 20 minutes on to their journey.  Having spoken to the Council and Dublin Bus regarding this, they too understand the difficulty and have promised to monitor the progress as works are ongoing.

From today, Whitechurch Road is closed between Taylor’s Lane and Whitechurch Green.  A diversion is in place for motorists via Whitechurch Road, College Road and Grange Road.  Access will remain for residents.

Dublin Bus say that Route 15B will terminate at Ballyboden Roundabout at Taylor’s Lane.  Passengers travelling on the 116 and 161 can get their bus outside the Costcutters shop on Taylor’s Lane.

Please be assured that I’ll keep an eye on the situation.

Alex on The Week in Politics

I appeared on last night’s edition of The Week in Politics on RTE One. It was a Dublin South by-election debate that included Fine Gael’s George Lee and Fianna Fáil’s Shay Brennan.

You can view the programme by clicking here (starts at 32mins).

Alex on TV3

Last night, I took part in a Dublin South by-election debate on TV3′s Nightly News with Vincent Browne. My fellow panellists were also candidates on June 5: Fine Gael’s George Lee, Fianna Fáil’s Shay Brennan and Sinn Féin’s Shaun Treacy.

You can view the programme in three parts by clicking here, here and here.

Politics more than a vanity project

“Serious times demand serious politics. After a week in which a journalist has been virtually deified for joining Fine Gael, it’s time to get real” said Alex White, the party’s by-election candidate in Dublin South.

“I am putting myself before the electorate because I believe passionately in the power of politics to inspire all of us to bring about change. Politics is not a vanity project. For me, it’s about fundamentally changing the political direction of our country.

“For years we have endured a pseudo contest between two conservative parties. We need to break out of the redundant party mould of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, which is contributing so much to our national paralysis.

“The electorate is entitled to ask what George Lee stands for.

“Fine Gael seems to think that he should be elected simply because he is well-known and new to politics. He himself has said very little. But some of what he has said is astonishing, dangerous and regressive.

“He believes the HSE should be subjected to more competition in order to deliver vital health services. This is exactly the PD philosophy of ‘competition at all costs’ that has led to the madness of co-located hospitals. George also wants to sell off Bord Gais. Has he learnt nothing from the debacle of Eircom?

“There is no doubt that Brian Cowen’s government is discredited. But I do not believe that Enda Kenny’s Fine Gael offers any genuine alternative. Enda Kenny’s leadership has little public credibility while Eamon Gilmore surpasses him consistently in polls, and in the Dail” said White.

“Bluntly put, Enda Kenny is not the leader the country wants. Celebrity endorsements will not change that.

“Nothing captures the emptiness at the heart of the Fine Gael’s electoral strategy in Dublin South more than Brian Hayes’s remarks over the weekend: ‘People are losing their jobs and George [Lee] has huge credibility because he has been on TV talking about it for so long’.

“Is this the best they can do?”

Eamon Gilmore opens new office tomorrow

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore TD will cut the tape on our new office at 1 Bird Avenue tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon at 2.30 pm. If you are in the area, you are more than welcome to come along for a cup of tea and a chat.

More :: See where the new office is

New Dundrum office ready to launch

New Constituency Office at 1 Bird Avenue, Dundrum

As part of our continuing campaign in the run-up to the Dublin South by-election on June 5, we have opened a new constituency office on Bird Avenue, Dundrum, right in the heart of the constituency.

For several years, we have had an office in Rathfarnham which has been open to accommodate the needs of the people of Rathfarnham, Knocklyon, Ballyboden and Churchtown.

With these new premises, we will seek to assist the residents of Dundrum, Ballinteer, Sandyford, Windy Arbour, Goatstown and Mount Merrion.

A drop-in service is available in both Rathfarnham and Bird Avenue. Our office at 1 Main Street, Rathfarnham is open between 10am and 1pm on Fridays and the office at 1 Bird Avenue is open between 2pm and 4pm also on Fridays.

If you would like to arrange a meeting to discuss a matter of concern in Dublin South please do not hesitate to contact me. You can call (01) 618 3972 or email alex.white@oir.ie.

More :: See a map of the local area by clicking here

Local public meetings begin in Whitechurch

Alex (Left) and Cllr Paddy Cosgrave (Second Left) weet locals at last night's meeting

Last night, my colleague Cllr Paddy Cosgrave and I met with a group of local people from the Whitechurch area of Dublin South. It was an opportunity for those in the community to come together and discuss problems that are occurring at local and national area and where possible, myself and Paddy sought to accommodate those concerns.

It was a successful evening with topics such as local parking and refurbishment coming up for discussion as well as issues such as pay for TDs and Senators and the cumbersome way the grant system works.

This is only the first of quite a number of public meetings we plan to do in the constituency in the run up to the local elections and, of course, the Dublin South by-election on June 5.

Keep an eye on the blog for further updates.

Community meeting in Whitechurch tonight

Tonight in Whitechurch, in the local National School – Scoil Mhuire, sees the start of what I hope will be a series of community engagements across Dublin South.

These meetings are about creating an opportunity for me and our local councillors, Paddy Cosgrave is our councillor for the Rathfarnham ward, to listen to the concerns and learn from the ideas local people have on how we’re doing right now as a community, an economy and a society.

If you know of anyone who lives in the area, or indeed, if you fancy coming along yourself, then why not let them know that we’ll be there from 8pm.

More: View the area on Google Maps

Gilmore to move writ on By-Election next week

Statement by Eamon Gilmore TD:

The Labour Party has tabled a motion moving the writ for the Dublin South By-election. It is expected that the motion will be taken in the Dail early next week.

The Party Leader, Eamon Gilmore TD, said that Labour had made the decision to move the writ because of the failure of the government to take any decision as to when the by-election would be held.

“It is now almost seven months since the death of the much-respected Seamus Brennan. I have, on several occasions, raised the matter of the by-election with the Taoiseach, but the standard response I have received on each occasion has been that the matter had not yet been considered by the government.

“On the last occasions when vacancies occurred in the Dail, the by-elections were held within a matter of months. John Bruton and Charlie McCreevy both resigned as Deputies in November 2005, and the writs for the by-elections in Meath and Kildare North were moved in the Dail by the Government Chief Whip on February 15th.

“The people of Dublin South are entitled to the full level of representation in the Dail provided for under the constitution. It is simply not acceptable that the government should deny them that level of representation by refusing to hold the by-election.

“Furthermore if the government believes that it has the confidence of the people in terms of its performance in office so far and particularly in regard to its handling of the economy, then surely it should put this to the test by having the Dublin South by election as early as possible.

“The fact that the country is experiencing serious economic difficulties is no reason to suspend normal democratic procedures. Nor is the possibility of an embarrassing result for Fianna Fail and the Greens sufficient justification for the continued refusal to hold a by election.

“I hope that there will be support from all parties for the moving of the writ and the setting of an early date for the by-election.”