Clare Labour

06/12/2024

A Status Red wind warning is due to come into effect in Mayo, Clare and Galway at 10pm tonight with Met Éireann warning of extremely strong gusts. Another Red wind warning will be in place for Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim from 11pm.

The warning for Mayo is set to last until 3am while the Clare and Galway warning will be in place until 2am. The Donegal and Leitrim warning will expire at 3am.

jrnl.ie/6564456f

23/06/2024

12/04/2024

It's feared the Ennis Post Office Field development will have a detrimental effect on the site and its environs. Fresh concerns are being raised about developing on the prominent floodplain as public

11/04/2024

11/04/2024

Hear me on Morning Focus talking about the proposals to develop the Post Office Field and why we should oppose them.

06/04/2024

07/11/2023

The case for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza is compelling. It becomes clearer by the hour, as the horrific death toll mounts.
Many around the world are making the call for a ceasefire. Last week, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce” between Israel and Hamas.
The call for a ceasefire has been made by civilians under fire in Gaza, speaking from darkened basements and missile craters. Civilians like Irish citizen Zak Hania, trapped in Gaza City with his family. Or Wael Dahdouh, the Al Jazeera journalist who learnt of the deaths of his wife and children in an Israeli missile attack while broadcasting live from the conflict.
It has been made by aid workers and medics, working with incredible bravery, risking their own lives under terrible conditions.
And the call for a ceasefire has been made by both government and opposition here in Ireland. On 18th October, the Dail voted by a majority of 122:14 to support a motion seeking an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. This cross-party motion, which we in Labour strongly supported and worked to achieve, unreservedly condemned the brutal attack by Hamas in Israel on 7th October. It called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages taken by Hamas.
It stressed the universal applicability of international humanitarian law to all in armed conflict, both state and non-state actors, and emphasised that Israel’s right to defend itself from attack must be in line with international law.
Under international humanitarian law, the principle of proportionality must be applied; the targeting of civilians is prohibited, as is the use of collective punishment or so-called “human shields.” All precautions must be taken to protect the civilian population against the effects of attacks.
Since 7th October, these laws have clearly been breached by both Hamas and Israel. That’s why this war must stop. That’s why a ceasefire is needed.
I know many of you are asking what you can do to help. It’s important to ensure that your voice is heard. You can write to your TD and demand that Ireland does all that it can to hold Israel responsible for war crimes committed and to bring about a ceasefire; you could write to Ursula Von Der Leyen seeking that the European Union takes a stronger position on these atrocities and you can contact US Ambassador Claire Cronin calling on the Biden Administration to push for an immediate ceasefire. ⁠
The only way to achieve any resolution, for communities in both Israel and Gaza, is for immediate de-escalation, through regional and international diplomacy. In line with UN Security Council Resolutions, lasting peace can only be based on an enduring commitment to the two-state solution that meets Israeli and Palestinian security needs and Palestinian aspirations for statehood and sovereignty.
That’s why so many are calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Without this, the region will sink into an ever more terrible abyss of violence. More children will die every day. As we watch the carpet bombing of hospitals, refugee camps, apartment blocks – who now can deny the calls for a ceasefire in Gaza?
Please share this post on your social channels calling for a ceasefire - now.

In solidarity,
Ivana Bacik TD
Leader of the Labour Party

07/11/2023

LABOUR PARTY PRESS OFFICE

STATEMENT BY BRENDAN HOWLIN TD
Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Brexit and Justice

Sunday 8 October, 2023
LABOUR CONDEMNS ESCALATING VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE - PATHWAY TO PEACE NEEDED
Labour Foreign Affairs spokesperson Brendan Howlin TD said:
“The attacks on Israeli civilian and military targets over the last 24 hours by Hamas is totally unacceptable and must stop. We condemn what appears to be the brutal killing, assault and kidnapping of civilians by militants, and the indiscriminate missile attacks on Gazan residential areas in response by Israel. Evidence of the massacre of civilians must be investigated and documented.
“Israel must use restraint in their response or risk plunging the region into a level of violence not seen for decades. Civilians must be protected. Seeking revenge will only deepen the cycle of violence.
“Neither side will benefit from escalating attacks, and it is civilians who will bear the brunt. It is high time the international community addressed the immor al conditions imposed on the people of Gaza by Israel which is used to justify these latest horrific attacks.
“The imminent meeting of the UN Security Council must lead international pressure to calm the situation and restore the focus on building a lasting peace settlement in accordance with UN Security resolutions and international law. The consequences of the escalation of violence is unimaginable.”
END

Labour Press Office
Web: labour.ie/news/

07/11/2023

Press Release

Clare Labour Party

THE SIEGE OF GAZA MUST STOP

The latest round of Israeli/Palestinian violence is another catastrophe. It shows us that we need a long-term solution. Under the Israeli blockade Gaza has become a large open-air prison camp. Residents of Gaza are not allowed to come and go in the normal way that we Irish take for granted. Only those who have visited Gaza can measure the heart-breaking desperation of the people boxed in there.
The latest siege will only build up a deeper antagonism. Palestinians are losing hope and abject poverty is always behind these uprisings.
The Israeli government must enter meaningful negotiations with the Palestinians and stop playing games with these unfortunate people. Ireland must use its great influence at the UN to progress these talks.

Denis Vaughan,

Chair, CLARE Labour Party

07/11/2023

PRESS RELEASE
CLARE LABOUR PARTY
IRELAND’S UN PEACEKEEPERS MUST BE PROTECTED IN LEBANON+ISRAEL

In the Middle East we have seen, once more, the bitter harvest of unresolved history. Ireland has been one of the few EU members to call for an end to the aggression against innocent citizens in Gaza. This must happen before the violence gets out of control.
We must express our deep concern for the Irish troops who are currently serving with the United Nations contingent in the Middle East. The latest escalation of international violence on the Lebanon frontier puts them in great danger. Irish troops have a proud history of service as UN peacekeepers around the globe. They have stood firm, putting their own lives at risk, in order to give warring neighbours the time and the space to reach some form of accord.
There has been a UN peacekeeping operation in the Middle East since 1948. It operates in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, as well as Israel. Our participation there began in 1974, almost half a century ago. Surely, such a prolonged presence tells us the situation there is unstable and that it needs to be faced up to. It is disappointing, if not shocking, that our world leaders have not dealt honourably with the issues that continue to inspire hostility there. We call on the government to raise this issue at the UN now and to safeguard our great peacekeepers.
There is an urgent need for unbiased and objective reporting of this awful war. Those reports we are seeing on RTE are really informative but we are not seeing what is occurring on the ground within Gaza. That is not surprising in light of the risk for media workers and the Israeli blockade. Justice requires a more complete and balanced account. We now call for an all-party delegation from the Oireachtas to go there on a fact-finding mission.
Denis Vaughan.