Anti-NAMA protesters hope to weaken coalition
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AN angry nation, a nation on the march.
A number of protest marches took place yesterday and plans for another series of protests were revealed, as the December budget, NAMA and the Lisbon referendum loom large.
In Dublin, anti-NAMA campaigners urged support for a mass protest, claiming it could destabilise the coalition and throw the Government's plans into chaos.
Trade unionists, left-wing politicians and community activists are organising a Dublin march against the proposed toxic assets agency and Government cutbacks.
The United Alliance Against Cuts group claims the Government is allowing bankers, speculators and developers to rob the least well off in society.
The march will take place on September 19, beginning with a rally at Parnell Square before walking through the city, past the Dail and finishing outside Anglo Irish Bank on St Stephen's Green.
Councillor Richard Boyd-Barrett, People Before Profit, said: "If we get a big enough protest I think it could crack the resolve of the Greens to stay in this Government.
"Equally we've seen . . . that there is real unease among Fianna Fail TDs who fear they may lose their seats.
"I think if sufficient public pressure is put on those TDs over the coming weeks it could break the resolve of even some Fianna Failers to carry this thing through."
Meanwhile, parents of children in the country's 26 Protestant second-level schools said they would be mobilising to fight further cuts in their sector.
The Protestant Parents' Association is holding a special conference on October 3, to address potential cuts arising from the McCarthy report.
"We are fearful that the long-standing option of educating our children in line with the Protestant ethos will be denied to present and future generations by this government," spokeswoman Eleanor Petrie said.
Protestant schools traditionally enjoyed a special status to enable them to provide an education for their community, but suffered bigger teacher and grant losses than other schools in October 2008 Budget.
Also among yesterday's protesters was a group of 222 people -- representing the €222m cut from the Irish overseas aid budget this year -- who gathered outside the Department of Finance in Dublin. They called on the Government to honour its commitment to increase the aid budget to 0.7pc of GDP by 2012.
- Jason O'Brien
