What Have The Greens Done For You? | Neasa Hourigan, Green Party TD Dublin Central

Wed, Nov 27, 2024

Read in 5 minutes

The last 5 years have been a whirlwind and it has been a privilege to work in Dublin Central on issues that have an impact from the local to the global. When I first got involved in politics in 2019 I wanted to ensure that Dublin Central would be a good place to grow up and a great place to go out. I have spent the last 5 years focusing on ensuring our community is accessible, fair to all and moving forward.

Here’s a selection (in no particular order) of that work:

People Centred City Space

In 2018 and 2019 I was a member of the Streets are for People campaign that sought to take back some of the city from the car lobby that had influenced decision makers for decades. This was motivated by my own experience as a carer to a child who was visually impaired and learning to use her cane in the centre of Dublin. We occupied South William Street and Liffey Street on successive days. Liffey Street was one of the success stories of these protests and it’s looking great.

Throughout my time in the Dail I have championed the principle that people come to the city to enjoy it, shop, eat in restaurants and experience the atmosphere, many of us live right in the heart of the city. It must be a livable and enjoyable space. That means less congestion, places to rest, greening and accessible design. Capel Street is an example of an incredible space on the northside where there is an appetite for a less car driven street and a focus on culture and amenity.

Drug Policy Reform

Ireland has some of the highest levels of drug related deaths in Europe and criminal gangs are engaged in drug related intimidation as well as other criminal activities. The Green Party have called for progressive reform of drug policy for decades and I fought hard (successfully) in Programme for Government negotiations in 2020 to have a Citizens Assembly on Drugs included. To ensure this work was completed I published a paper on the subject in 2021, available here

The Citizens Assembly finally took shape in 2023 (everything promised in a Programme for Government doesn’t get done but this was an important subject to prioritise). Here’s my submission to the assembly.

Once the Assembly was complete and their recommendations published I lobbied to ensure that the Dáil addressed those recommendations through a Special Committee. The CA Report and the Interim Report from the Committee are linked here and here. I am immensely proud of the work undertaken on this difficult subject. Problematic drug use is often rooted in deprivation and poverty- there is a hugely challenging piece of legislation required to decriminalise addiction and focus on policies that actually work.

Traffic Cameras and Safer Streets

Traffic behaviours in the city are not what we would like them to be and certainly not at a level that would safeguard pedestrians who use our streets. For me one of the most straight forward way to change this culture is the introduction of camera enforcement across the city (and country). Camera enforcement at traffic lights to stop red light traffic breaking or in bus lanes to prevent misuse of public transport lanes would lead to far safer junctions overall. All road users need to obey the rules and camera data would allow us to identify junctions that are particularly problematic. After raising it multiple times in Dail Eirean we finally got some movement in 2023

I will continue to watch progress on this issue like a hawk. Camera enforcement is a win win solution for road safety in Ireland.

Safe Access Zones

Everybody should also have the right to access healthcare, including abortion services, in dignity, privacy and safety. People should have the right to go to work without harassment or intimidating behaviour while doing their job. Since being elected, I consistently worked alongside the Together for Safety campaign to bring forward legislation that would enforce 100 metre Safe Access Zones around all family planning clinics / maternity hospitals / health care facilities in Ireland who provide or give information on abortion. After a lot of dedicated campaigning, in particular by the amazing women in Together for Safety, we finally saw this legislation come into operation in October of this year.

Palestine

Firstly, I want to express my horror at the actions we have seen perpetrated over the past year in Gaza. I have been particularly distressed at the scale of the suffering of so many innocent children. These atrocities have shaken the Irish people to our core. Our country has a long standing solidarity with the Palestinian people, whose suffering invokes memories from our own historical narrative and I believe that Ireland has a very important role to play in speaking for the people of Palestine on an international level.

I have always supported the passing of the Occupied Territories Bill and voted in line with such anytime the opportunity came before the Dáil. The Green Party continually tried to convince Government that we must push ahead with the Occupied Territories Bill and finally we are seeing argument across all parties to do so. I would be hopeful of finally seeing this passed in the first weeks of the new Dáil.

Separately, I will point out that the Green Party has secured a series of measures in Government to support the cause of Palestine. These include:

• Recognition of Palestine – the Green Party argued passionately to have recognition of Palestine included in the Programme for Government during negotiations with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. This became a reality on Tuesday, May 28, when Ireland formally recognised Palestine
• UNRWA – Ireland was the first country in the world to publicly defend UNRWA after Israel alleged that some of its staff had taken part in the October 7, a claim it never backed up with evidence. In recognition of its critical role in providing food, water, medicine and shelter to Palestinian refugees, the Government announced €20m in additional funding, prompting the EU and other key partners to reverse their decision to suspend funding
• Use of Irish Airspace – No one wants to facilitate the carriage of weapons through Ireland, particularly if they’re engaged or used or enable what is an ongoing travesty in Gaza, in South Lebanon, and in the West Bank. The Green Party has spearheaded legislation to allow searches of foreign aircraft suspected of carrying weapons
• South Africa case – the Green Party ensured that the Government will intervene in South Africa genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
• International Criminal Court (ICC) – at the Green Party’s urging, the Government last year announced additional financial contributions to the ICC to assist its work across all investigations, prosecutions and victim assistance programmes