Nothing New about Cullen’s contempt for Democracy
“Nothing New about Cullen’s contempt for Democracy.”
Statement by Councillor Dermot Lacey
Labour City Councillor for Pembroke
The debate on electronic voting should remind us of the fact that the Minister for (sic) the Environment and Local Government, Martin Cullen is the Minister who denied Dubliners the right to elect their own Lord Mayor.
According to former Lord Mayor of Dublin Councillor Dermot Lacey, “We should now be in the early stages of a campaign to elect the Lord Mayor of Dublin, directly by the citizens and a debate on the future of this great City.
“Shamefully the sections of the 2001 Local Government Act enabling this have been reversed by Minister Cullen. Once again therefore we face in to Local Elections with no reform of Local Government, no debate on how we should finance our system and above all the disgraceful withdrawal of the right of citizens to choose their own Mayor or Council Chairperson.
“That this Minister who has engaged in a systematic dismantling of our Local Government system is also Fianna Fail Director of Elections for the forthcoming Local Elections adds a dose of cynicism and hypocrisy that beats even Fianna Fails traditional standards.
“Dublin needs a directly elected Lord Mayor with a mandate to serve for five years who, working with the members of the City Council, will Lead this City and Stand up for this City. It is not too late for this right to be given back to citizens and Minister Cullen might redeem some of his diminishing credibility by providing for that forthwith.”
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