This article is from page 24 of the 2011-02-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 24 JPG
SITTING amongst 100 or so people in Drumbiggle at the General Election meeting, one could not help but notice a considerable representation for minority groups.
With 50 members of the Travelling community present, and maybe 10 or more foreign nationals, the questions being hurled at the candidates mainly focused on the difficulties now facing marginalised people; the closure of adult education centres; the cuts in welfare and many other problems.
Also present was Colette Bradley, from Ennis Community Development Project, and Orla Ní Eilí, from the Clare Immigrant Support Centre, who are the official representation, of sorts, for the minority groups.
“We have been turning up to these meetings to get politicians to sign a protocol that they promise they will use their voices sensibly, instead of jumping on marginalised people and using them to highlight issues in the recession,” said Orla Ní Éilí.
“We’re aiming to dispel people’s misconceptions. Recently two politicians rang us saying that some people were giving out about travellers and foreign nationalists abandoning buggies because they didn’t have to pay for them,” said Colette Bradley.
“But this is far from the case, and we want to make people aware of the exact difficulties facing minority groups. And we also don’t want this to be something that could be left behind due to all the other problems that are facing Ireland,” she added.
Anne Cronin pledged that if she didn’t succeed in this election, that she would mentor someone from these groups, and make sure they had proper representation in 2016. Other politicians did, however, promise not to forget the problems of the minorities when they get into power.