Appeal for 'common sense' in bins dispute

The Labour spokesman on the environment, Mr Eamon Gilmore, appealed last night for "common sense" to prevail in the anti-bin charge dispute.

He put forward a plan to solve the dispute, which included the calling off of the blockades and the suspension by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, of the "no collection" order.

"There was no need for this order in the first place. As the Minister has said repeatedly, most people were paying their charges."

Mr Gilmore suggested that all charges should be related to the volume of waste presented by the householder, with the levels of charges banded to reflect ability to pay. The present charges were unfair on low-income families.

He added that increases in charges should be capped and be limited to the Consumer Price Index, with the power to make them restored to the elected members of local authorities.

"It was undemocratic to give these powers to unelected county managers and unnecessary anyway since every local authority with whatever difficulties managed to adopt a charge."

Mr Gilmore said that a national waiver scheme should be introduced, applying to both private and public collection services. "At present there is no waiver scheme at all for private collections."

He was speaking during the debate on a Private Members' motion expressing regret at the imprisoning of the Socialist Party TD Mr Joe Higgins, and condemning the Government's "lack of fairness and equity" in cutting back on various schemes.

Mr Higgins, he said, should not be in prison, nor should his councillor colleague and 13 other protesters.

However he said the Labour party did not support the tactics which had been adopted by the anti-bin charge campaigners. It supported the right of people to protest within the law.

The debate saw heated exchanges between Galway West TDs Mr Noel Grealish (PDs) and Mr Michael D Higgins (Labour).

Mr Grealish claimed the motion invited the House to commend high and mighty moralising and low-down unlawful actions.

"The issue has already revealed a weak-kneed attitude on the part of the Labour party to anti-democratic protests from the hard left. The Labour party now wants the Government to cave in to this dirty protest. What sort of backbone is that?"

Mr Higgins said deprived communities had been told "that when the great PD wagon rolls in, and they have all gobbled at the trough, there will be something for the people left behind".

He added that he would take no lectures from Mr Grealish or "that little miserable individualist lot in the PDs, or the party they contaminated, Fianna Fáil".

Mr John Gormley (Green Party, Dublin South East) said he had visited Mr Higgins in Mountjoy. "Indeed, he is a champion of those most deprived in our society."

However, he said he had also made the point during his visit that he disagreed with his stance on the bin charge. "I believe a protest should affect the people you are protesting against and not the innocent bystander."

The Government defeated the motion by 66 votes to 35.