Limerick protest against respite cut- Mon 10th at 10am

angelll

If any of you know people affected by the cut please let them know about this,it's outside city hall at 10am on monday,similar protests will be held around the country during the next few days.

Beaver1

10am on a MONDAY cant see many been there

Mc Love

This isnt going to achieve anything! And if anything these protests should be aimed at the dail and not local city halls

angelll

Is it not worth a try? To show that we are not happy with what they've done. I suppose if you're not a carer 24/7,365 days a year then you don't know the impact of the cuts. They have cut the equivalent of €8 a week from the carers allowance/benefit,they cut the household benefits which impacts on carers and the elderly,early intervention has been cut too so any child diagnosed with extra needs will not get the help they need,early intervention can do so much if it's given on time.

McLove & Beaver i suppose you think that it would be easy to just hop on a train or drive up to dublin and protest at the dail? We have this on monday as for a lot of carers the only break they get is a few hours when their children are in school mon-fri,and for others their partner/parent/older child is in other services. The reality is some people just do not get a proper break,the respite grant is for this,once a year and they have cut it.

Lack of support just shows why they thought it was ok to do this

Beaver1

go for it, I'm just saying, if it was on a Saturday you would get more people protesting, if it was on to-day i would have went to it and would have at least 10 more people with me and I think a lot more people would have protested because they are angry, none of us have went on a protest march but over this budget we think we need to protest,

I feel if not many people turn up for the protest on Monday it could do more damage than good, i.e. no one will take any heed of the protest.

as I said go for it, the best of luck I hope its a success, let us know how you get on

Kess73

Mc Love wrote: »

This isnt going to achieve anything! And if anything these protests should be aimed at the dail and not local city halls

Well if the protest is not going to go to the Dail, then I would reckon going to City Hall is the next best thing tbh.

I thought the city centre protest was an utter joke and that having it on a Saturday it would only see shoppers and retailers affected by it, with those it is being aimed at having little chance of noticing a Saturday protest given they would not have been anywhere near where the city centre protest took place.

At least if it is held on a weekday and in front of where local politicians will be, those politicians can see and hear the protest and maybe even have their feathers ruffled.

What is a bit interesting about all these austerity protests is the simple fact that they seem to have quite a few mouthpieces attached to them who would be with one political group or another, yet if people took the time to look at how those in the same political groups as the protest mouthpieces voted in the Dail on various issues that have impacted upon carers and what not, then it seems a bit rich for the Limerick reps of those political groups to be trying to take the higher moral ground.

For me those mouthpieces smack of people that are using the protests as a way to keep their own profiles up and to garner votes once elcetion times (local and general) roll around again. Politics in Ireland is a big gravy train and the cynic in me says that a few of the "white knights" would like to be on that train and if being the mouthpieces for a few protests gets them future votes then that is what will be done.




Cynical Kess is cynical.

ninty9er

City Hall has no control or connection to respite grants. Additionally, we don't have full-time councillors, so it's unlikely there'll even be one politician in the building.

angelll

Ninty9er we decided it was the best place for it,i know jan o sullivan will be at a clinic that morning nearby so we may walk to that from city hall...we're all so new to this! Kess quite a few of us going are from a ireland wide group called autism mommies (it's a private fb group of mothers only of autistic children),quite a few of the dublin mums were at the one outside the dail, we're just concerned about geting our respite cut,no idea what political groups any of us support and the protest is open to all carers and their friends and families. If any of you have a better idea of where to protest then let me know? The budget is being voted in on Wed so we need to do this before then.

Kess73

angelll wrote: »

Ninty9er we decided it was the best place for it,i know jan o sullivan will be at a clinic that morning nearby so we may walk to that from city hall...we're all so new to this! Kess quite a few of us going are from a ireland wide group called autism mommies (it's a private fb group of mothers only of autistic children),quite a few of the dublin mums were at the one outside the dail, we're just concerned about geting our respite cut,no idea what political groups any of us support and the protest is open to all carers and their friends and families. If any of you have a better idea of where to protest then let me know? The budget is being voted in on Wed so we need to do this before then.

Well the place I suggested in the first thread that would be better to protest in Limerick was outside City Hall on a weekend, so that looks to be happening.


If I was organising it I would try to time protests to when there were city council meetings on, and also look to speak directly to the councillors that are directly affiliated to the goverment parties. I would target all that have a Dail seat and look to set up meetings with them. Would also look to get local media involved, and I would approach the likes of I love Limerick to ask them to give a cause like your own the publicity it deserves rather than them just fawning after the local z listers. Publicity will be the lifeblood for your cause so try to make sure that whomever speaks for you is articulate, is from within your group, and is likeable or at the very least capable of provoking a sense of empathy from those listening. That would be just off the top of my head tbh.

I am not cynical about genuine causes like the one you are involved with, but rather the political elements involved in the protests. Just as the likes of Eirigi (spelling may be wrong there) tries to attach itself to good causes to further it's own agenda, I feel that some individuals may be doing likewise with the austerity protests around the country, and by individuals I mean the ones that may be raising their own profile now so that it will reap dividends come the next election.

I have nothing but admiration for the people who are taking to the streets to fight the corner of their child, parent, family member, friend etc who has a special need, or those who are taking to the street to defend someone who may be at risk of slipping into poverty.

I do know the effort it takes for a regular person to go out and protest and I do know first hand that protesting in the street is probably the easiest part of your struggle as you and those like you will be putting in a huge amount of work in private as well. I have been directly involved in the Hillsborough Justice campaign since I was a teenager (am 39 now) and am very familiar with what it feels like to have something that has to be fought for, something that you do in the name of another who cannot fight their own corner. People like you, and those like you, I only wish the best for, and I do hope that through street protest or other avenues that you win your battles.

It is just a damn shame that in a so called modern and evolved society that the mothers of autistic children (as well as other groups with similarly altruistic people involved) have to resort to protests in the hope that the powers that run this country twig that some things should be above budget cuts. Basic decency should have been enough of a guide for the men and women in power when it came to certain decisions, but alas that decency seems to be in short supply in the Dail.

Kess73

ninty9er wrote: »

City Hall has no control or connection to respite grants. Additionally, we don't have full-time councillors, so it's unlikely there'll even be one politician in the building.

To be fair they have a better chance of coming across a politician at City Hall than at the traffic lights on O'Connell Street.

A big street protest really only gets attention when it numbers in the thousands, but hundreds outside City Hall could look like a lot to any politician that has to face them.

Also the politicians at City Hall may not control respite grants and the like, but many of them are in the very parties that actioned the cuts, and as such will have direct lines of contact to the bigger fish.

mgbgt1978

Kess73 wrote: »

I feel that some individuals may be doing likewise with the austerity protests around the country, and by individuals I mean the ones that may be raising their own profile now so that it will reap dividends come the next election.

As a parent of a child with Autism, and the son of a Father with Dementia (drop over for Christmas Kess.....it's mad ) could you either name those that you think may be "jumping on the Bandwagon" or at least PM me.
A few Fcuk off's on the day can't do any harm.......

Kess73

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

As a parent of a child with Autism, and the son of a Father with Dementia (drop over for Christmas Kess.....it's mad ) could you either name those that you think may be "jumping on the Bandwagon" or at least PM me.
A few Fcuk off's on the day can't do any harm.......

Well my suspicion is about some of those who are with political parties or who are trying to run as independents and who have done so in the past, which should narrow it down.

Would rather not say actual names because it is based on my own cynicism/opinion rather than being a quantifiable fact. Would not like for people to get told to eff off simply on my gut feeling, but maybe instead keep an eye out for the types that will be all talk about backing causes all the way when they have an audience or the media near them, but who then are nowhjere to be seen for the behind closed doors side of things.

As for calling over for a mad X-Mas, I only have to go back to Liverpool every December to get one of those with a mixture of happy and sad reasons.:):(


As with angelll, I wish you nothing but the best in your fight, and if you are all prepared for the long haul (which I reckon you all are, given who you are fighting for), then you can win because you are all fighting for something more important than just money.

ZombieBride

Did this go ahead?

angelll

It did indeed,some of the ladies were interviewed by Limk 95 and were on the news today,leader was there for pics too

Beaver1

was there many at it

angeleyes

Enough of us there to make a statement and to get press coverage. We made our point.

Beaver1

I just seen on facebook that there were 10 there including Maurice Quinlavin.

jbkenn

Beaver1 wrote: »

I just seen on facebook that there were 10 there including Maurice Quinlavin.

11 actually, some of us don't need our picture in the paper, i believe the bauld Maurice invited himself.

angeleyes

There were more than that - some people arrived after the photo op too and got their pics taken after. We were small yes but we did make a stand at least.

rainbowdash

Nobody seems to give a damn about this grant being cut. People on the dole can also get the 1/2 rate carers allowance.

Perhaps the carers should keep quiet about a relatively small cut and stop drawing attention to themselves?

redron74

rainbowdash wrote: »

Nobody seems to give a damn about this grant being cut. People on the dole can also get the 1/2 rate carers allowance.

Perhaps the carers should keep quiet about a relatively small cut and stop drawing attention to themselves?

What are you on about?
Of all the negative posts in the various different threads on the different protests that have taken place against the various austerity cuts, I find this one the most bizarre!
Is there something I've missed?

(Sorry about the over-use of the words "various" and "different"!!!)

Berty

Nobody gives a damn? My mother, a carer, was in the hospital with the person she cares for at the time of the protest so couldn't go but would have if she could.

Beaver1

on the Carers issues, people are getting carers allowance for looking after their Kids with disabilities and for looking after old parents, is that not your duty as a family member, why are they getting paid for it. its just a question now mind.

Berty

Beaver1 wrote: »

on the Carers issues, people are getting carers allowance for looking after their Kids with disabilities and for looking after old parents, is that not your duty as a family member, why are they getting paid for it. its just a question now mind.

They cannot get Job seekers because they cannot work, because they must care for somebody.

They MUST fall into some category otherwise they get nothing so as they "care" they get carers allowance. This protest is about a reduction in the respite allowance though not the carers allowance/benefit.

You could easily argue that a parent shouldn't get child benefit because they should care for their child anyway but that's another days work for somebody.

redron74

Beaver1 wrote: »

on the Carers issues, people are getting carers allowance for looking after their Kids with disabilities and for looking after old parents, is that not your duty as a family member, why are they getting paid for it. its just a question now mind.

If you want to know what Carer's Allowance is all about, here:
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/carers/carers_allowance.html

The cut in Budget 2013 is to the respite grant, which is to allow the carer to take a break. It can be used to put the person being cared for into a respite care facility, or to hire a professional carer to take over caring duties in the person's own home.

Caring is a very draining job (emotionally and physically) and carers definitely need to make the best use of respite care in order to re-charge their batteries from time to time. Most people I know who are or have been in this position try to spread the respite breaks out over the year rather than use it all up in one go.

In the past, when people couldn't afford to support family members who needed full time care, old people and disabled children and adults were left in public institutions which were often not suitable for them (e.g. people with physical disabilities ending up in mental hospitals).
And before that, there was the workhouse/poorhouse.

Thankfully, society has moved on a bit. Most people believe such vulnerable people should be treated with a bit more dignity.

Carer's Allowance is a social welfare payment. It's not like these people are being paid a wage!

angeleyes

I had to give up my job ten years ago to be with my mother so couldn't really work but my boss was understanding and told me to work one day a week for myself and he was right.

Now I find myself being my husband's carer as at relatively young age he was hit with heart disease, arthritis and other complications and at times is hardly able to walk. You never know the day when an illness can hit you or a loved one. IT breaks my heart to see my once healthy DH having to walk with two sticks.

So walk a mile in my shoes or any carer's shoes and then talk.

Beaver1

ok good thanks for explaining it to me, its a well deserved payment, I wouldn't wish a sickness on anyone