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ANOTHER HIGH-PROFILE member of the Labour Party has resigned.
Cian O’Callaghan was the Mayor of Fingal County Council up until June this year, but says that he feels that he had to leave the party because it has ‘strayed from its roots’.
O’Callaghan joins MEP Nessa Childers, who resigned from the party on Tuesday, and Meath councillor Jenny McHugh, who jumped ship to Fianna Fáil on the same day. Former junior minister Róisín Shortall said that she was now “semi-detached” from the party, but would not confirm that she was considering leaving the party.
The Howth-based councillor was one of four Labour representatives to speak out against joining a coalition government with Fine Gael in 2011, but feels that things have turned out worse than he had initially feared.
“I don’t take a black-and-white view of what Labour has done in government. It is contributing, but it has strayed from it’s roots as a centre-left party by imposing taxes and cuts on lower- and middle-class citizens.
I didn’t anticipate that things would be as bad as it has been. Of course, there has to be compromises, but it hasn’t been fair at all.
O’Callaghan rejected the notion that Labour’s slide in the polls is the price of doing business as the junior partner in the coalition.
“It’s inevitable at all. There are plenty of countries in which a left leaning party goes into Government and makes better choices.
“In the past, there was much more backbone in the Labour Party in government.
I do feel that the party is lacking backbone in government now.
“The future is grim enough”
As for the future of the party, O’Callaghan says that a change of attitude from leadership is necessary.
“[The future] is grim enough if the leadership can’t engage with the criticism that it is facing, rather than ignoring it.
“There is an authoritarian leadership that won’t engage with members of the party or representatives. They simply say that they are right.
“There is nothing to be feared from discourse if you truly believe what you are doing is right and necessary.
I was at a meeting with Eamon Gilmore about 18 months ago, where he came out to meet party members in North Dublin and he shouted down members who raised issues and criticisms.
“The party leadership is trying to shut down debate.”
O’Callaghan says that while he believes a new party for the mainstream left could work, he has not spoken to any other public representatives who have left the Labour Party.
Ultimately, he says it was a ‘reluctant decision’ to walk away.
“My doubts started over the last two budgets, because the party increased income inequality.
“I have tried to work to reform the party, but it hasn’t worked.
I have no more positive energy to give, it was like banging your head off a brick wall.
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Is there statistics on how many people deleted it after downloading?
Delete your Facebook. You will thank yourself for it, trust me!
Forced to download messenger, fećk’em, just deleted the FB application instead
Or just hide the people and stuff that annoys you. And fill your feed with stuff that interest you
I did and I am :)
@chief I don’t have a problem with the people on FB but FB itself, if I could meet up with all the people instead it would be much better
Definitely.. Couldn’t agree with you more.. So many other ways of staying in touch these days without everyone knowing your business.. Can easily say I will never go back on Facebook.
Ya, just write some letters and post them.. its cooler and more fun..
It was effective because users did not have a choice. It was not a brilliantly successful marketing ploy
I downloaded when I basically had to, hated it and then erased. I just access fb messages through Web browser on my phone.
There’s a pretty cool workaround that reinstates the messaging facility from within the FB app itself (on IOS).
Delete FB Messenger app
Select the”Messages” icon on bottom if regular FB app.
You will be redirected to App Store – click to install Messenger app
But as soon as install begins, cancel it.
Go back to FB app and voila, the “Messages” facility will work as before from within the FB app.
I deleted the messenger app, them deleted my Facebook app, re installed Facebook and I’m back to using normal message service!
Thanks for that tip :-)
Have you read the Terms before you download it? It has access to pretty much everything on your phone! SMS, Phone Calls, Can record audio without permission, etc. Thanks, but no thanks!
No they don’t. I compared the permissions on my apps after reading about it, none of the apps on my phone require those permissions. I don’t know what other people are downloading though!
Let’s just say hypothetically that those permissions weren’t there. In a typical scenario you want to take a picture (in the app) and send it to a friend, without the pre-configured/installed permissions you would be asked *every* single time you take a picture: “Facebook messenger would like to use your camera, click OK to allow it this time”.
That’s what those permissions are for, in the hypothetical scenario clicking OK every single time will get frustrating pretty quickly.
For those ‘red thumbs’, would you care to elaborate what you don’t agree with?
Your shirt. Who wears florescent green!?
There’s internet on computers now?
Well it might be good or harmless, but I am in principle against things that you have to do or else ….
I don’t have Facebook because I don’t have any friends :(
I’m outraged.
I don’t why but I’m absolutely outraged.
It’s outrageous that you are outraged and I am outraged by the level of your outrageousness.
I didn’t download it, not because of the permissions issue but because I don’t want another app. There is enough messenger apps (viber,whatsapp etc) I’ve a phone, if you want me then call or text me.
And who owns WhatsApp Dave?
I don’t use it. I was using it as an example
Can’t you just use your pc to view messages without downloading messenger on pc?
PCs are a bit hard to carry around.
Everyone i know has deleted it! Why can’t they leave things alone!!!
Have been using it for well over a year now. It’s so good that I rarely use Whatsapp as a result. I really hate the chat bubbles, so that’s probably part of the reason.
To download press any key. Where’s the any key ?
I deleted Facebook about three years ago. Best decision I’ve ever made
I deleted Facebook instead!
Oh some of you deleted Facebook instead, well aren’t you’s too cool for school
Overreaction on this one was hilarious… Usual scaremongering. If people actually looked into the permissions and what they were used for, then there’d be no problem.
Uninstalled it.
Thanks – but no thanks.
How do I delete my Facebook,
You have to request it by email
An awful lot of misplaced hysteria on this one. Read the terms and conditions of any advanced Android messaging app (e.g. Skype or Viber).
Didn’t read all the comments so apologies if I’m replicating one but to send a message just log into Facebook through Google on your phone. No need to download messenger
Not going to to download the messaging app. If the message is so urgent that people can’t wait til I can access Facebook on my laptop or computer then they should be calling or texting, not Facebook IMing me
one positive thing about the Facebook messenger app I don’t have them stupid circles popping up when someone sends me a message anymore they where a serious irritation.
Just use Facebook through your phone/tablet browser, that way they cant force you to download it.
have your say