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A PUBLIC TRANSPORT security force is one of the pledges made in the new Programme for Government developed by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and a group of Independents.
The two parties and the Regional Independents have been working on a Programme for Government as they seek to form a Dáil coalition together.
One of the measures included in the document is to create a ‘transport police’ to operate on public transport.
It wants the force to have powers of arrest.
Public transport workers have previously called for the introduction of a dedicated transport police to deal with anti-social behaviour, describing the abuse they face at work.
Refusals to pay, spitting on drivers and sexual assault are among the problems that drivers have described dealing with.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said in November that if his party was in power after the election, creating a transport police would be on his agenda.
“If public transport at night in particular is to work, people need to feel safe on public transport,” Martin said.
Martin told The Journal that there should be no such obstacles, indicating that government agencies such as the gardaí must fulfill government policy.
He said “democratically”, if the government “decides this is the way to go, well then, the agency of the state has to fulfill it”.
“That’s a very fundamental point. I think agencies and people need to realise that too, that there comes a stage when policy is decided upon by government, then it has to be implemented, whether you agree with it or not,” he said.
“In my view, we’re going to have more and more public transport. We’re going to have a Metro in the fullness of time. We’re going to have expanding Luas and so on, the Dart and all of that. We’ll have more buses, and therefore, if it’s to work, we’ve got to make sure that people are secure and safe.”
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Housing – An absolute shambles,
Health – An absolute shambles,
Asylum seeker handling crisis – An absolute shambles,
Our crime and justice system – An absolute shambles,
Folks, this election is your one chance to vote out FFG. Literally any other party. The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. FFG are creating a demographic timebomb because our youth are either emigrating or unable to afford a home, nevermind start a family. Vote ANYBODY but FFG next election.
@Sean Stevenson: aren’t Fianna Fail in power too?
@Dere: FFG….my bad.
@Dere: Haha, just lumping them in together at this point. There’s little if anything to differentiate them at the dail level (there are however differences in their EU candidates, like parliament groups) but for the most part they’re two cheeks of the same arse.
@Sean Stevenson: two cheeks of the same arse
@Sean Stevenson: Bring on SF, what can go wrong?
@Dere: owning your fuxk up.
Well done son
@If you’re: Why do you default to SF? Typical droning on of a gombeen FFG’er. Left wing? Vote social democracts or labour. Right wing? Vote aontu or one of the many new right wing parties. ANYBODY BUT FFG.
@Sean Stevenson: Aontú are not right wing. Considering unborn foetuses of a certain age to be imbued with some inalienable rights doesn’t make somebody right wing dude. I mightn’t agree but their position is sincerely held, which I can respect. Aontú stood up for what was right during COVID and the recent referendum when ALL other parties were singing of the same hymn sheet. They’re pro working class and have a strong understanding of the north. They’re definitely getting a vote from me this time
@Darth O’Leary: well you are wasting your vote on a bunch of nutters
2023 march a referral to mater private oncology ,she got appointment 9 Dec 2023 ,
GP told us it may takes 7 months to start treatment, so she went Netherlands Cancer Institute on Oct 2023 paid 37 k. from her savings plus my help, told us she must go surgery immediately removal thyroidectomy, cuz she was too late to be referred radiation on January24, died on April 24 from metastatic (spread of the cancer to the bone)
She is my mother and am not blaming any one , I blame my self for trusting scam system.
@sakk sa: sorry to hear that Sakk. It should never have happened. But it is 100% not your fault. You done what you could. We are supposed to have faith in our system. Many others would do exactly what you have done.
Your mam would be grateful for your efforts.
@sakk sa: it tool 7 months for an appointment for mater PRIVATE?
@sakk sa: I ask because the ma went into cardiac failure in October. 15 plus years on top level vhi since she was widowed. And they have been utterly useless. In fact whenever we mention vhi in a public hospital eyes glaze over. It’s bizarre.
@lastfewchocices: oncologist yes cause it was a cancer at thyroid gland , and no specialist,
Cardiologist is may be shorter and I advice you to ask cardiology dept. Secretary, they know who and how long the waiting list .
I wish to your mam all the best, but you beside that have to have contingency plan.
@lastfewchocices: yes
@sakk sa: I’m sorry for your loss. The system is very broken. I feel like the elderly just get lip service. The very generation who dragged Ireland along to where it is. It’s disappointing.
@sakk sa: so sorry for your loss,so completely needless,I have metastatic cancer and I am half way in my chemotherapy treatment,I was diagnosed on the 5th June and started treatment on the 28th of June .
And I am a public patient.
But the system is not the same in the whole country.
@sean weir: praying for you to full speedy recovery , wish you healthy long life, keep strong, drink plenty of water , cut sugar or any sweets please , this some advices I got during my mam treatment journey
@sakk Shocking, we have had similar experience, sorry to hear your story. It’s very frustrating when you work hard, pay your Taxes & contribute to society & community & you watch the way our politicians fail us over & over again. The anger in our community is growing rapidly amongst the people who normally get on with things, everyone has had enough, the lid will blow off the place some day soon. Society has become very divided as well in Ireland, we are heading same way as France. Hard to understand why our political class forgot the bread & butter issues & shat on those who get up for work every day.
@lastfewchocices: because having VHI in a public hospital waste of time and money. Contrary to popular belief, having private insurance makes no difference when dealing with public system
Michael and Simon seem to spend all their time commenting on things outside of our control, Israel, Russia, etc. Yes its right to let the world know Irelands view, but once is a enough and then tackle things, they can change directly. Housing, health, etc. in Ireland. This should be their first priority.
Ireland is a kip .
Third world country
Harris running around the country talking gibberish. He’s like the duracell bunny but for all the wrong reasons. He’s a pro at talking but saying nothing. All bluster. Can people not see what he is at? He’s about to call an election hence the flying around the country with his false charm trying to buy votes. I know this is ‘politics’ but enough his enough. This article’s headline is another disgraceful indicticment on this wholly incompetent government.
And yet you’ll hear our leaders talk more about the plight of the Gazans, the Ukrainians, the aliens on Saturn and the starfish in the Atlantic – they are bothered by everyone’s plight except their own who wait on trollies and years for basic treatment
Some people think ffg are doing a great job running the country considering the results of the recent local elections
@James Moylan: the level of intelligence of the average Irish person isn’t too high.
I worked with a lad from Monaghan for years, he used to joke the only decent outcome Monaghan people ever got with a past or present Minister for Health was when they threw rocks at Rory O’Hanlon.
He hated every single one of them, especially O’Hanlon and Reilly. Apparently as bad as the health service has been run by FFG, they went to town on Monaghan.
The useless politician are just moving the goal post. They focus on non issue like Israel defending itself but refuse to tackle local issues, such as the lack of schools, the lack of hospitals, the lack of proper healthcare, the lack of public transport, the lack of amenities.
The HSE isn’t even a funding issue since they have tons of money, they simply need to get rid of useless management who funnel all this money to themselves. They should put a mandatory service for the Irish nurse and doctor like they do in other countries. A free nursing school but 5 years working in public hospital.
@Alex: i thought the exact same thing…anyone who wants to be a doctor or nurse the gov pays for their courses and in return do a service for a number of years paid of course that they fully qualify
Government are the problem
24 billion well spent sure, no doubt the fat cats hse board will come begging for more millions to help correct these issues. Time for a serious financial audit of the HSE and before anyone starts with the whole oh the big bad unions, believe me they wont exactly be sad if the top dogs on massive 5 and 6 figure salaries got the door for being the utterly useless drains……people complain about those on social welfare being a drain on the taxpayers, these overpaid and unworked gimps in these state and semi state quangos are worse
@Tom Newell: Privatise, twice the work with half the staff. If you don’t like it off you go. Abolish permanent and pensionable jobs unless you can prove yourself, relavent.
Get in a few bus loads of Cuban doctors and broaden the labour pool overnight. I’ve seen it happen in other sectors. Brings wages down overnight too which is great as we all know
@Darth O’Leary: you do know that half the frontline staff are not Irish
@sean weir: Let’s quadruple that figure I’m saying. Who could possibly object?
Altogether now
“Anyone who had a heart…..
Harris running around commenting on everything so as to be in every news feed, the latest the Kennedy Summer School event, where he described himself as a Disruptor. He is certainly not a doer, as he runs around promising everything & delivering nothing, ask the Children & families dealing with Scoliosis about Harris’s promises. Disruptor my hole, Waffler would be more accurate. He has no time for anyone who says we are a failed State, but this week we hit another record figure of Irish children being homeless, our Health Service is in tatters as this article shows & this guy doesn’t think we are a failed State, easy to say when he denies everything that’s happening under his appalling watch
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