Fáilte Isteach...

Congratulations to Mary Coughlan TD on her appointment today as Tanaiste, and Minister for Trade and Enterprise. This is a massive coup for the Donegal South West constituency, and indeed for the county as a whole. Mary is a very able politician, with a massive background of political experience, and will bring much to her new role.

Brian Cowen is set to have a difficult time as Taoiseach. I believe he’s the right man for the job; indeed, I think it would have been better for the party had Bertie Ahern stepped aside sooner. His years in Finance, and other ministries, will give him a head start on his new portfolio. Ireland faces uncertain times; a strong hand in Government is vital. I hope Cowen will be able to deliver this.

As for the rest of the cabinet, I think it will take some time before things become clear. There is one minister in there that I would rather see out, but that hasn’t happened. A few teacher’s I’ve spoken to are quite happy with the new face in Education, and Agricultural will be a tough job at a tough time for Brendan Smith.

We’ll need to wait and see on a variety of fronts with this cabinet. Brian Cowen will need to hit the ground running, to bring stability to the economy and to address the issues in Health and Education. New minsters in Justice, Enterprise, Foreign Affairs and Finance can’t afford to take their eyes off the ball.

I was a guest on George Hook’s drivetime show on Newstalk today, to discuss the subject of CCTV cameras following the recent press reports of a UK policeman’s claims that CCTV investment has been a waste of money. My input was to talk about the success of the investment we’ve seen in Letterkenny, and to highlight what the system is used for.

You can listen to the interview by clicking the play button below:

 

 George Hook, Newstalk, CCTV, 07 May 2008 [2:31m]: Play Now | Download

On Monday night, I was a member of the audience for UTV’s “Late and Live” show. I was there
to discuss Road Safety and young drivers, after being recommended by blogger Niall O’Keefe. I was very happy with how it went; it was my first time in a TV studio, and the debate went well. I was able to make a few of the points that visitors to this website will be well versed in; the need for young drivers to take responsibility for improving our reputations, by standing up and refusing to accept dangerous driving.

If I can track down a digital copy of the show, I’ll get it online somewhere.

A quick pre-St Patrick’s Day post to highlight an important development.

All six of Letterkenny’s new CCTV cameras are now operational. This weekend will serve as the first trial of their use in the town.

Sean Flanagan demonstrating the CCTV Control System

The control unit for the system is based in the Public Services Centre on the Neil T Blaney Road. The system is housed in a secure room, which can only be accessed by two senior members of staff. Gardai in Letterkenny’s divisional headquarters have access through a remote link to view footage and move cameras, but are not able to download or extract recordings. To do this, a formal legal request must be made to the Town Clerk, who must assess it against criteria to be set down by the Town Council.

I’m delighted that this has fully come to fruition. I’ve been working on it since I came on to the council, and it has taken inputs from a variety of agencies and groups. Notably, the Chamber of Commerce managed the funding application and tendering process. The cameras simpy wouldn’t be in place without the work of former CEO Joanne Sweeney and current President Jason Black. On the Gardai side, Supts Vincent O’Brien and Peadar Kearney and Crime Prevention Office Paul Wallace were instrumental. Letterkenny Town Council has contributed E45,000 to the project so far, and has provided substantial support to the infrastructure required for the project. This project has required work and support from all these groups, and all members of the Council. I hope the results will be as positive as the work to date has been.

Below, a piece from this evening’s 5:30 news on Highland Radio with Donal Kavanagh:

 

 Standard Podcast [1:50m]: Play Now | Download

I was on Newstalk this morning to discuss the latest development in the ongoing saga of Nightclub closing times in Letterkenny (first post about it here). This followed a report on RTE News last night, and a few articles in today’s national papers.

The current situation is that three of Letterkenny’s nightclubs have been granted closing times for March of 2am, and one remains with closing time of 1:30 as it has not (yet) filed an appeal to the court. My main concern in all of this is that we are simply moving the problem around, rather than dealing with it. As I say in my interview below, I believe that the best way to deal with this is by controlling the times at which clubs close, to ensure we are not seeing an influx onto the streets at the same time. By splitting closing times every 15 or 20 minutes over an hour, we’d meet it easier to get taxis and food late at night.

I hope the council, gardai and pub/club owners can now start working towards this.

Click the “play” arrow below to listen to my interview on Newstalk this morning, with Ger Gilroy.

 

 Interview with Ger Gilroy, Newstalk, March 13 2008 [5:19m]: Play Now | Download

I was on Highland Radio earlier today to discuss yesterday’s court sitting, where four nightclubs in the Letterkenny Garda area were refused extensions for the month of March, meaning they will have to stop serving at 1:30am.

The Gardai objected to the extensions, on the grounds of Public Order Offences, and used the example of the feedback from the Joint Policing Committee’s most recent public meeting. I was joined on Highland by Enda Nicholls, chairman of the now-defunct PubWatch scheme in the town.

You can listen to the interview by clicking play below:

 

 Shaun Doherty Show Feb 29 2008 - Nightclub Closing Times [16:06m]: Play Now | Download

Mary Doherty of the Christian Solidarity Party was on Highland Radio this week discussing her views on Gay Marriage. Needless to say, she opposes any kind of equality leglislation in this regard. I disagree with Mary’s views on many things, this included. I mention this, as I was just emailed this clip from the West Wing that is directly applicable to the discussion. It kicks in after about a minute:

Letterkenny’s Joint Policing Committee met again on Monday, to discuss policing in Letterkenny and the development of our Community Safety Strategy - “Safer Letterkenny”. (I’m Chairman of the JPC)

The most notable thing to take away from the meeting is the announcement that the Drugs Unit in the Letterkenny district is back up to full strength. This follows the appointment of a Seargant and five Gardai who will be working full-time on matters relating to drugs. The Gardai have been criticised in the media in recent weeks over this issue; while the delay was certainly disappointing, the news of the appointments is very welcome.

This news follows the first trial of the Garda Drugs Dog in the County last weekend. The dog (”Murphy”) was in use in a number of different parts of the county, including in Letterkenny and on the border with Derry. According to media reports, no drugs were uncovered, but Gardai have committed to bring “Murphy” back to the County for unannounced searches in the future. According to the Irish Independent, Murphy has helped seize between €50m and €60m of drugs in his seven years of service.

An update on the CCTV system: the ESB have completed the required works on the final three cameras, and the installation company are due to complete their final works within the next three weeks. Then, there will be staff training within the council in the maintenance, security and operation of the system, followed by a meeting with the members of the Joint Policing Committee and the Town Council to discuss the operation of the system (who will have access, what legal documents will be required for presentation of evidence) before the system is fully launched and put into operation. The Gardai are undergoing in-depth training in Dublin on the system, to ensure that the best value is taken from the system.

The Town Council is currently undergoing a period of Public Consulation on changes to our On Street Drinking Bye Laws. Letterkenny has had a ban on outdoor drinking for well over a decade, but prosecutions and convictions have been few and far between. While the Gardai regularly seize alcohol from people drinking on the streets, the cost and time requirement has meant that there have been very few charges under the Bye Laws. To make them more effective, we are proposing the issuing of on-the-spot fines for on-street drinking. The fines will be issued in much the same way as parking tickets and speeding fines are currently issued, with a lesser penalty for prompt payment. The Gardai have committed to actively enforce the new Bye Law (assuming it passes, which will depend on the consultation period and a vote of the Council) and to start issuing fines when they can. This will be a dramatic change in policy, and should be of huge benefit.

Monday’s meeting was very productive. I’ll be posting a few more updates in the coming weeks on the Safer Letterkenny programme, and the other programmes that we’re working on. The JPC has been of great use so far; this comes from the effort the members are putting into it, the support we’re receiving from the Council staff and the willingness of Gardai in Letterkenny at all levels to work together to improve policing and public safety in the town. The Dept of Justice does intend rolling out JPCs around the country; I say the quicker, the better.

Attached below is a radio interview I’ve just completed on Highland Radio’s Shaun Doherty Show. We were discussing Wikipedia, in light of reports in the press about petty vandalism to Pat The Cope Gallagher’s profile page.

I think Wikipedia is a fantastic resource. But any open-forum will be prone to misuse, and users of wikipedia need to be aware of this. My profile was vandalised in the past, as were those of a number of other local councillors (the pages are no longer in wikipedia after a trawl of councillors across Ireland). While I didn’t appreciate the vandalism, the comments there were no different to the comments you expect to endure as a public representative. I use the “watch” feature on Wikipedia to keep an eye on a few items about Letterkenny, and the vast vast majority of edits are positive, adding content or correcting errors.

You can listen to the interview below:

 

 Shaun Doherty Show Feb 19 2008 [6:19m]: Play Now | Download

Back in October, I was part of a cross border group that travelled to the US on a programme organised by Boston College. Boston College are now advertising for applicants for another political programme, again doing 5 days in Boston and 5 days in Washington DC, titled Effective Politics in a Democratic Society. The details of the advertisement are below.

I’d highly recommend the BC programmes to anyone who has the opportunity to take part. During our trip, we met high-ranking politicians in Boston and Washington (including Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic Party), lobbyists, campaign groups and political academics.

BOSTON COLLEGE Irish Institute, Center for Irish Programmes

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR
Effective Politics in a Democratic Society Programme
May 6 – May 16, 2008
Boston, Massachusetts and Washington, DC

Fourteen individuals (seven from Ireland and seven from Northern Ireland) to include elected officials and political party spokespersons and strategists (with a particular emphasis on emerging leaders in these categories) to participate in a ten-day study visit to the U.S. in order to explore the American political landscape whilst addressing such topics as effective leadership practices, identifying and researching key issues, mobilizing public consciousness, and developing a positive working relationship with the media.
The programme is sponsored by the Irish Institute at the Center for Irish Programs, Boston College, and the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. All programme-related costs including travel, accommodation, meals, and tuition are provided. Please note: The programme is not open to U.S. citizens, green card holders, or past participants of Irish Institute programmes. Only a small number of finalists will be selected for an interview, and not all those interviewed will be invited to participate.
Short-listed applicants must be available for interview during the week of 10th March in Dublin or Belfast.
To apply: Please visit our website at http://www.bc.edu/irishinstitute for an application form.

Last night’s Monthly meeting of Letterkenny Town Council was adjourned as a mark of respect on the death of Cllr Jean Crossan’s brother, who was buried on Sunday. The meeting reconvenes next Monday, Feb 18th. I have a few items down for discussion on the agenda, including maintenance on the Lismonaghan Road, formally naming the Leisure Centre, planning enforcement and the Electoral Register (as discussed here before). I’ll update on those discussions next week.

For the first time, this blog has made the shortlist for the 2008 Irish Blog Awards in the “Best Political Blog” category. I’m delighted, but I know I haven’t even the slightest chance of winning. The categories features major journalists and big sites like IrishElection.com and Slugger O’Toole, putting out great content every day.

The Letterkenny and Derry local authorities are working together on a Transport and Traffic Strategic action plan, and will be hosting a series of public meetings and workshops both in Letterkenny and Derry. More details here

Finally, the Town Council currently have two items out for Public Consultation: a new road alignment at Kirkstown and changes to our bye-laws regarding On-street Drinking