by Alan Jacques
FOLLOWING the launch of the Anti Austerity Alliance’s national collection this week to raise money for the upcoming general election campaign, Cllr Cian Prendiville explained that funds raised would help in the “fight against water charges”.
Having controversially been denied a permit in Jobstown in what the AAA claim was an act of “political policing”, the unregistered political party have now been granted a permit to collect door-to-door in Limerick.
Cllr Prendiville insists that this collection will be crucial to “help us take on the austerity parties in the upcoming election”. The City North representative went on to say that the AAA do not get the “big money” from the State that other parties get.
“Each year Fine Gael receives €4.9 million; Labour gets €3 million; Fianna Fáil €2.8 million, and Sinn Féin €1.7 million from the State,” claimed Cllr Prendiville.
“We don’t get these millions, and we refuse to take money from big business. Instead we rely on ordinary people to fund our campaigning work and this door-to-door collection is a crucial part of that.”
The AAA, Cllr Prendiville maintains, is not like the other parties.
“We are a movement of working class people, for working class people, funded by working class people. We have been the key organisers of the water boycott and protests here in Limerick. On the council, and in the Dail, we have blown the whistle on austerity, homelessness, and the junket culture. Nobody pulls our strings, and nobody fills our pockets.”
According to the AAA, it spent €8,773.82 in last year’s local elections between the three wards of Limerick City. They claim €2 buys 10 placards for protests, €5 buys enough leaflets for an estate, €10 covers printing and putting-up an election poster, and €50 covers the room booking for a community meeting.
The AAA says they will also be using money from their upcoming collection to strengthen their boycott of the water charges.
“All activists taking part will be carrying a copy of the permit for people to see before donating”, Cllr Prendiville said.
