SDLP Lisburn Councillor and Chair of SDLP Youth (SDLPY) Matthew McDermott and SDLP Belfast Councillor Niall Kelly visited Tiblisi, Georgia, to deliver campaign training to the Young Georgian Socialists (YGS), a youth movement in Georgia of over 4000 people.

 The young SDLP Councillors spent two days in Tiblisi helping the Georgian movement develop democratic practices and teaching them effective campaigning methods.

 Commenting Cllr McDermott said, ‘ SDLPY has developed good links with the YGS over the past year and we hope to establish a permanent program in the country to continue with the work we are doing. SDLP and SDLPY is a proudly pro European and internationalist organisation, recognising the need for greater international cooperation with other social democrats across an increasingly globalised and multi cultured world.

 ‘ We delivered a comprehensive campaigning workshop and discussed our own experiences here in Northern Ireland.’

 Cllr Kelly continued, ‘ Georgia is a country which has been in a state of transformation since the Rose Revolution in 2003. The past six years has seen massive change in the Country and for the first time in many years the voices of young people are beginning to be heard.

“We in the SDLP are proud to do what we can to help our friends in the YGS develop their organization and to articulate their views to the wider Georgian public.

END

http://www.flickr.com/photos/niallkellysdlp/4075721706/ 
 

SDLP youth chair Cllr Matthew McDermott has criticised the Prime Minister Gordon Brown for his proposal to sell off the Student Loan Book in the proposed list of assets to be sold off and warned that the review into student fees must not reflect the wishes of Vice Chancellors but rather represent the needs of students, particularly our most vulnerable.

Matthew said, ‘ Gordon Brown has proposed selling off government assets to offset the budget deficit. While this is an approach we would generally welcome to avoid severe cuts, we can’t support the selling off of the student loan book. Selling this off will undoubtedly lead to higher interest rates for students in the future. It is a shortsighted move that is ill thought out and does not represent the wishes of the vast majority of students.

‘ Add this to the fact that University UK (UUK) the body representing UK Vice Chancellors has called for a rise in fees to about £5 000 per year and the CBI has called for ‘restricted’ maintenance grants and this equals a bad deal for students. 

‘ The government will be reviewing all this in November and we will be asking our SDLP MP’s to make representations to the government opposing these moves and join the Labour Backbenchers organising against any increase in fees.

Continuing Matthew said, ‘ SDLP Youth will also be stepping up a student awareness campaign across our universities calling on the Student Loan Book to remain in public ownership, no fee hike and no tampering of the maintenance grants.

‘ If the government goes ahead with any of these moves we are heading for a situation whereby University will only be for societies most wealthy and exclude young people from poorer backgrounds. A situation that is unsustainable.

Please click on image above to see (better quality) poster.

You are invited to a public meeting to discuss the current chaos in our education system.

Balmoral Hotel, Dunmurry
Tuesday 30 June
6.30pm

Panellists:

• Alex Attwood SDLP
• Paul Butler SF
• Olwin Frost Principal Oakwood IPS
• Sinead Beare Principal Christ The Redeemer PS
• Tony Gallagher QUB

SDLP youth representative Councillor Matthew McDermott has condemned the killing of a police officer in Craigavon tonight (Monday 9^th March), following the murder of two soldiers in Antrim on Saturday 7^th March.

Commenting on the murder Cllr McDermott said, ‘My thoughts are with the officers family and this murder must be condemned outright. Early reports would suggest that dissident republicans also carried out this murder.

‘These people have nothing to offer the people of Ireland, they want to destabilise the process and spark an over reaction from the security forces to justify their actions, in their minds and this should not happen.

‘ I have a clear message for the dissidents, and I think I speak for the majority of young people who grew up at the end of the troubles and are untainted by the murder and destruction of the past when I say,

‘My generation has no intention to go back to the past, we have every intention to go forward, much more forward than ever before in our history and continue undeterred the process of truly uniting our people. We are ‘ceasefire babies’, less tainted by the violence and divisions of the past and we know peace to be normal.

Concluding and commenting on the three murders Cllr McDermott said, ‘what these murderers carried out is to us abnormal, sickening and deplorable and they will not prevent my generation from sowing the seeds of the unity of our people and peace for our people. The next generation deserves nothing less and we will not let so called ‘Irish republicans’ stop that progress.

‘Any one with any information, however small must bring this forward so these people are brought to justice.’

END

SDLP Lisburn Councillor Matthew McDermott proposed at last nights (Tuesday 24 February) Lisburn Council meeting that the council support the strengthening of temporary or agency workers rights.

The issue about weak protections arose in the chamber on the back of the Coca Cola plant in Lisburn laying off, with no opportunity of appeal, redundancy and the like, agency staff.

Commenting about the proposal which gained cross party support Cllr McDermott said, ‘ In the mist of an economic downturn and the inevitable job losses that that results in, Lisburn City Council adopted a position tonight (Tuesday 24 February) to support the improvement of the conditions of temporary workers.

‘It has become too common for news bulletins to carry stories of job losses - and everyone knows that when a company is struggling it gets rid of the staff that are the most expendable, i.e. temporary agency workers.

‘ SDLP, led by SDLP Youth has been continuously campaigning for fairer wages and better rights for agency and temporary workers, many of whom are young, long before the recession and downturn. We will continue that fight.

‘ After much debate, and an adjournment due to one of those former agency workers being present in the public gallery and verbally expressing his frustration and annoyance at the Coca Cola plant and some political members who he feels failed to help him, I made a proposal.

‘ I proposed that Lisburn City Council writes to our Minister for Employment and Learning, Reg Empey MLA, and his counter part in Britain asking them to bring urgent legislation forward that brings temporary workers rights in line with permanent workers rights.

‘ There is no doubt that a change in legislation is long over due.

‘ This proposal is a first step; it gained cross party support thanks to one UUP member’s support and passed.

We’ve been so busy with university freshers fayre’s over the past few weeks that I forgot to mention Cllr Colin McGrath has been continuing his weekly video diaries.

We covered the first 3 videos, but he’s now on his 6th. They are all available here but here’s the latest one:

Lisburn City Councils Environmental Services Committee approved the use of children by the Council in ‘entrapment’ scenarios to entrap shop keepers selling tobacco to minors.(Committee meeting 3 September).

SDLP Lisburn Councillor Matthew McDermott strongly opposed this move by the Council, as he believes it to be a form of exploiting children. Cllr McDermott criticised the council saying that they have not put in the safety measures required to protect children who take part in these entrapments. He was a single voice on the Committee.

Commenting Cllr McDermott said “I am deeply disappointed by the actions of the committee, this is a serious issue and a dangerous path for any local authority to go down. It raises a number of child protection issues.

“No local authority should have this power; it is essentially the power to use children. The Council have not demonstrated how they plan to ensure the safety of the child once they leave the care of the officers.

“I asked that a number of protections be put in place but they were rejected. When we are dealing with children we need to ensure that there is no possibility that anything can go wrong. This hasn’t been assured. The Child Protection officer produced a report which gives me no comfort.

“This means that it may be possible for the council to use a 14 year old child and for councillors to know nothing about it. What’s to stop that child from being recognised on the street by the shop owner in future? That child could then be put in serious danger if the shop owner is not reasonable.

Concluding, Cllr McDermott said, “its very disappointing and worrying to think that young children could be put in this position, by a body which is supposed to serve them. The SDLP opposes local councils having this power for a number of reasons including the fact that there is no dedicated oversight, which is vital when it comes to people’s safety.”

END
Notes to editor:
* The power to use children for test purchasing will take effect after the September meeting of Full Council.

(from http://thesdlp.bebo.com/ )

SDLP Cllr Colin McGrath has released his 3rd YouTube diary as Chairman of Down District Council. He certainly has been busy, and it’s the holidays!

He discusses youth issues, bank holiday Monday celebrations, a possible Velodrome for Downpatrick, having his house robbed and car stolen, SDLP meetings, constituency work and more.

Also, he has changed the music after some complaining from us and The Belfast Stoop. Congrats Colin! - We also like the shorter introduction. You’re becoming a pro.

Cllr Niall Kelly, or Nelly as he’s known to SDLP Youth, was elected to Belfast City Council on 1st July 2008, co-opted to Carmel Hanna’s seat. He represents the Balmoral Ward in South Belfast. Incase you’re wondering, the Balmoral Ward represents Malone, Upper Malone, Finaghy, Musgrave, Windsor and Blackstaff areas of Belfast.

Niall has his own blog called The Belfast Stoop where he discusses council business, SDLP issues, and just general ranting.

Niall has just done a YouTube interview for WIMPS (Where Is My Public Servant?) which you can see above! It’s a good interview - Niall speaks up for young people who get an unwarranted bad press, he talks about homophobic MP Iris Robinson, and he explains how young people can get involved in politics through different groups, youth wings and political parties.