Category Archives: General Election 2011

Environmental analysis of the Programme for Government 2011

By VOICE OFFICE | Published: March 10, 2011

Programme for government strong on aspirations to tackle urgent environmental challenges but weak on details of credible policy initiatives.

Climate change, sustainable water management, renewable energy and waste management are long-fingered with vague timetables, an exception being the long-overdue open debate on GMOs that will be warmly welcomed by farmers and consumers alike.

Most welcome is the pledge to finally sign the Arhus Convention giving rights to access environmental information and justice, rights already enjoyed by other European citizens.

The Fine Gael/Labour coalition published its agreed Programme for Government 2011-2016 on ahead of the Labour conference that look place last Sunday in UCD. The Labour delegates approved the programme, thus propelling Labour into government for the first time since 1997.

Tag cloud of the Programme for Government (Credit: Piers Dillon Scott)

Over the past few days VOICE has analysed the environmental credibility of the Programme for Government and  now present our findings.

You can read our summary or, if you have the time, keep reading to find out our verdict on the policies of Ireland’s new government.

Read More »

Also posted in Climate Change, Food Matters, Forestry, Resources, Waste, Water | Tagged , , , , | Comments closed

Do you care about Irish raised bogs?

By VOICE OFFICE | Published: March 9, 2011

With the new Programme for Government threatening to set back the work done over the last 30 years in protecting Ireland’s raised bogs we have begun a petition that will be delivered to the new Minister for the Environment telling them that there are people out there who care about peatland conservation.

Raised Bog

Please follow the link to get more information on the issue and to sign up to the petition:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/16/petition-of-support-for-the-conservation-of-irish-raised-bogs/

Please pass on the link to friends, family and colleagues.

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Before you vote, read this

By VOICE OFFICE | Published: February 24, 2011

VOICE has been trawling through the manifestos of the main political parties to find out what their real positions are on seven key environmental issues.

We’ve compiled our analysis into a quick-reference table of our analysis above. If you have more time, read on below for more detail and explanations of the various scores.

Policy Area Fianna Fáil Fine Gael Greens Sinn Féin Labour
Climate Change 2 1 4 4 4
Waste 1 3 3 3 4
Water 1 3 4 2 1
Forestry 1 0 5 1 2
Food Security & GM 1 2 5 3 2
Fisheries 1 1 4 1 4
Planning & Transport 2 4 5 3 5
TOTAL 9 14 30 17 22

 

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VOICE’s Environmental Policy survey of General Election 2011 Candidates

By VOICE OFFICE | Published: February 22, 2011

To help you decide who to vote for in the upcoming general election, VOICE sent a survey to the candidates about their stance on various environmental issues. To read the survey questions and the candidates’ responses, please click here.

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VOICE’s Guide to General Election 2011

By VOICE OFFICE | Published: February 11, 2011

VOICE’s Guide to Canvassers is finally here!

We’ve been hearing about some great debates happening on doorsteps around the country between voters and canvassers. To help you out, VOICE has created a list of key environmental questions to ask any canvassers that come your way. Ask one or ask them all but make sure you know the environmental policies of your candidates.

Click here to download

Have you had any canvassers knocking on your door yet? What answers have you heard? We’d love to hear your stories so please comment below or email us at info@voiceireland.org

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