Here are 18 reasons to get out and join this historic demonstration on Saturday 20th If you can get into Christchurch for 2pm lets show the Parties what we think a week before the election
1. Ireland is one of the most unequal countries in the European Union.
2. More than ten percent of people suffer from food poverty.
3. 1,500 children are living in emergency accommodation.
4. Lone parents – who are the most deprived group in the State with 63% already experiencing material deprivation – had their supports cut.
5. 36 percent of children experience multiple deprivation.
6. 73 families are becoming homeless every month.
7. 300,000 have emigrated since the current government took power.
8. Despite the enormous emigration figures, 200,000 are still in search of a job.
9. We have the second highest prevalence of low pay in the entire OECD.
10. There are 130,000 people on the social housing waiting lists
11. The Phoenix charity expects 50,000 families to lose their homes in the next few years.
12. We have the second highest prevalence of under-employment in the EU15 (ie 147,000 workers who want more hours but their employer will not give them those hours).
13. We have record numbers of people (600) waiting on trolleys in our underfunded public hospitals.
14. 470,000 people have nothing left to spend after all bills are paid and 1.7 million say they have less than €100 to spend after all essential bills have been paid.
15. The number of millionaires in Ireland has increased from 16,000 in 2008 to 91,000 in 2014.
16. Water charges will be continued unless we achieve real change in Dáil Éireann.
17. 37,000 families are in mortgage arrears of two years or more.
18. 11,000 patients have been waiting 18 months or more for an outpatient appointment.