http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Hate_Speech_Public_Consultation

 Cllr Timmons says ‘’ I welcome public consultation into Hate Speech Legislation , it Is imperative that Legislation covers all forms of Hate and that any new legislation needs to provide supports for people who are victims of Hate Crime and a system where they can feel safe and secure to report this Crime , a national data base of a log should be kept by the state to provide figures that reflect the issues and the legislation reviewed as the information dictates and I suggest a review of legislation maybe after 3 years of a national Log’’  

 Cllr Timmons says ‘’ Current legislation is not protecting members of the LGBT Community , Immigrants and  the Traveller community . Given the effect Of Hate Crime on Mental Health it is vital to provide full support and follow up and upfront information to the victim of Hate Crime  , As Ireland is an diverse and multicultural society no one should feel a Hate attack on themselves physically , mentally or emotionally , we should be a country that protects all our people’’

Cllr Timmons says ‘’ Wording should also include that the Laws of the land are respected and private opinions and religious teachings are not a defence for Hate speech , All forms of social media , email , phone or text hate speech should be included ‘’

Video on Call it out Campaign: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CaXtGMw7Y4  

A South Dublin councillor and Dublin Mid-West By election candidate Cllr Francis Timmons is calling for a state museum and “healing garden” to be built on the site of the last Magdalene Laundry owned by the state. The building on Sean McDermott Street was the last laundry to close in 1996. In September 2018 , Dublin City councillors voted to block the sale of the former laundry to a Japanese hotel chain.

Clondalkin councillor Francis Timmons said: “This site must remain in state ownership and serve as a place of remembrance and healing for all those who went through church and state institutions’’

He said “As we again approach the Christmas Season , There are many survivors who find Christmas particularly hard. , Many mothers think about the sons they have no contact with. Others mourn the Christmases that were lost as children , Everyone has their memories, their story to tell. They need to be shared and heard. As a survivor myself I want my story told about the institution I was in and how I was used in the Vaccine Trials”

Cllr Timmons added that building such a memorial would give survivors of such institutions “a real opportunity for healing and truth telling , Many of us who survived felt firstly that no one would listen and secondly that no one would believe us”.

“I acknowledge and hope that this site gives the whole State an opportunity and potential to come to terms with our dark and dreadful past history and offers a real chance to examine has the State learned from the huge wrongs done to so many in our past,” he said.

“It gives us a chance to have a place that could offer healing services to the survivors and those surviving, all those bereaved and those with living bereavement.

“To the families torn apart and all in the State, a chance for the nation to face up to our dark past and to move forward ensuring that we have learned from our past and that the awful abuse and neglect of the past is never repeated.”

‘’As part of my campaign I am highlighting the need for a state Museum and memorial Garden to remember the Forgotten Irish , those that survived and those that are surviving.

Bawnogue youth and community centre will hold its AGM on 27^th November 2019

 Cllr Francis Timmons says ‘’I am asking all who are interested in Joining the board to contact the centre and express interest , as a member of the current board I am also available to chat to anyone interested in joining  the Board prior to the AGM, Community centres provide vital community services for every age group , and provides a centre for inclusion and interaction. ‘’

 He said ‘’By joining the Board you will play a large part in delivering the many , varied and Vital services to The Bawnogue area’’

Cllr Timmons says ‘’ I am delighted to announce that I will be contesting the upcoming by-election for Dublin Mid-West Poster Free  , I will not be littering the towns , villages and roads of Dublin Mid-West , I am putting a challenge up to other candidates running to do the same , There are many reasons not to do posters one is Our Local Tidy Towns groups do not want posters that destroy the look of our area for the few weeks they are up but more importantly than that is , if we are serious about Climate Change than we simply cannot buy more posters that take 400+ years to biodegrade. It time for everyone involved in Politics to stand up to Climate change and action speaks louder than words, the clock is ticking and now is the time to take action. Will we just talk about Climate Change or will we take real action? I suggest Politicians should be leading the way and going poster free. I 100% support the amazing work done by our local Tidy Towns in areas of Dublin Mid-West. I have listened to Climate Change activists and this is my gesture to say I have heard the voices of campaigners who are rightly saying we need to do more on Climate Change and Faster , we ultimately need a ban on all one use plastic’’

Corrugated plastic, commonly known as Corriboard is the material of choice for election posters. Like other single use plastics, they take 400+ years to biodegrade. For example In the 2014 local elections, 2038 candidates ran for 949 seats. An estimated 611,000 posters were erected with a combined cost of €3M with posters covering the equivalent area of 23 Croke Parks. This produced 366 tonnes of Co2, the equivalent of driving an average car non-stop for 592 days. In many areas, these posters were a safety and driving hazard, often obscuring important road signage. After 30 days of canvassing, the majority of these posters were sent to landfill.

Cllr Timmons says ‘’I will be reusing old posters in Friends and Families and shop windows but will not be purchasing any new posters or erecting anything in public areas where they have the potential to damage our environment.’’

Cllr Timmons says ‘’My campaign will focus primarily on Climate Change , Mental Health , Disability , Community Facilities and Infrastructure , Housing and Truth , Justice issues and Anti-Social Behaviour issues.’’

Ladies and Gentlemen, Elected members and all present I was hugely honored to be elected in 2014 and again in 2019, I take the role of elected Councillor very serious my commitment has and always will be to work hard and to offer community, Honesty and integrity ,

If elected to Dail Éireann I will press my own voting button and no one else’s I will only sign in when I am there and I won’t collect Travel expenses to get to and from the Dail,

Paddy Powers says the odds are against me but I have never shyed away from a fight and I need each of you to spread the word that my campaign is poster free and ask them for a vote for Timmons.

I have made commitments let me run through them with a little taster of each

Firstly I want to acknowledge Climate change, we can’t tax ourselves out of Climate change, We need to educate ourselves and change our behaviors, to help us change we need many things like a Luas or Metro, a proper working Transport system, return plastic bottles banks We need radical and rapid change before 2050 This has to be government led and those elected must offer us affordable alternatives and sustainable grants to retro fit our homes and Heat alternatives for our homes. In my time on SDCC I had many motions passed but one I am proud of is the introduction of keep cups. We need to Reduce Reuse and Recycle – We have in Dublin Mid-West many excellent Tidy Towns who are already leading the way in Climate change and keeping our towns the best place to Live, Visit and work in. Going poster free wasn’t a hard choice for me it’s the right thing to do. One use plastic cable ties and Posters that take 400 years to Biodegrade made it easy for me to make the right decision.  We are up to the challenge doing nothing is not an option, there is No Planet B?

Housing is a desperate need in SDCC with a huge demand in Dublin Mid-West, I have supported all but one proposal to build on part of Knocklyon football club. Unfortunately there is an upcoming proposal to build on the Woodlands in Rathcoole which I can’t support, we can’t talk climate change and knock down 10,000 trees. I want sustainable and integrated Housing a mix of Private, Social and affordable Housing spread equally around our county. I want to see us building housing and not relying on the private market to supply housing that is pushing up rents and taking the house purchase option away from many especially young who are struggling to save a deposit and to get a mortgage. I want to raise the issues of sub-standard housing and the issues of the buildings in Balgaddy in the Dail and get the issues resolved.

Anti-social behavior needs to be dealt with we need a 24 Hour Garda station in Rathcoole and a full resourced Garda station for Clonburris SDZ , We need Guards on the beat and we need to review the criminal justice system and in particular how we deal with young offenders.  Two initiatives I was responsible for in SDCC are the Scrambler and Quad forum and the horse forum both are working groups that are looking at Legislation and Education and involve the four local Dublin Authorities working together on these issues.

Mental Health needs additional resources , We have many crisis in our country and the stress and pressure people feel is Killing us, we need to offer people safe , integrated and Happy communities where we can all live and work side by side. I have many initiatives I undertake yearly including an upcoming event on 13th December in St Johns church in Clondalkin at 7, I also support the introduction of Cocos law to stop online Bullying.

Infrastructure – we have a lack of infrastructure in Dublin Mid-West our roads are at gridlock at certain times of the day we need a Metro or Luas we cannot sustain the amount of Traffic currently and into the future with new builds planned.

Community – when I was a kid two of the things I looked forward to every year was the Paddy’s day Parade and also the Horticultural show, I am now chair of both, I am several voluntary boards, Bawnogue and Knockmitten community centers, Quarryvale Family resource center, Aunua Academy and The Christine Buckley center, I commit to developing integrated community facilities and supporting the Lucan Swimming pool campaign and Lucan Esker boxing club. I am also committed to and run Clondalkin Helping homeless that helps 50 plus families a week with food and supplies along with rough sleepers in the area.

Disability with 30 years in social care , I have the experience and knowledge to be an advocate and voice for disabilities in Dail Éireann , I believe in the right to medication like Spinraza and the right of all people living with SMA to have it like Glen in Clondalkin and Sam in Rathcoole.

National Museum and Garden for survivors of institutional abuse in this country, we can never or should we ever forget the suffering of many women and children in this country who went through the Magdalene laundries the mother and baby institutions, the county institutions, the industrial schools and all other institutions, the time is now for truth, justice and healing unless we learn and acknowledge the past we are destined to repeat it. Many felt firstly no one would listen and secondly no one would believe them,   every survivor has a story to tell and they must get a chance to put their story onto the record in a museum if they wish,

I remain committed to an end to the Direct Provision system and to introduce a fair reception type model based on best international standards. I detest children growing up in such and system and children growing up in hotel rooms both have an adverse effect on mental health and quality of life.

As a proud member of the LGBT community I am committed to full equality and to that end I actively campaign for Hate Legislation, to read that 77% of LGBT feel bullied in school is horrendous in 2019, we have come a long way since the dark days pre 1994 decimalization but we have a way to go and I want to be a voice on that journey.

I am asking people to take some leaflets and pass onto neighbors, friends and Family. If you can take one of my old posters and put in your home window for election this would be appreciated or / and a car sign.

I have been successful with support from others to have got the webcasting of council meetings budgeted for in 2020, I believe this will increase and promote Transparency and Openness.

I want to thank everyone that has helped me in this campaign , dropped leaflets , displayed car poster and Window poster and generally offered support and encouragement , the social media likes and comments , I am feeling the love, Please continue to support in any way you can.

My life has been dedicated to working with and supporting the less well off, the most vulnerable in our society, Yesterday SDCC met to decide and vote on the 2020 budget for our county, it’s one of the most important votes we take, Unfortunately the ruling group of FG . FF, Greens and Ronan Mc Mahon, Alan Hayes prevented the democratic process from taking place and stifled debate, they voted Junkets over Homeless and increased Councillor training budget, and they increased council rents and took away a senior citizens grant. The decisions made last night angered me, and left me disillusioned, I feel so sorry for the less well-off and vulnerable children and older people in SDCC after last night’s disaster of a budget. I appeal to people to consider the people that voted for 3 of them are seeking your vote in the By Election and I ask that you think of the less well off when you go to vote

I am keenly aware of an apathy against politics and politicians and after last night’s debacle I can somewhat understand but for someone that believes we can be the best country, that we can live together and that we can have an equal and fairer Ireland For someone that believes in Honesty, Integrity and community on the 29^th November Vote Timmons Number 1

Cllr Timmons says ‘’ I welcome the launch of Unit B in Baldonnell Business Park , I was delighted to attend the launch which also included a dedication of a Bridge to James Fitzmaurice the Irish aviation pioneer. It is great to see Home store and More have their base here at Unit B alongside Unit A which is United Drug and I welcome the jobs that this park brings to our area , Mountpark Baldonnell is a new industrial / logistics development totalling 322,324 sq ft at the established Baldonnell Business Park, Dublin. Phase 1, that consists of Unit A and B, has now been fully let to Home Store & More and United Drug.’’

Cllr Timmons says ‘’The design and Layout is impressive and it’s an area that has huge potential in terms of location and land availability , Baldonnell Business Park is one of Ireland’s premier logistics locations situated south west of Dublin City Centre, adjacent to the N7 (Naas Road). With Thousands of new homes coming to Dublin Mid West we will need more high quality jobs like these , this is a good news story for Dublin Mid-West and South Dublin County Council’’

http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Hate_Speech_Public_Consultation

Cllr Timmons says ‘’ I welcome public consultation into Hate Speech Legislation , it Is imperative that Legislation covers all forms of Hate and that any new legislation needs to provide supports for people who are victims of Hate Crime and a system where they can feel safe and secure to report this Crime , a national data base of a log should be kept by the state to provide figures that reflect the issues and the legislation reviewed as the information dictates and I suggest a review of legislation maybe after 3 years of a national Log’’

Cllr Timmons says ‘’ Current legislation is not protecting members of the LGBT Community , Immigrants and  the Traveller community . Given the effect Of Hate Crime on Mental Health it is vital to provide full support and follow up and upfront information to the victim of Hate Crime  , As Ireland is an diverse and multicultural society no one should feel a Hate attack on themselves physically , mentally or emotionally , we should be a country that protects all our people’’

Cllr Timmons says ‘’ Wording should also include that the Laws of the land are respected and private opinions and religious teachings are not a defence for Hate speech , All forms of social media , email , phone or text hate speech should be included ‘’

Video on Call it out Campaign:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CaXtGMw7Y4  

motion for November meeting

South Dublin County Council Agreed Motions:

https://www.newsgroup.ie/letter-to-the-editor-time-for-hate-legislation-cllr-francis-timmons/

http://trinitynews.ie/2018/09/the-future-of-the-movement/

https://gcn.ie/call-it-out-francis-timmons/

http://www.dublinpeople.com/news/southside/articles/2017/12/04/4149281-youve-got-hate-mail/

https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/clondalkin-councillor-receives-hurtful-homophobic-13954671

https://www.thejournal.ie/councillor-sent-homophobic-letter-and-picture-of-pope-benedict-3494344-Jul2017/

https://www.thejournal.ie/francis-timmons-home-attack-3745718-Dec2017/

https://dublingazette.com/news/west-dublin-news/opinion-francis-50775/

The Save Clondalkin Convent campaign got some extra time when the decision by An Bord Pleanála due on the 21st October was moved forward to 13th December. I am supporting this campaign as I believe the proposed Nursing Home is to big in proposed size and does not keep in design with the current church and convent. it will also destroy the look of one of our most know structures in Clondalkin.

I would appeal to and urge the Archbishop of Dublin and the Presentation Sisters to meet with the Campaign Committee.

I am committing as a survivor of an institution to continue my campaign for a state museum and memorial garden that would encompass all the survivors from all the institutions, I believe that the former Magdalene laundry on Sean Mc Dermot Street offers the most obvious place to facilitate both these and would also be able to cater for a centre for survivors to meet and get support. I will work with survivors to get this delivered.

I intend using my Bye Election campaign to highlight the above needs at every opportunity I get.

The Proposed Destruction of Rathcoole Woodlands would be Environmental Vandalism and is not something I could support.

At the September Clondalkin area meeting i spoke in relation to the Woodlands in Rathcoole and said the proposed development is contrary to the SDCC climate change strategy – I support a full Biodiversity study for this area and call on SDCC to look at re-arranging the proposal and prevent a climate change disaster , I am informed there is thousands of trees in the Woodlands , I know we need housing but we also must remember we have a climate change strategy that the full council has agreed . There will have to be a compromise and i will work with SDCC on finding this