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Dub: Unlock NAMA public meeting
Date: Wed, 2012-03-28 11:58
Economist Michael Taft and author Conor McCabe will be among the speakers lifting the lid on the notorious secrecy of NAMA at a public meeting in Dublin this Thursday evening, March 29th. The event will take a hard-hitting look at Ireland’s ‘bad bank’ and give the public a chance to discuss democratic and fair alternatives to it.
Unlock NAMA was launched on January 28th when 100 people occupied a NAMA building in Dublin city centre. This was the first clear challenge to NAMA, successfully identifying and occupying one of the many buildings under the agency. The occupation came to an end after Gardaí threatened to arrest 70 people in the building.
What: Public meeting
When: Thursday March 29th, 2012
Time: 7pm
Where: Wynn’s Hotel, Abbey St, Dublin 1
Taft, an economist with the UNITE trade union, and McCabe, a historian and author of Sins of the Father – a book detailing the political decisions that brought about our present economic crisis– will be joined by activists from Unlock NAMA to update on the campaign.
Mick O’Broin of Unlock NAMA said: “Labour Party promises about NAMA’s ‘social dividend’ and Fine Gael’s commitments to ‘transparency’ have yet to materialise. Meanwhile, NAMA will spend at least €240 million in 2012 as countless buildings lie idle in what many consider a tribunal waiting to happen.”
While the politicians “waffle about transparency”, according to activist Moira Murphy, Unlock NAMA is “directly challenging NAMA’s lack of transparency through research and education. This public meeting is about revealing what’s really happening at the agency and how it is squandering assets and supporting property speculation.”
The public meeting will also focus on alternatives to NAMA, discussing how assets can be used for social and cultural uses. Creating alternatives is central for Gillian Barden, Unlock NAMA member: “The time has come for social movements and civil society to take the lead in proposing alternatives. Be part of that change and join us on the 29th of March”.