Labour Campaign on free travel

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2 responses to “Labour Campaign on free travel”

1. 

   Myra Butler

   March 29, 2005

   The post card campaign for free travel for us Irish pensioners who are based in Britain, is very misleading. I have taken this up with Mr Stagg and written to the Irish Post.
   If you read the card in total, you will find that the tear-off section which one posts off is fine – however, take the trouble to read the information tear-off and you will see that what they are campaiging for is “free travel for Pensioners in Receipt of an Irish Pension”! This is a very small minority and not the emigrants of the 50s and 60s who they claim to be campaigning for!
   Mr Stagg tells me that when they ask the present Government for free travel for all they are told that this would be contravening European Law. Balderdash! Where there is a will there’s a way! Anyway, I have been down this road with Mary Coughlan’s office in the past and got the same negative response. Are they not then in contravention of European Law for entering into an arrangement for the pensioners of the Six Northern Ireland counties to avail of this concession? There are too many anomalies here and these need to be addressed. A huge number of vulvernable pensioners will be signing these cards and petitioning for nothing for themselves.
   Myra Butler

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2. 

   Tom Griffin

   April 10, 2005

   I know that when Pat Rabbitte visited Britain, Sally Mulready of the Camden Elderly Irish Network raised this aspect with him, arguing that to give free travel to some pensioners but not others would be divisive.
   It’s possible that Mr Rabbitte will be visiting Britain for the general election, so I will raise it with him if I get the chance.

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