Crooks And Landlords: Who Are The Regional Independents?

A rotten deal is done to secure another 5 years of rule by the representatives of the bosses and landlords. The Regional Indepedent Group (RIG) and the Healy Rae’s have signed up to join Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in government. Who are these so-called “Indepedent” TDs?

Let’s start with Michael Lowry.

He took bribes from billionaire Denis O’Brien and from former Dunnes Stores boss Ben Dunne. He’s the richest politician in the Dáil with €6.4 million. He’s as corrupt as they come and his billionaire puppet masters will certainly be happy he’s back in government.

Hold onto your public services and assets, there’s about to be a sell off!

Lowry is joined in the RIG by Verona Murphy, who has managed to grab the lucrative position of Dáil chair. She’s the former manager of a trucking firm and was taken to the Workplace Relations Commission for bullying a worker.

Verona Murphy covers up her capitalist credentials by spouting racist garbage.

Noel Grealish was a member of the Thatcherite Progressive Democrats and was one of those attending the controversial Golf Gate elite party during Covid. He got permission from Galway council to build a house for himself and then promptly put it on the market to rent.

No surprise this landlord voted with the government to lift the eviction ban throwing thousands into homelessness. He’s also a failed boss - his business, the Galway Glass Centre, went under.

He, like Verona Murphy, covers up his establishment roots by sewing division - he likes ranting about Africans. No African migrant mismanaged your business Noel. It’s failure is on you!

Kevin “Boxer” Moran is a former member of Fianna Fáil. He was appointed as a Minister of State in 2017. He’s another boss. He runs a taxi firm that was taken to court by the National Transport Authority for operating without licenses.

He’s another employer who likes to court racist voters - but then he jumped straight into bed with the government the far right he was flirting with claim to despise.

Sean Canney was already in government with Enda Kenny. He was on that government’s committee on homelessness and achieved nothing - why? - he’s a landlord TD, renting out multiple properties. He said that landlords are not the villains in the housing crisis and shouldn’t be demonised.

The cheek of putting a landlord on your committee on housing and homelessness! No wonder there’s thousands homeless!

Gillian Toole is a former member of Fine Gael. She was another member of the boss class - owning a pharmacy in Dunshaughlin she later sold. Her election material claimed she was a “truly indepedent voice for Meath!” That was a lie.

Marian Harkin is a former MEP who previously worked as a teacher while her deceased husband ran a business. She has previously advocated for teacher pay and conditions but now will prop up an anti-worker government?

She voted against expelling the Ambassador of Apartheid Israel.

Another one without principles is Barry Heneghan of Dublin Bay North. He was educated at the posh fee paying Belvedere College and worked as a TV presenter on TG4. His solution for the housing crisis was to build modular homes but he’s now propping up a government that will do nothing for tenants.

You can’t represent the people of one area and get a deal for them at the expense of an entire country. We don’t need a “voice for Dublin Bay North” or a “voice for Meath” - we need voices that truly represent the working class.

The last of the motley crew propping up another 5 years of Fianna Fáil Fine Gael are the Healy-Raes.

They are rich landlords. Their father Jackie Healy-Rae owned a building supply and retail businesses. Michael Healy-Rae has 20 properties, acres of land, shares in companies and got half a million from the government for housing Ukrainian refugees while at the same time he complains about refugees!

His property portfolio alone is worth over €4.7 million.

He runs multiple companies like Black Cap & Company Ltd and Roughty Plant Hire Ltd. He has over €6 million in wealth while his brother, TD Danny Healy-Rae, has seen his business boom, with his plant-hire company making him profits of €1.12m in 2022 alone.

The father propped up several Fianna Fáil governments and his wealthy gombeen sons will be no different.

They’re evil rich chancers who stand against everything progressive working class people want. On climate change they claim “God is in charge of the weather” and oppose moves to take on corporate polluters.

So we face 5 years of another government of the boss class, the landlord class, propped up by criminals, bosses, liars and racists.

We need to get fighting. We need a massive housing rebellion in 2025 to put manners on this government. But Sinn Féin and the trade unions need to stop suffocating struggle, get out of the Dáil chambers and back on the streets.

If they won’t, socialists will. We won’t stop until Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and all these criminals are driven from office and the working class is finally in the driving seat.