24/09/2025
One trick PONY
makes an ASS of himself !
Gavin Pepper was elected purely on the basis of his anti-immigrant rabble rousing, scapegoating others while distracting from the Governments anti-working class agenda.
Pepper spends much of his time making shouty 'angry man' videos, some of which have been followed by arson attacks and targetting of homeless rough sleepers. But when it comes to doing the job he gets paid to do on the council he is pretty useless.
This week he brought forward a motion calling for the withdrawal “of all planning exemptions for properties accommodating International Protection Applicants”
For decades community activists in Dublin have argued that the planning process should be open and democratic, and have opposed many of the exemptions - the so called ‘fast tracking’ and bureaucratic short cuts that benefitted property developers and financial institutions over the needs of residents and citizens. But this is of no interest to Pepper, because he is only concerned with targetting immigrants.
Dublin Communities Against Racism has argued consistently that local engagement and consultation must take place with communities, and we have highlighted that this is consistent with long standing community development principles.
An amendment was proposed to Pepper's motion, which would have included other areas of the planning process, to reduce the impact of other exemptions which had negative impacts. Needless to say, this did not suit Pepper, as his only intention with his motion was anti-immigrant NOT pro-community or pro democracy.
The amendment was defeated by 28 to 21 votes.
The purely anti- immigrant motion received only two votes, those of Gavin Pepper and Malachy Steenson. The third anti-immigrant councillor couldn’t even be bothered to show up.
Most interesting is that the anti immigrant pair, Steenson and Pepper allied themselves with Labour, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. These parties all rejected the amendment, and no surprise there as these were the parties in Government which facilitated the shameful planning process changes to benefit the property developers and financial interests.
It could not be any clearer, Pepper and Steenson are only committed to pushing an anti- immigrant agenda, they are NOT there to challenge the political establishment or the policies which created the housing and accommodation crisis our city and country is blighted with.
