THE
MSU’s Student Paper
Monday 14 January 2011 – Issue 4, Volume 2 – Free!
Editor: Rob Munnelly, theprint@nuimsu.com
Referendum on MSU Constitution Called Proposed constitution is “first step towards Union independence” Copies available online at nuimsu.com and from the Students’ Union building Referendum will take place in Arts Block on Wednesday February 16th
Details of the proposed new constitution
On Wednesday the 9th of February, Union Council approved a referendum to adopt a brand new Constitution for Maynooth Students’ Union. A constitution is a complex but vitally important document. It essentially defines the Union, and this new document will make the Union better at doing its job. More representative, more competent, better equipped to deal with the 21st Century demands our members have from a students’ union. The referendum is happening this Wednesday, the 16th of February in the Arts Block between 9.30 and 6. Continued on Page 14
Chill: A before and after
Local underground dump on fire
Why you really, really should vote in the General Election
An abandoned dumping ground in Kerdiffstown, near Naas in central Kildare has caught fire and it cannot be extinguished. On the 18th of January the Environmental Protection Agency was informed of a serious fire at the Kerdiffstown dumping ground. The site has been used as a dump for decades, but was officially licensed from 2003 to last year. Following expert examination, the fire was classified as a “below-surface fire” meaning that somewhere beneath a 2 million-tonne pile of waste 50 acres in size, something spontaneously combusted and the fire service are unable to put it out. The dump is less than a mile from some 1,000 residences and the fumes have contaminated an area of 5 miles from the core fire. The effects are being keenly felt by the surrounding community and the Society of St Vincent de Paul have been forced to temporarily close their
On the third of November, 40,000 students from every corner of the country marched from the Garden of Remembrance to Government buildings, and if you’re reading this, there is a very good chance you were one of them. I was one of a lucky handful who stood onstage overseeing the massed crowd as they chanted in unison “I am a vote.” We never thought that day how important that phrase would become so soon. We marched that day because we are sick of constantly being targeted, constantly being hit up for spare change by a government that is too afraid to ask anyone else. We have been bled dry, and we marched in the hope that someone in power would listen and for once value the societal impact students and the educated have for society. Ultimately, students are a soft target, and young people’s concerns Continued on Page 11
holiday home for the elderly nearby. As the dump was an illegal tip until 2002, it is not known what has caused the fire, but similar blazes abroad have been known to burn for years. Kildare County Council has stated that they may have to evacuate nearby housing estates if the conditions disimprove dramatically and the EPA have placed toxin-meters around the site to monitor atmospheric pollution. Quoted in the Irish Independent a spokesperson said “The fire service cannot put it out, and it is not known when it can be put out.” It is believed that international experts have been flown in to inspect the fire and make recommendations to the EPA and Kildare County Council on appropriate responses. Closed last year by Highcourt order The EPA have warned in the past that Kerdiffstown dump is in such
Editorial
Toxic substances escaping from Naas dump are major hazard ramshackle order that there is significant potential for a catastrophic explosion from the gases. Neiphin Trading Ltd, who owned and operated the site have gone into liquidation along with all its associated businesses either in receivership or woundup. Dr Thady Nealon, the director of Neiphin, was formerly an inspector with
the Agency but is now being pursued to answer questions about the site. The dump has also been polluting local water supplies for decades, with an estimated 50 million litre runoff of toxic waste entering the water supply, close to a major tributary to the Liffey. Local residents are naturally furious.
MSU helps 400+ students register to vote A sack of forms, a member of An Garda Síochana and more stamps than you can shake a stick at - these were the ingredients of a well-received campaign by MSU to registers NUIM students to vote in time for the upcoming general election. Prior to this, MSU had placed instructive posters about campus with registration forms beneath. So y’all better vote.