From a Dublin base, an anti-caste influencer grows a global audience
In less than two years, Amit Wasnik has attracted tens of thousands of online followers with his posts focused on the life and ideas of BR Ambedkar.
What social housing will Dublin City Council get from big build-to-rent schemes that happen in the city? And other council matters from this month’s full meeting.
Many homeless people struggle to navigate the baffling bureaucracy that stands between them and adequate shelter. Sometimes, because bureaucrats say they aren’t homeless.
They’re asking Dubliners to pick up a free kit on Friday and go collect water samples – which they’ll analyse for pollutants and turn into sound.
In October 2014, Dublin City Council owned 25,825 social homes. By January 2019, that figure had fallen to 24,503.
“It’s shameful that a building of ours sits empty for four years,” a councillor said at a meeting of the council’s Central Area Committee on Tuesday.
The graveyard is a reminder of how important Quakers were to life in the south inner-city at one time, and some would like to see it better taken care of.
At Monday’s monthly meeting, councillors voted down the idea of relaxing rules around homes in back gardens, and railed against recent building heights changes.
Last Thursday, a big digger dipped its mechanical arm into the back of a truck, grabbed some rubble and scattered it around.
“We’ve been concerned about the idea of speculation and land hoarding,” John O’Hara, the council’s chief planner, told councillors. So they’re moving slowly.
This week, councillors in the north-west of the city talked about plans for amenities in Fairview and who’ll get to work on a site building social housing.
“Everyone’s giving out about the lack of diversity in the media,” says Stephanie Costello, of the Media Interns Alliance. “But nobody’s looking after the most vulnerable: the student journalists and the interns.”
On Dublin City Council, there are no minority or migrant councillors. This year’s local elections in May could change that, with candidates running for Fianna Fáil, the Green Party, and the Social Democrats.