Eamonn Zaidan, Independent

Eamonn Zaidan, Independent
Constituency: Dublin South

Personal Details

• Address: Rathfarnham, Dublin 16
• Year of Birth: 1966
• Email address: info@eamonnzaidan.ie
• Phone Number: +353 (0)86-3355-342
• Twitter account: @EamoZ
• Facebook Page: Eamon Zaidan
• Website: http://www.eamonnzaidan.ie
• Occupation: Currently unemployed
• Previous Occupation: Global Company Administrator & HQ Office Manager
• Financial interests: None
• Income (aside from income derived from political office): €193.00 per week
• Approximate net worth of capital assets (aside from family residence): €11,000

Political Details

• Are you an outgoing politician? No
• Information on political career to date: All I have is my interaction with TD's nationwide which included the pressure of the former Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue to resign. Was also a member of the Labour for a brief period.
• How much money do you expect to spend in the election campaign? Less than €800.00
• What will be the sources of this finance? Self

Record and Manifesto

Personal election manifesto: To have an open accountable Dail and to promote a fairer equal society

What in your record distinguishes you above the other candidates in your constituency? My financial skills and personal working career to date.

What do you consider to be the main election issues in your constituency, and where do you stand on these issues? Unemployment, Emigration. Providing fresh thinking ideas to whom maybe members of the next administration whether elected or not to tackle these issues.

What do you believe are the national priorities, and what do you propose in this regard? Our EU/IMF Bailout terms, Unemployment, Economic stagnation

Specific Policy Questions

Do you support political reform, and why? What measures would you introduce to reform local and national politics? The Dail should be for the business of National Politics and not Parish Pump politics. We have county councils to deal with local issues. Streamlining is key and politicians should be in politics for the work and not the money, thereby I propose even more cuts to TDs/Senators salaries, I would aim to reduce the number of TDs and Senators, I don't believe the Senate if allowed to operate as it should be, would require it's abolition.

Should Church involvement in provision of education and teacher training continue? If no, what measures do you propose? If public monies are financing schools then I believe there should be no major religious ethos attached to those educational institutions. If some people want to subscribe to Church run schools which are privately funded, then they have that choice.

Do you support Freedom of Information reform, and why? What measures do you support in this regard? I am a firm believer in Freedom of information as TDs are the voice of the people who elected them to speak on their behalf. government should not be run in a shroud of secrecy, but be accountable to the electorate, after all, the electorate are their employers! Major decisions like NAMA, bank guarantee scheme, Anglo, should at the very least been debated more, the EU/IMF bailout should have been put to the people and the major political parties had no right to accept this deal without the approval of the Irish electorate.I still believe there should be a small administration fee but not for items like expenses as they should be published every month.

What do you believe the smart economy to be, and what measures do you propose to foster this? R&D would play a key role in our smart economy, be it IT, new ways to create renewable energy, ideas to bring down the cost of doing business in the Ireland of today. This is also where emigration could at the very least be stemmed, unemployed people retrained or upskilled, a fairer education system up to third level to let people empower themselves and embrace the future vision of modern Ireland.

What steps do you propose to create sustainable and integrated communities in urban and rural Ireland? I have to admit I do not fully understand the question, but if we want integrated communities in urban and rural Ireland, I interpret that as a citizen having the right to feel safe walking down a street, increased Gardai on out streets of every town and city. I'm sorry if I have misunerstood your line of questioning...

What infrastructural projects do you believe are urgently required? How would you support their development? Public transport. The Luas is a prime example of how an efficient transport works. this network should be expanded. I am in favour of PPP's but fair ones, value for money ones, not some where we have at present that the private investor will never lose under current contracts, I state the case of the M4 toll roads, whereby if not enough traffic is achieved, the taxpayer will subsidise the investor so they do not lose money. this is the type of policy we need to move away from and quickly. Where a Luas system is not practicable, a feeder bus services in rural towns to nearest train staions or if in the capital, feeder buses to the nearest luas stops, which in effect would reduce the amount of large buses on the streets of major cities. The availability of Hi-Speed broadband is a given, rail and road infrastructure must also be given a high priority. Through reforming our current taxation system, this is achieavble and also within a short period of time. I know I keep mention tax reform, but I believe this si key for economic growth.

Do you believe there is a need for pension reform? What measures do you propose to safeguard a dignified and secure old age for Ireland's citizens? Yes, be you a PAYE worker, self employed, TD, no matter what employment that you have, everyone should have the same entitlement to have a secure guaranteed pension come retirement age. I have stated before that a radical overhaul of our tax system needs to happen sooner rather than later and I believe Ireland is in a prime position to do this. It would be one of the reforms to be debated at length in the next Dail.

Where do you stand on the EU/IMF bailout? It should have never been given the approval from both FG & Labour for it to be enacted. Both those political entities should have resigned en masse from Dail Eireann and demanded a General Election. In its present form, which has now been rubberstamped, I am still opposed to it.

Would you support holding a referendum decide the question of making any further payments from the citizens to bank creditors? I think the next Governments hands have been tied in respect of same, so I will not call for default but seperate Sovereign from Bank debt, and definitely re-negotiate the bank creditors/bondholders. I think it is too late for a referendum to be called at this stage. Also, why not let say Santandar take over AIB and let them take the risk of the debt. they could be given the bank at a nominal price of €1, this could be applicable to all the insolvent banks.

Do you support the Fine Gael policy for Health Reform? I believe the state has an obligation to provide healthcare for all its citizens, I would not be in favour of this type of scheme as why should profit be made on a person's health. Has the scenario been mooted whereby a sick person could ultimately be refused healhcare as they cost the insurer too much?

What job creation initiatives do you propose? Up-Skilling , retraining (for a different career) and a stimulus package for SME business, whilst also bringing down the cost to do business here to attract more FDI. VAT reduction as opposed to increase would also help bolster consumer spending, thereby also helping towards job creation/employment.

What measures do you propose to provide adequate housing and security of tenure to every Irish citizen? One definite proposal would be to bring into line our bankruptcy laws which are well and truly outdated. whilst this economic is ongoing I would not allow the banking sector to evict people from their homes as this only has the knock on effect of burdening the state with the cost of rehousing, etc...Banks must be made listen and consumers must make banks aware of their situation as they change. If a citizen is refusing to engage with their bank over the mortgage, then ultimately, they must accept the consequences of their actions. But by the same token, mortgage providers must allow customers flexibility in order for them to have some semblance of a life without worry.

Questions from Politico Readers

How would you ensure greater transparency and communication to the public when in government? (Martin Byrne) No spin, just the truth, it's no less that the electorate expect. Publication of all expenses online with a simple tag line (just as in business) no receipt, no expense. I see no reason why our leaders cannot communicate directly with the electorate after all, all politicians are employed by the people. If you are head of a department and refrain from communication the truth, you in essense should be fired. Government must be run like a business. My one word for this is accountability.

Will you ensure that natural resources remain under state ownership? (Chris Maher) I would prefer to see our natural resources under state ownership but run by non political friends of whoever is in power. I am against privatisation of same as Britain has already failed with this 'social experiment' so why should Ireland follow in their mistakes of the past whilst we can make the correct decision in the future. In short, yes, I would advocate that the State retain control of our natural resources, after all, that is what our taxes pay for.

If in Government what would be the first change you would seek in the Constitution and why? (Kevin Cooney) The removal of all religious references from our constitution to promote a healthy fairer secular society.

Would you support capping TD & Minister salaries at twice the average industrial wage, with €10,000 per annum expenses? (John Murphy) Expenses must be capped and can only be claimed when the appropriate paperwork is submitted. If it were up to me, I would cap at most one and a half times the average Industrial wage.

What proposals do you have on debt reform? (Tara O'Grady) Keep our obligations on our Sovereign Debt and seperate the Bank Debt. I would advocate for that insolvent banks be almost given away and their new owners take on the risk with no repercussion to the Irish public. Personal insecured debt (Loans, Cc's, etc...) must also be tackled whereby people with this form of debt must be allowed the opportunity to pay what they can without severe penalties or millstones around their necks and I appreciate that this must be on a case by case basis. Bankruptcy laws must also be updated as Ireland's are antiquated and severely punititive

Will you support root and branch reform of all levels of the public service? Starting with the top earners, including politicians. (Terri O'Brien) Absolutely... I am already calling for TD's and Senators salaries to be reduced even further. Once we start with that, it is the solid foundation to start reforming public servies, along with a radical Tax reform and not a half hearted attempt.

What experts would you try and get into the Dáil through the Seanad to help in the recovery? (Grainne Fallon) Ethical successful entrepeneurs who have a proven track record in their field of expertise.