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Why I am standing in Dublin Central After 25 years as a public representative in North Dublin, at local, national, and European level, I thought long and hard about whether to contest the next General Election. Many people, from all over the country, expressed the hope that myself and Mick Wallace would return to the Dáil. Like many, I am deeply concerned at the direction the country is going, and at the lack of any serious challenge, debate, or holding to account of the Government in the Dáil or the media. We have record inequality against the backdrop of record wealth; a housing and rents crisis that has forced many to emigrate while plunging others into poverty or homelessness, with affordable secure accommodation denied to even those with relatively decent employment. We have abject failure to take adequate steps to deal with the imminent dangers from climate change; the undermining of our neutrality and further integration into EU militarisation; and complete failure to take action against Israeli genocide in Gaza. While recognising these problems, I had handed over work in my area to the excellent poll-topping Councillor Dean Mulligan and felt that he deserved the chance to stand as a TD with my support. I was therefore surprised and honoured when contacted by independent activists and public representatives from across Dublin Central who asked me to go forward as an Independent candidate in their area. Dublin Central has a long history of fearless Independent TDs who were not afraid to speak up and speak out for their community, in the tradition of  Tony Gregory & Maureen O'Sullivan. That approach is needed now more than ever, as the city is neglected and communities feel abandoned. I have a long track record as a serious organiser from my student days, on to my work as a shop-steward and leader of the Anti-Water Charges & Anti-Bin Charges campaigns. I have a reputation for taking up issues before they were popular, be it abortion rights or Garda reform. I have an international profile as an anti-war and pro- Palestine advocate. I haven't got that record on the ground in Dublin Central, but those that do, like Maureen O'Sullivan, Councillor Cieran Perry, former MEP Patricia McKenna, East Wall's Joe Mooney, and others have put their faith in me as the best person to take their struggles into the Dáil, and I am humbled to accept and go forward on that basis. I represented Dublin Central as an MEP and had the pleasure of regularly bringing schools and community groups from the area over to Brussels on educational visits. I lived in the area for many years, in Glasnevin and Phibsborough in my student days, in Stoneybatter as a young worker, and now in Drumcondra. I am honoured to have been asked to be part of the fight to make Dublin Central a better place for everyone that lives there, and to take that fight to the Dáil.