Prominent Mica campaigner Paddy Diver has made a passionate return to social media with serious concerns over the new legislation.
The Carndonagh man took a step back from the campaign in March but reactivated his Twitter account today to unite homeowners.
It has emerged today that the Defective Blocks Bill will not be published until Tuesday 21st June. To speed up the process, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien is planning to bypass or compress pre-legislative scrutiny – a step that Mica campaign representatives strongly disagree with.
“If they are not passing pre-legislative scrutiny and not letting us see it, something is not sitting right there,” Paddy Diver said in a Twitter update.
Diver resigned from the Donegal Mica campaign and 100% Redress No Less group in March after he and his family were targetted with ‘abusive texts’. He said he was watching to see how negotiations were going, but it now “looks like negotiations are nowhere”.
Diver urged Mica homeowners to use their voices and their social media presence again to call for pre-legislative scrutiny of the enhanced scheme before it’s too late.
He said: “One thing we have is people power. It looks like we are going to have to use it, so be ready. One thing I’m asking you to do now is let the people know all over Ireland. This isn’t just a Donegal thing, there are 12 other counties, tell them to stand up and fight and help us and support us.”
He said he knows that homeowners have got tired waiting for the scheme to be finalised, but called on the community to let politicians know that they haven’t been worn down yet.
“Get regenerated before they go into their summer recess and let them know,” Diver said.
“If this takes up to go back and go nuclear, go off the wall altogether, we are capable of doing it and we will do it.”