Owner of the Korky’s chain of shoe shops, John Corcoran has unveiled the latest in a series of banners above his shop on Grafton Street in central Dublin. John has campaigned for several years to have Upward Only Rent Review clauses in pre-February 2010 commercial leases abolished; he himself is understood to be in an ongoing court battle with his own landlord Canada Life over the rent on his Grafton Street store. The previous banner – unfurled in August 2011 and pictured here – accused the coalition government of being liars after the sudden abandonment of reforms to UORR leases promised in both Labour and Fine Gael’s election manifestos for the 2011 general election.
The latest banner reads “No to Upward Only Rent, No to Political Liars, No to the Fiscal Compact”. John’s objection to the fiscal compact appears to be based on the view that further austerity will turn the retail landscape of Ireland into a “wasteland”. There’s even a video to announce the launch here, with a raucous music accompaniment.
This will be the last Korky’s banner. John explains in the video that Dublin City Council had taken him to court over previous banners and last week, he gave a pledge to the judge that this latest banner would come down on 31st May 2012 after the referendum for the Fiscal Compact.
Both Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail have tabled bills to abolish UORR clauses but both seem destined to gather dust given the emphatic decision by the Government on 6th December 2011 which claimed that changing UORR clauses in pre-February 2010 leases would not be possible for constitutional and cost reasons.
John has apparently set up his own organisation Irish Commercial Tenants Association Limited which was registered with the Company Registrations Office three weeks ago and has his own blog here.
NAMA Wine Lake 
http://www.donegaldaily.com/2012/04/28/intense-bidding-sees-donegal-farm-sell-for-more-than-e800000/
Another Auction took Place in Donegal over the weekend
@Patrick, thanks. There does indeed seem to be some buoyancy in the farmland property sector at present which would support the statement from the Donegal auctioneers
“It showed the level of interest in farmland at the moment in a sector which is growing.”
Mind you the hammer prices for the lots suggest a wide variance for “fair grazing” farmland from €5k per acre up to three times that.
Bloody useless legal system can’t deal with Anglo Irish and all the other crooks in the land, but they have time to take people to court over hanging up political banners. What a joke.
But, wow! I think John Corcoran’s comments on Sinn Fein will mark a watershed in Irish politics. It may well mark the moment that the party began to gain the support of the (more right wing) business and commerce community. If this sector begins to back SF, we may indeed end up seeing Gerry Adams as Taoiseach in 2016.
And Fine Gael will have only themselves to blame.
Love the Banners…sorry to see them go…One of the very few signs of an Irish backbone on view in the city..an antidote to all the “TO LET” and “FOR SALE” signs around..