TD Collins is interviewing election candidates for a ‘rural revolution’

THE government has come in for a bashing from local TDs over policies they claim are skewed against rural Ireland. 

Both Independent TD Michael Collins and Social Democrat party leader Holly Cairns have accused the government of not taking rural Ireland, including West Cork, seriously and particularly in its climate change plans. 

Deputy Collins, with his Rural Independent group colleagues, says he has  ‘been quietly interviewing potential candidates’ for the local and European elections next year. 

‘Our objective is to be a voice for change for rural communities by running over 20 general election candidates in the next general election while revolutionising the Irish political landscape,’ he said.

The Goleen TD said that rural areas have been reeling under the weight of new factors that emerged over the past three years. 

Macra president John Keane and chief executive Michael Curran meeting with TD Holly Cairns after Macra members marched to the Dáil last week. 

‘Skyrocketing transport costs, the pandemic, soaring inflation, the sluggish economic growth fuelled by a two-tier domestic versus multinational economy, and the ill-conceived net-zero policies have all dealt a severe blow to farmers and rural communities,’ he said.

‘Successive governments have almost exclusively focused on Dublin, causing rural Ireland and regional development to be left behind. Rural communities have become an afterthought, with mainstream political parties showing up at election time and making glib promises to do better next time. This, coupled with the green agenda, is suffocating rural Ireland.’

He said his group’s objectives are to be a staunch independent and community voice inside the next government if they can win enough seats. ‘Currently, rural Ireland is being left behind by the establishment parties and the government’s cult-like obsession with climate change and its dire consequences for all rural communities. Rural communities and regions are under attack from all sides, and genuine concerns are being silenced instead of being listened to. The push to tax motorists off the roads, drive down nitrogen-based emissions, end turf cutting, and reduce livestock herds by stealth is not what any government should be doing.’

Deputy Collins also said that there was now a ‘realisation across Ireland that climate policies are deeply damaging to rural communities and regions.’

‘Irish communities are being left behind, and we have reached a pivotal moment. This is a crucial time to reverse the drift and ensure that rural residents are not left alone,’ concluded Deputy Collins.

Meanwhile, Deputy Cairns called for sufficient and sustainable funding to help farmers overcome the climate crisis.

Deputy Cairns was commenting after meeting members of Macra na Feirme outside the Dáil after their protest march last week where she said ‘young farmers are an endangered species.’

‘There are many issues that need urgent action. There is a chronic shortage of affordable housing in West Cork; a lack of access to healthcare services and an almost complete absence of reliable public transport options. We also know that generational renewal is an enormous issue,’ she said. 

‘The viability of many farms is under huge threat. We know that climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face as a society. We also know that farmers, and rural communities in West Cork, will be among those most impacted by the damage caused by the climate crisis. 

‘Despite this, the supports provided to farmers, to help them withstand this existential threat, are completely inadequate. The supports that do exist are piecemeal, short-term, threadbare and difficult to access,’ she said. 

‘Rural Ireland must be fully supported in tandem with necessary climate action measures,’ she added.