Rosslare – Waterford rail service suspended on Green Party watch

The decision by the National Transport Authority to approve Iarnród Éireann plans to suspend the Rosslare to Waterford Rail service is regrettable. The Regional Authorities in the South-East and the Mid-West, together with their ten constituent local authorities, made a formal submission to the National Transport Authority (NTA) strenuously opposing the proposal of Iarnród Éireann to cease passenger services on the Rosslare to Waterford railway line. The two Regional Authorities, the city councils of Waterford and Limerick and the eight county councils in the regions joined together in a show of solidarity to strongly oppose the closure of the Rosslare-Waterford section of the railway line that links the Rosslare Europort with Waterford, Limerick and onwards to the South-West and the West.

The decision of the N.T.A. to ignore the collective weight of the regional and local authorities is mind boggling. That this has happened on the Green Party’s watch is unforgivable. This is a party which prides itself on promoting public transport and sustainable living. The irony of the Green Party being partly responsible for the loss of this service will not be lost on the electorate. This is not to ignore Fianna Fáil’s culpability but do we really expect anything better from them? There is no end to this Government’s bad mix of disastrous and ridiculous policies. The Greens have become a laughing stock. The quicker we have an election and get rid of them the better.

However it is the legacy that this Government will leave be behind that is the real tragedy. Losing a rail service at a time with local authorities are promoting greater use of public transport through green routes is incredible. The business community in the Southeast also voiced their concerns. A socio-economic and business case for the maintenance and promotion of the line has been prepared and submitted by the Regional Authorities on foot of wide ranging submissions. The proposals were submitted to the NTA supporting the argument for rejection of Irish Rail’s application to close the line and for its continued operation. A key recommendation is the establishment of a Community Rail Partnership, a concept that involves the rail operator partnering with the local authorities and local communities to operate, promote and market the railway and its services. This is an excellent proposal of which I fully support. It is a practical and common sense strategy that needs to be supported.

Last Wednesday I attended a protest at Plunkett Station Waterford. It was attended by dozens of local and regional politicians and community activists. The show of solidarity and strength was impressive. Sadly our views were ignored by the Government. Politicians and activists from the Green Party supported the protest. Senator Dan Boyle attended offering his support. I challenged him as to what his party was going to do to save the line. He said the Greens would raise it at cabinet level. It appears their appeal fell on deaf ears and one wonders what influence they really have in Government. It seems there is no end to this Government’s incompetence.

Forced emigration was wrong in the 80's and is wrong today

I have such nostalgic and happy memories of the 1980’s. I try to remember the happy stuff and block out the bad. The 80’s brought us UB40, Simply Red, REM, Sinead O Connor and the best of Queen and U2. It also brought us Wham, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Bananarama and let’s not forget Kajagoogoo. Decide for yourself the good and the bad. We had assassination attempts on the Pope and US President Ronald Reagan. E.T. was released as a movie, Michael Jackson released Thriller and Mikhail Gorbachev called for Glasnost and Perestroika. We also saw the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Maze Hunger Strikes and the emergence of the cabbage patch kids. A mixed bag indeed.

Sadly it also brought forced emigration and a flight of the brightest and the best from our shores. It was wrong in the 1980’s and it is wrong today. The latest ESRI quarterly economic commentary predicted that emigration in Ireland was set to hit 120,000 by the end of 2011. The latest live register figures show 452,500 nationally and 15,614 locally out of work. Mass emigration is back with a vengeance.

It seems the current Government’s answer to rising unemployment is to export it. They cut the dole for young people, did very little to provide new training and education opportunities and even less to stimulate the economy and create jobs. We are yet again seeing the brightest and the best leave this country due to the incompetence of its political leaders to provide a future. Unemployment is not a price worth paying for a negligent Government – it destroys lives and leaves permanent scars on our communities. What this Government fails to accept is that behind every statistic is a personal tragedy.

Fianna Fáil cannot claim any economic competence when they are complacently presiding over increasing unemployment. The government is determined to slash public services and put even more people on the dole. A bit like some of the music choices referred to earlier, forced emigration was not cool in the 1980’s and it is not cool today. We need real political change and we need it now.

Holding the line is not easy

The forced closure of TK Maxx outside the city last week caused an understandable stir. The retail outlet is popular and employs people locally. Although I support the court decision I do so understanding that shoppers are demanding more top end retail in the city and that people face losing their jobs. This is a sorry saga that should never have happened in the first place. It’s what happens when people play games with the planning process. It’s what happens when neighbouring authorities compete for retail space without having regard to proper and sustainable development. It’s what happens when one local authority tries to get ‘one over’ on another.

Competition and policy means nothing to the average shopper. They rightly demand the very best in retail whether inside our outside the city centre. They want choice and convenience and who would blame them. However the situation is more complex then this and policy is needed to regulate the market. The correct policy is one which strikes a balance between being overly protective on the one hand and allowing the market to go crazy on the other. And let’s face it, during the Celtic tiger years the market went crazy.

The retail policy of Waterford City Council is clear. It is a policy of sequential preference which protects the city centre first and foremost. However contrary to recent debate and commentary it does allow for what’s called ‘out of town’ shopping through a number of strategically placed District Centres. These include centres like the Hypermarket, Ardkeen, the Lisduggan Shopping centre, Poleberry and the Tesco Centre on the Dunmore Road. This is where the balance is achieved. However the failure to build a sufficient critical mass of retail in the city centre is the policy’s main fault line. The city centre is crying out for more top end retail and the council is desperate to see it happen. Site assembly is difficult but not impossible. The Brewery or New Street site would have worked if the developer had got it right from the beginning. The original proposal was so off the wall that it was always doomed to fail and played into the hands of those who would object to anything.

Holding the line on a worked out and sustainable policy is not easy. Overall the policy has not worked out as it intended due to site assembly and planning issues and over zealous developers. However there are a few tricks up the council’s sleeve. We may well see a scaled down but significant development in New Street yet. And we have the option of building out onto the river either side of the clock tower as part of the relocation of the House of Waterford Crystal. All is not perfect but all is not lost either.

A note from the canvass

It’s been a busy week. I started on Tuesday in Connolly Place in the City. The reaction was good but the issues were to be expected. People are worried about the economy, jobs, the next budget and generally making ends meet. Anti-social behaviour also featured with concerns raised regarding a number of boarded up houses. Several complaints were made about the quality of the remedial works in the area and having inspected the houses it is hard to disagree. Poor finishing and uncompleted works has left a sour taste in the mouths of many. In one house floor boards were used as skirting! I left feeling a little annoyed that the council had spent so much money and yet the works are not of the highest standard.

On Wednesday I visited Farron Park in the City and Portlaw in the county. The areas are different in many ways and yet the issues are the same. A lot of anger was vented towards the Government and people are genuinely worried about the future. I was struck by how many young people were out of work and how they felt they had no prospects for the future. Some talked about emigrating but I wondered how real an option it was for them. The monthly live register figures reinforced the magnitude of the problem – 452,000 people nationally out of work. So much for being out of recession!

Thursday brought me to Crook and Cheekpoint in Passage and Ballinroad in Dungarvan. In Crook and Cheekpoint the state of the roads and a decline in fishing dominated the doorstep conversations. I was completely taken aback as to how bad the roads actually are. On the entrance to one housing estate I counted seven potholes. An issue that emerged a lot was the need for a running water tap in the local graveyard and it puzzled me that local authorities often fall down on the small but important things.

In Ballinroad in Dungarvan residents living in An Grianan and Pairc na mBlath are furious with the county council regarding water quality. Residents complained of being unable to use showers, damage caused to electrical appliances, a discolouration problem and recently a contamination of the water supply. Several people complained that when taking showers they get scalded because the pressure is so low. Many are forced to visit family or friends nearby to use their shower facilities. Others complained of a bad smell coming from the water and of a need to constantly purchase bottled water. Parents with young children are particularly concerned as they cannot boil up bottled water for the children. A new community was built in the area without proper infrastructure provision such as footpaths, lighting, roads and water. I had hoped we had learned from the mistakes of the past, obviously not. I wonder what next week will bring..

Unacceptable delays in Garda vetting process

In recent years we have seen improved and enhanced child protection legislation introduced in this state. I welcome this and it is vital that we have the highest standards in child care and protection. One of the areas which has improved greatly is in the area of Garda vetting and the establishment of the National Garda Vetting Unit. The Garda Vetting Unit provides employment vetting to a large number of organisations including community, sporting and child care services. The process extends to people who work in these areas whether on a paid or voluntary basis. There are approximately 18,000 organisations in receipt of vetting services from the Garda vetting unit for employment purposes, covering the wide range of health, educational, sporting and recreational sectors in Ireland.

As a consequence the number of vetting applications has increased from 137,000 nationally in 2006 to 250,000 in 2009. This is resulting in significant delays and many applicants are waiting months for their clearance certificate. I am aware of a number of long-term delays in clearing applicants who are waiting to start community employment schemes and training courses. I know of one woman who was offered a job as a C.E. worker months ago but is unable to take up the position as she is waiting for her Garda clearance application to be processed. I know of a number of other cases of people waiting to commence C.E. schemes and training courses but are unable to do so due to a delay in the vetting process.

This is unacceptable. We have 440,000 people nationally and 14,500 people locally out of work. It is difficult enough to get a job, a place on a C.E. scheme or access to a training course without further impediments put in the way. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform says the average waiting time is 5 weeks. This is simply not the case on the ground. Despite assurances from the Minister that extra personnel have been assigned to the National Vetting Unit I am not entirely satisfied that the unit is properly resourced and staffed. The massive increase in the number of organisations in receipt of vetting services is undoubtedly putting added pressure on the national vetting unit. I fully support the vetting process and I accept that stringent checks must be made to ensure the safety of children but it is unacceptable that people are unable to take up training and employment positions because of protracted delays in the vetting process.

Heroin use is complex and challenging but it is a challenge we must meet

There is no doubt that we have a very serious and worsening heroin problem in Waterford City. Recent H.S.E. reports have shown an increase in the numbers of people presenting for heroin addiction. Community based drug programmes are dealing with increased numbers of heroine addicts. All of the law enforcement figures point to a massive increase in heroin seizures and as a consequence heroin use.

In his presentation to the Joint Policing Committee meeting Chief Superintendent Pat Murphy said that heroin represented 20% of all drugs seized this year in Waterford. This figure points to an obvious shift away from other drugs to heroin by drug users. This is a regrettable situation but is the reality of where we are. Heroin use presents a whole new set of challenges to all agencies and drug users and their families. It is a very destructive drug. It deeply affects not just the user but their families and the wider community.

It is vital that we make people aware of the destructive nature of the drug. We need to ensure that people make the right choice and steer clear of heroin. We also need to ensure that all of the treatment and support services are in place to treat the user and support the family. The lifestyle and attitude of the user is important and they are most vulnerable post treatment as they become exposed to situations which can trigger a relapse. I have met many families whose sons, daugthers, brothers and sisters have suffered at the hands of heroin addiction. I know the issue of heroin use is complex and challenging but it is a challenge we must meet.

I acknowledge the huge amount of work being done by many agencies in combating the problem but we must re-double our efforts. I am pleased that my call for the holding of an inter-agency meeting has been accepted by the Mayor and will take place in September. We need to look at where the gaps in service provision exist and set priorities. This is a serious problem we cannot ignore or wish away.

We need a jobs plan now

Last week the Government were quick to announce the end of the recession. In a game of smoke and mirrors the Government presented figures which suited their argument and ignored those which did not. Gross National Product was marginally up but crucially Gross Domestic Product was down. GDP focuses on Irish domestic economic activity which is still on a downward spiral. An OCED report last week provided an important backdrop to the real problem in the economy – 445,000 people are out of work. The report reinforced the need for the Government to bring forward a job creation strategy.

This state has lost 100,000 jobs a year or 2,000 jobs a week since this Fianna Fáil/Green coalition took office. The reality is that the nature of any modest economic recovery will be so weak that it is unlikely to absorb the growth in unemployment caused by the recession. The jobs crisis cannot be wished away.

There is understandable public anger at the antics of the Government. Last week the Government voted to take a three month holiday from the Dáil. I think that the 14,500 people in Waterford out of work will find this outrageous. I think the many businesses in Waterford who are struggling to stay afloat will be livid. It is yet another example of establishment politicians living in a different world from the rest of us.

Last week Sinn Féin held a demonstration in Dungravan, Co. Waterford demanding Government action on jobs. I spoke to an auctioneer who talked about businesses closing and the lack of effort and support from Government needed to save jobs. I spoke to a local restaurant owner who has let half his staff go and whose business is facing imminent closure. I spoke to countless people who are unemployed and who see no hope for the future.

The tragedy is that there are solutions and there are ideas. I have published comprehensive job creation proposals for Waterford. Sinn Féin has published comprehensive proposals nationally. In this difficult time we need to support entrepreneurs and encourage and enable new business start-ups. We need to be clear about where the jobs of tomorrow are and how we create them. We need the statutory authorities working together in a joined up way. There are tremendous opportunities in the areas of tourism, green technology, IT and digital sector and in the area of agri-business.

Young people especially must have a future in Waterford. Young people have a central role to play in changing Waterford and achieving political, social and economic change. Entrepreneurs need to be given the supports they need to create the jobs of tomorrow. We have the ability and the talent in Waterford but in many areas we are lacking in action.

Photo courtesy of Dungarvan Observer