#Togh20: Idir vóta agus comhaireamh

FÁN am seo, is dócha go dtuigeann sibh go bhfuil feachtas toghcháin ar bun, olltoghchán go deimhin, agus go mbeidh an vóta ar an Satharn seo chughainn. Ba leid na postaeir go léir ar na cuaillí agus na cláracha ar an dteilifís le h-argóintí teasaí.

I suppose the real giveaway that we’re in the middle of an election campaign was the angry noises and steam emanating from the TV and the posters on the ‘post no posters’ electricity poles all over the country side.

Ní miste liomsa postaeir toghcháin. Meabhrú meáite é go bhfuilimíd inár gcónaí i dtír atá daonláthas de short éigean fagtha inti. Ní gá dó ibh bheith ar gach cuaille, áfach, nó d’oirfeadh sé níos fearr dá mbeadh áit lárnach i ngach sráid bhaile le h-aghaidh fógraí agus postaeir toghcháin ag an am chuí.

I don’t mind election posters as much. They’re a well aimed reminder that we live in a country that’s still a democracy, after a fashion, though I think that it might be an idea worth considering to install a central notice board in every village for notices to be posted there and for posters at election time.

Thug mé seo faoi ndeara sa bhFrainc roinnt blianta ó shin agus mé ar chuairt ann. Bhí cuma shlachtmar air mar réiteach. Ceann den chéad uair eile, b’fhéidir.

I noticed it during a holiday in France a few years back and it looked like a neat compromise. An idea for the next election, perhaps.

Ceann de na ceisteanna móra Gaeilge is Gaeltachta ag an toghchán seo ná ciocu an mbeadh cúram na Gaeilge/na Gaeltachta ag Aire Sínsireach ag bórd an Rialtais nó ná beadh. Ó bhí Pat Carey ina Aire Gaeltachta d’Fhianna Fáil siar i 2011, ní raibh Aire le cúram na Gaeltachta/na Gaeltachta sa Chomhaireacht. Faoi láthair agus go dtí go ndeirtear a mhalairt is é an Príomh Aoire, Seán Kyne, Aire na Gaeltachta. Suíonn sé ag bórd an Rialtais ach níl vóta aige.

One of the burning questions for Irish speakers and Gaeltacht voters at this election is whether or not there will be a senior minister at the Cabinet table with responsibility for the Irish language/the Gaeltacht. There has been no senior Gaeltacht minister since 2011 as the responsibility for the Gaeltacht/the language has been delegated to junior ministers. At present Seán Kyne, the Government chief whip, is the Gaeltacht minister but he doesn’t have a vote at cabinet even though he sits at the same table as his ministerial colleagues.

Ceapann muintir na Gaeltachta agus lucht na Gaeilge nach bhfuil aon seans go bhfaighimíd Cothrom na Féinne gan guth ag bórd an Rialtais agus ós rud é gur cuireadh deireadh le toghcháin do bhórd Údarás na Gaeltachta nuair ná raibh ionadaíocht ag an nGaeltacht ag bórd an Rialtais níl aon amhras orm ná go bhfuil fírinne sa ráiteas sin.

We in the Gaeltacht believe that we’re now voiceless at Government level because we’re only represented by what they call a ‘super Junior’ - whether or not this election brings about a change in that situation remains to be seen.

Beidh le feiceáil. Neosfaidh an aimsir!