Forgotten West!
DEPUTY KENNY SAYS HE’S DISAPPOINTED WITH MARIAN HARKIN VOTE FOR MARTIN
There’s anger across the county and indeed the entire North West and West at the exclusion by the new Taoiseach Micheál Martin, of a senior minister from the regions.
The cabinet was announced on Saturday evening shortly after the the Dáil voted in a new historic government of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party.
But, the shape of the new cabinet has been met with dismay in the west of Ireland.
Sligo/Leitrim TD’s Marc MacSharry (FF), Frank Feighan (FG) were joined by Independent Marian Harkin in voting for Martin.
Deputy Harkin has come under fire for her support of the Fianna Fáil leader but she told The Sligo Champion that her vote had merely been ‘ loaned’ in support of the formation of a new government.
Some twenty junior ministers are expected to be appointed later this week.
WITH not one senior minister appointed from the North West, West or Mid West, rural Ireland is not regarded by the new government according to Sinn Féin Sligo/ Leitrim TD, Martin Kenny (right) who sharply criticised Deputy Marian Harkin for voting for Micheal Martin as Taoiseach and his cabinet.
“There is not a single Cabinet Minister along the western seaboard from Limerick to Donegal. By contrast there are six in Dublin.
“I was proud to vote against this Cabinet and it was very disappointing to see a so-called independent candidate, Marian Harkin, from this constituency, who stood for election on a platform of defending rural Ireland, not only vote for Micheál Martin for Taoiseach, but then to vote in favour of this Dublin-centric Cabinet which is sorely lacking in any regard for those of us west of the Shannon.”
“We already knew at the publication of the Programme for Government that rural Ireland is not regarded by this government as a vibrant, valuable and essential part of the national economy and society, but an appendage to Dublin.
“In a glaring example of government priority in relation to rural Ireland, the PfG, paragraph on “Balanced Regional Development” begins with the statement that such development is critical to reduce pressure on Greater Dublin.
“Then we find that the government department of Rural and Community Development has been abolished and that Heather Humphries is now the minister for Minister for Social Protection, Community & Rural Development and the Islands.
“Does the government believe that developing rural Ireland is an exercise in social protection? Does this indicate that funding for development in rural Ireland is regarded the same as assistance to the most vulnerable?
“Would a government which is genuine and enthusiastic about undoing some of the neglect to which rural areas have been subjected, not maintain the Department of Rural and Community Development or at least make it part of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, or would that have been too much for the Dublin-centric new minister, Leo Varadkar?
The West of Ireland has been forgotten community activist Corey Whyte stated.
Mr Whyte said “The geographical split will leave the entire west of Ireland disenfranchised. The fact no ministries were allocated to the west is an indication of the indifference with which the new government views the West of Ireland. We know already we are ignored; however, it is rarely made this obvious. During the election in February, there was an appetite from the people for change. Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and The Green party have scrambled together their diminishing support and put together a programme for government that lacks action, vision and lacks the change people wanted. It was disappointing that 3 of the Sligo – Leitrim TD’s voted in favour of this,” he said.