Simon Harris must win back rural Ireland
Dear sir,
Following the thrashing the Government received in the recent referendum results, culminating in the resignation of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, it is now clear they have lost the support of rural Ireland.
Former Attorney General and current Senator Michael McDowell cleverly courted the rural vote on the no side - and won a landslide victory. Simon Harris must now make it a priority to win back the support of the rural
TDs, cold-shouldered by Leo's golden circle from Dublins' leafy suburbs. As the numbers who have stated they are not running in the next general election are now in double digits.
Of course the success of Dublin as our capital city matters, as do all of our cities, but winning back rural Ireland has to be a top priority for all parties, as the referendum results show.
The residents of our countryside have had to suffer a lot of setbacks like emigration and the closure of vital services such as garda stations, banks, health services, post-offices, shops and pubs in the lost decade of austerity.
And farming is going through a turbulent time with new green regulations coming at them from right, left and centre. But they are resilient people in the regions, that need help to negotiate a better future for themselves and their families, and not to be talked down to by their supposed superiors in Dublin 4.
As has been shown in the recent referendums, rural Ireland cannot just be taken for granted and ignored by the powers-that-be in our capital city - as it has shown it can stand up for itself with plenty of clout.
Yours faithfully,
Tom Towey, Cloonacool, Co. Sligo