An election that never ignited

Well, it was a General Election cam- paign that never really caught the imagination of the public. Nationally, it was a damp squib and locally it was even more nondescript.

Was it the short campaign that was to blame or the fact it was indeed too long a campaign with politicians really out of the starting blocks since the middle of last year?

Was it a case of politician fatigue, that after all of the years of austerity and broken promises that people were just not willing to believe anyone anymore?

To paraphrase retired Labour TD Pat Rabbitte when asked about election promises the reply came: “isn’t that what you tend to do during an election?” Yes, that’s all fine but people, thanks in a large part to social media, don’t forget anymore.

There is certainly an apathy towards the political system at present which the political parties will do well to ignore at their peril.

And, in Sligo we had our fair share of pre- election promises which naturally begs the questions why weren’t they done in the past five years while in Government.

A new Garda Station, a new school for the Ursuline College and a new premises for the Gaelscoil were just some of the announcements and of course there was also the fuss made about the setting up a mobile mammography service at Sligo University Hospital.

There’s no getting away from the fact that Sligo needs investment both in infrastructure and jobs, these are the ‘ big ticket’ items that are hardest to deliver.

It amazed me how out of touch Fine Gael were with the electorate outside of the east coast with their posters proclaiming ‘ Keep the Recovery Going.” One video clip uploaded to social media from Clonmel showed the reality of life in rural Ireland towns and villages. There could just as easily have been one about Sligo showing its closed shops and commercial premises.

As for the television debates, they were just as drab. No matter who was chairing them, the party leaders are so prepared by their backroom teams that they don’t go off script. They play it safe. Don’t make a fool of yourself is the key message ringing in their ears. For me, Martin, Kenny, Richard Boyd Barrett and Stephen Donnelly were the best performers with Adams slightly behind but still ahead of Burton and Lucinda Creighton.

As we await the formation of a new Government, Sligo still has a local authority that is in dire need of a bailout and it was interesting during the campaign that the issue barely got a mention. A financially stable County Council is crucial to the development of Sligo and our newly elected four TD’s really need to bring as much pressure to bear on the new Minister for Environment to get this sorted as soon as possible. The matter just cannot be allowed limp from year to year. A heavily indebted Council is not good for Sligo. Year after year the situation with local services will just keep deteriorating.

Will the line that the council has no money be trotted out in five to ten years time in response to various requests for assistance? It’s not fair all round, particularly on the Council staff.

A social house building programme is also a must for the new Government. It cannot rely on the private developers for this. Third rate broadband in Sligo, particularly rural areas is another item top of the list as is progress on the N4 and the forgotten about N16 and N17.

And, while I’m at it, isn’t it time that Sligo city’s traffic situation was looked at? For a small city it’s total gridlock at peak times. The Inner Relief Road has not been a success and is just a road linking a series of junctions that are congested with traffic.

Mornings and evenings are just a series of queues at these junctions while the Inner Relief Road itself is blocked as far back as the Summerhill College roundabout. What’s it going to be like this summer, blocked as far as Carraroe like it has been in the past?

A serious look at creating a new traffic management plan for Sligo is needed. The one way system around the city is also not working especially for those on the east side. People living there are effectively blocked from accessing the city centre with JFK Parade, Abbey Street and Chapel Street all closed off to them. In fact, the JFK junction and Abbey Street are a total hazard with drivers regularly ignoring direction signs.

The Eastern Bridge is supposed to be the answer though I have to say I believe it to be totally in the wrong place and what we’ll have is a divided community and a scenic area irrevocably changed. Let’s not create a new road and bridge that will mirror what is now happening on the other side of the city, clogged up junctions and a complete nightmare for residents and pedestrians.

My message to Sligo/ Leitrim’s new TDs is to get cracking and get some results for badly needed projects. At the end of the new Government’s term of office in five years hopefully I hope I can take a few items off my list such as housing, broadband and the N4. If not, then it will be seen as another failure in my eyes.

On a sour note the election campaign has shown me that some people feel that our politicians are fair game for abuse. By all means, speak and lobby our politicians but why can’t it be done in a mannerly fashion? Common decency and respect seems to be gone out the window and replaced by vitriolic abuse.

The abuse which some politicians attract on social media is just disgraceful. No one should feel they have the right they can say what they like about someone else regardless of their profession. People are taking to FB and other social media outlets without regard to anyone’s circumstances let alone the libel laws.

What’s alarming is that the abuse is now being shifted from the keyboard to the street. I saw with dismay that Micheal Martin had to abandon a planned walkabout of Crumlin village after being confronted by a small group of anti- austerity charge protesters who also stood in front of his car and refused to move.

I know of the case of another politician who was followed around an estate ( not in Sligo) as he called to each house.

It’s as though this minority of people feel they can verbally abuse and intimidate whom they like and when.

Of course our politicians need to be held to account but there is a right way to do it with manners and respect. Not voting for them is one way, another is to put their own name on the ballot paper. That’s how a democracy works and it needs protecting.