National Issues with Local Influences.

People in Kildare are hugely concerned with accountability issues in the many sectors that make up Corporate and Political Ireland. Many problems originate from Central Government policies mis-management and ill thought-out proposals, legislation weaknesses, malfunctioning regulator systems, weak management of public finances. Harsh cost charges by Semi State Services and adversarial and illegal Bank practices put much pressure on unprotected ordinary citizens. High rewarding cronyism directorships, scandals involving illegal payments, top-ups, pre-arranged and excessive bonuses and self-indulgent retirement packages, across a range of already high salaried professional and corporate bodies, public services and state funded organisations, are sickening. Reported details would indicate an, out of control, self-regulating Corporate Ireland, pushing a culture of greed and operating on levels above ordinary austerity loaded people. A high degree of white collar roguery seems to exist at the higher levels of many high profile national administrations. Much is hidden through the restrictions on ‘Freedom of Information’, use of ‘Confidentiality’ and ‘Sensitive Information’ clauses.

The Effects. The effects of the above situation have filtered down to ordinary people, to the point where all politics, even at local levels, is viewed with suspicion and mistrust, in a now socially divided Ireland, a division created by the mismanagement of Corporate Ireland at the expense of Community Ireland.

The Measures. It is in this context that it is essential that every voter at local level should ensure to maintain a good Local Government, where you can elect people members who are capable, people you know, can trust and hold responsible. Voters should elect Seamie Moore, a good reliable, strong, independent, non-party representative, who understand the issues, can advocate fairness and can be relied upon to speak out on behalf of Community Kildare when necessary.

Household Mortgages and SME Bank Debts

The ongoing delay in coming to repayment agreements with distressed homeowners and SMEs is a shameful and vexatious treatment of the several hundred thousand borrowers in negative equity and reduced incomes. The banks have long ago received €billions of taxpayers money from Government to help them stay solvent, including an element of €billions, calculated by them, for debt write down on mortgages. Government weakness in not making the banks active on this front, even after the Personal Insolvency Act has been passed, is slowing down the economy on several fronts, particularly in the retail business and in new job creation across all SME activities. Pressure on Government parties is needed to address this saga. ‘Independents’ are needed to do that.

Irish Water; A standing charge on all households to provide Irish Water with funding to repair very bad water piping system in Dublin is outrageous. Such costs should be levied on the Local Authorities that failed to repair their own infrastructure in the past. A fair water allowance for families with young children and people in need is also required from the Regulator.

Pylons/Wind Farm Energy Sales to Europe; Off-shore wind farms, wave power and timber biomass from mountainside forests should have been Government promoted sources for renewable energy. These energy sources would protect the living environment and natural landscapes of Kildare from crude pylon proposals for the transmission of energy to any overseas sales.

Law and Order. I hold a strong view that an Garda Siochana, is one of the best police forces in the world but needs to be radically updated to come to terms with the modern security and safety demands of an increasingly worried and fearful Irish society. That upgrading includes a more creative Community linkage with people and the recruitment of a much larger Garda Reserve.

A 10,000 strength, fully integrated, Garda Reserve Force, to allow deployment of the more fully trained and professional personnel to more serious operations.

High visibility, ‘Beat on the Street’, Garda Reserve members should be seen in every 2,000 population town and village. Gardai should establish a Facebook/Text Alert, nationwide system, especially in locations of Garda Station closures, with local leaders trained as Garda Reserves.

Free Legal Aid System/ Prison Detention/Court Orders: There is a need to curb the continuous abuse of the Free Legal Aid System by people with own resources and by people who are habitual offenders of the same or similar laws. The dubious wisdom of incarceration for low level crime or for habitual offenders of the same type of petty crimes needs to be changed to ‘serious and relative’ community services. Court orders to ‘non indigenous’ travellers, with homes elsewhere, to vacate illegal halting sites, should extend to the county boundary of the Local Authority and not be circumvented by a short distance movement.

Housing Construction Industry in Ireland. Planning Authorities must ensure to give ‘shovel-ready’ developments the permission to start work and rebuild the Construction Industry, where other local infrastructures and zoning permissions are already in place. Kildare/Naas is now primed to start with the contract for the new Osberstown Waste Water Treatment plant ready for signing. New houses are much sought after in Kildare by our young local families whilst houses are at a reasonable price. No new housing is causing a Rent Bubble and depriving them of an affordable home. It’s time to provide those houses for Naas.