Roisin Shorthall motion of support

At their monthly meeting in the Clock Tavern, last night (Wednesday 26th) the Westport Labour Party passed a motion of support for Roisin Shorthall following her resignation as Junior Minister of Health.  

Proposing the motion Cllr Keith Martin said it was "regrettable that such an able and hard-working member of the Government felt the need to resign.  Minister Shorthall had been a driving force for reform and proper healthcare delivery and it was a sad day for the Government and the Labour Party that she felt the need to resign."

Seconding the motion John Tiernan said it was "important that lessons were learned from this regrettable resignation so that the Labour Party in government can concentrate on delivering in government and that Labour ministers felt they had the full support of their Labour colleagues and those in Fine Gael.

David Fallon spoke in support of Labour leader Eamon Gilmore and the Labour Party leadership saying that "coalition government was not an easy alliance but that both parties must work together to ensure that policies and personalities do not clash to the detriment of the citizen."

Seanad should go

I would challenge any reader to name any significant difference the Seanad makes to Irish life, in fact I would challenge any reader to name any piece of legislation the Seanad enacted or affected, better still name three current Senators?  I bet even remembering Mayo's long term senator is a challenge.

 

Can anyone answer the simple question of 'What does the Seanad do?'   We know what the Dail does, we know what our local councils do, but does anyone know what the Seanad does?

 

That's why I will canvass for the abolition of the Seanad when the promised referendum is called.

 

The Seanad, the upper house of the Oireachtas, is beyond reform and a drain on the nation's resources.

 

The Seanad is an undemocratic body which performs no specific function other than provide a resting home for failed or defeated Dail candidates.  A home for wanna-bes or had-beens.

 

Since 1937 ten separate official reports have been published on reform of the Seanad none of which have led to major reforms or even proposed reform which would make the Seanad  worth keeping.

 

Many democratic nations such as Sweden, New Zealand, Denmark and Portugal function perfectly without an upper house, in fact half the nations of the world only have one chamber.

 

Ireland is overly represented by national politicians with no increase in efficiency compared to other countries of similar size. The fact is that 55 of 76 countries worldwide with populations under 5 million have just one chamber. 

 

Constitutional theory has also evolved so that checks and balances no longer require a second house but strong committee systems.  A committee system which is already being strengthened by the current government.

 

Its university representation is a bizarre system which excludes too many people, likewise the panel system and Taoiseach's nominees mean that the chamber is stuffed with members of the "old boys network".

 

Out of six university senators, three are elected by Trinity graduates and UCD and the three other NUI institutions elect the remaining three.  The Institutes of Technologies don't get a look in. But why should any graduate have a vote while other citizens do not.  Then again, why should City and County Councillors elect Senators?  What kind of elitism is that in a modern republic?

 

This practice dates back to hundreds of years, as before independence Trinity contributed MPs to Britain's House of Commons. During the Free State Trinity elected TDs, before the modern Seanad Eireann was eventually formed in 1937.

 

So really the Seanad is a hangover from our pre-independence days, a relic like the House of Lords but with all the power of a day time chat show that no-one watches.

 

If the Seanad is popularly elected then it merely duplicates the Dail, and if it is elected through different means then there is a democratic deficit. Therefore it does not act as an effective check on the Dail.

 

The Seanad is costing the taxpayers €25 million a year to run.  Can anyone say it's worth the money?

 

I can't and that is why I will be asking you to vote to abolish the Seanad.

Welcome for new era in broadband for Mayo

Cllr Keith Martin has welcomed the plan from the Communications Minister, Mr Pat Rabbitte, T.D., to deliver faster broadband for the whole Country as part of National broadband plan for Ireland.

According to Cllr Martin "The investment in a faster and better broadband infrastructure and service for Ireland is great news for both the public and business people in Mayo. Ireland can no longer afford to fall behind the high broadband speeds being offered by other European Countries.

"This plan will not just focus on urban areas but also all rural parts of the Country. We are living in the digital age and so it is paramount that every online user in Mayo has access to high speed broadband. This plan guarantees rural dwellers minimum speeds of 20 to 40 Mps within 3 years. This is a huge increase on the 1 to 3 Mps currently available in rural areas in Mayo.

This plan will facilitate the provision of high speed broadband to every home and business in the State over the lifetime of the Government. The plan is focused on ensuring internet speeds for Irish consumers that are much faster than those currently available.

The Plan outlines measures to facilitate the delivery of broadband speeds of between 70 and 100 megabits per second (Mbps) on a commercial basis, to approximately 50% of the population. The Plan also announces the Government's intention to develop an intervention to deliver minimum speeds of between 30 and 40 Mbps to the other 50% of the population which would not be achieved on a commercial basis, thus ensuring that minimum levels of high speed broadband services are accessible to all. Implementation of this plan will see Ireland doing more than meeting the targets set down by the European Commission in the "Digital Plan for Europe".

Councillor still getting paid a year after move to Australia

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to let you know how disappointed I am at your actions and to share my sense of disbelief and disgust at your actions in providing a salary to a councillor who has not lived in this country for a year.

You are letting the entire local government system down and collectively you are an embarrassment to all political parties and public representatives across the country.

Your actions are a disservice to local government and democracy.

Do the right thing and end this farce.

Sincerely

Keith Martin

Councillor

Westport Town Council