Michael Fitzmaurice TD has said that “constructive plans to improve the economy of rural Ireland will have to be a central plank in the plans of any new Government” that he might support.
“During the election campaign and since I was elected I was one of the few politicians who had been demanding that a Minister for Rural Affairs with a full senior cabinet standing be appointed to address the two tier economy which is growing by the day and by the week in this country. I am glad to see that many others have now joined me in my call since the election and any Minister for Rural Affairs would have to have real clout and the power to allocate resources into things like broadband services, additional Gardai, the development of credit unions and post offices, the fair distribution of CAP payments to farmers, the revival of small towns and villages, flood prevention, housing, health service, road repair and many other issues that need urgent attention.”
Deputy Fitzmaurice concluded by saying “Politicians of all sides have to sit down and work out together the way forward. The time for bickering and roaring and shouting at each other should be over. We have to come up with creative thinking on all the issues that are affecting rural Ireland and move forward. These are not pie in the sky aspirations. This can be done and that process has got to start now.”
The first sitting of the 32nd Dáil ended with an adjournment, after failing to nominate a Taoiseach, with Enda Kenny, Michael Martin and Gerry Adams just receiving the votes of their own part TDs and Richard Boyd-Barrett receiving nine votes.
Talks will continue in an effort to form a new government, but there is little progress yet on any possible coalition or partnership being formed by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
The Dáil will meet again on Tuesday 22 March.