by Andrew Carey
andrew@limerickpost.ie
“We can hear the bees but we cannot see the honey”.
IT MAY sound like a line from a farmyard tale, but one local councillor feels that although the county has to cope with emigration and poor broadband coverage, Limerick can become an economic counterweight to Dublin.
Addressing last week-end’s meeting of the Independence Alliance, Limerick county councillor Emmett O’Brien said that he firmly believe “that while the people of Ireland may have lost faith in political parties, they have not lost interest or faith in good governance of this country.”
He said that this good governance can come from the independent candidates at the next general election and the region can thrive again.
“Limerick County, while social conservative, it is a dynamic constituency that can transform the Mid-West into an economic counterweight to Dublin if we are serious about regional development.
“Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have formed a Grand Alliance to share the political spoils in the tried and trusted style of pork-barrel politics. This seems contrary to the spirit of the results of the last elections.
“The construction industry remains on the floor and great challenges have been posed with rural isolation and the closure of Garda stations and Post offices.
“Independent candidates stand in a very strong position. Fianna Fáil are increasingly seen as an irrelevant party with thousands of their traditional supporters looking for a home.
“Labour is a dying force or at least mortally wounded. Sinn Fein’s quest to turn Ireland into a North European version of Cuba, without the sun and without cigars, speaks for itself.
“The people of Ireland will not forget how Fine Gael who without compassion implemented austerity, dictated Irish Water to us, broke promise after promise and sold out on the Democratic Revolution.
The Limerick councillor said there is “a great opportunity for the people of Ireland to abandon political cronyism, political dynasties and the old formula of political parties, and choose instead new progressive, business orientated and hardworking, Independent TDs who will represent the people free from a party whip.
“I recently asked a quantity surveyor friend how business was and he replied ‘we can hear the bees but we cannot see the honey’.Very few are benefitting from the so-called economic recovery and we must ensure that not only do we deliver the honey but that we keep the bees working hard”, he said.
