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The Sinn Féin candidate for the Meath East by-election, Darren O’Rourke, has been out on the campaign trail in rural communities today (March 10).

Many voters he spoke to expressed their deep concern at how successive governments have treated rural communities.

O’Rourke said:

“I spoke to many people today in rural east Meath who were extremely concerned at the future prospects of small rural communities.

“Small towns and villages have seen post offices and Garda stations shut down. Septic tank charges directly target rural households. The Meath Accessible Transport Project is to be axed by the government and rural roads have seriously deteriorated due to funding cuts. Many people I spoke to said they feel like prisoners in their homes due to the massive problem with potholes on rural roads.

“Small indigenous businesses, including small farmers, with no real support from government or credit from the banks, are going under.

“All of this and the absence of equality of access to public services threatens the quality of life of people living in rural communities.

“This is just not good enough.

“Successive governments have seen rural Ireland as the easy option to target for cuts and charges. The reality is that rural communities have had just as much as they can take.

“I want to see a fair deal for rural Meath. I am calling for:

·         A reversal of Fianna Fáil’s agreement with the Troika to cut Garda numbers by 10% and sufficient Garda visibility to crack down on criminals targeting Meath

·         Upgrading of septic tanks to be covered by a full grant

·         A radical overhaul of CAP payments to move towards a more equitable distribution of payments

·         Make funding available to address rapid increase in potholes in Meath East.

“The government needs to realise that rural communities are not the soft option, that they will fight back and that the wealth of talent and energy that exists in small rural towns and villages can make a significant contribution to the regeneration of the economy.

“That is why Sinn Féin is campaigning for a fair deal for rural Ireland.”

The Sinn Féin by-election candidate in Meath East, Darren O’Rourke, has called on the government to take action on the extreme shortage of social housing in Meath.

O’Rourke said:

“Social housing provision in Meath is at crisis point. Years of Fianna Fáil developer-led policies have left the county in a situation where thousands of people are on the waiting list to be housed.

“The county had the third highest shortfall nationally in social and affordable housing during the boom years, doubling between 2005 and 2008 to over 2,000. Between 2008 and 2011, the figure doubled again, with Meath today having almost the largest waiting list per capita in the state. “In Kells alone the list of applications is almost at the 400 mark.

“The failure to provide adequate social and affordable units has left thousands of people stranded.

“Recent cuts to Rent Supplement rates have made securing affordable housing even more difficult and in some cases led to families being made homeless.

“But there are common-sense solutions to this problem. Recently in the Dáil, Sinn Féin TDs put forward innovative proposals for tackling social housing shortages including ensuring that NAMA housing units suitable for social housing be made available. In Meath alone there are some 84 unfinished housing estates. Such a proposal makes sense and would benefit huge swathes of people who up until now have been stuck on waiting lists.

“The government parties failed to support that motion.

“I am calling on the government to take action urgently on Meath’s social housing crisis. The Sinn Féin proposals make sense. It is time to stop playing party politics and start helping people who need it.”

Sinn Féin’s by-election candidate in Meath East, Darren O’Rourke has slammed a reduction in polling hours announced by environment minister, Phil Hogan TD today.

Darren O’Rourke said: “The interests of democracy were served by extending the hours during which people could vote to 7am to 10pm and making polling day a Friday to facilitate people working or studying away from home.

“This by-election has been called for a Wednesday and now the minister has shortened polling by two hours, from 8am to 9pm. This is outrageous and will result in a lower turnout.

“The minister justifies this by calling it a cost-cutting measure, but in reality it is an attack on democracy. Elections cost money to run, but would the minister abolish them on the grounds of cost?

“I ask the other candidates in this contest to join with me in calling on the minister to leave the voting arrangements as they have been in recent referenda and elections, that is from 7am to 10pm, to give people of Meath East the maximum possibility of exercising their right to vote.”

The Sinn Féin by-election candidate in Meath East Darren O’Rourke has challenged Fianna Fáil candidate Thomas Byrne to a head to head debate on issues affecting the people of the constituency.

Speaking today O’Rourke said:

“People in Meath East are struggling. Many bought homes during the height of the boom and are now trying to stay afloat under the weight of massive mortgage debt as well as unemployment and cuts to public services.

“Fianna Fáil’s legacy of economic disaster is plain to see in this constituency. That legacy is now carried on by the government parties, Labour and Fine Gael.

“Thomas Byrne was a TD when Fianna Fáil was in government. That party now claims to be against the very austerity measures they championed while in government. 

“This constituency needs alternative representation with a vision for the future. The tired ideals of the Fianna Fáil old guard just won’t cut it.

“I am challenging Senator Byrne to a head to head debate on these issues and the future of this constituency.

“Sinn Féin has an alternative vision for the economy that does not include making low and middle income people shoulder the bulk of the burden; that does not cut public services beyond recognition and does not saddle hard working people with private banking debt. Fianna Fáil claims to have an alternative vision too. I have yet to see it. If Thomas Byrne wants to represent the people of Meath East he should not be running away from these issues.”