Ireland: FF proposal to slash school buses is unfair, blinkered & daft - Feighan

The school transport scheme was set up in the 1960s to ensure access to primary and post-primary education for children who live in rural areas. It now costs the taxpayer €170 million annually to run the scheme. Dublin FF TD Chris Andrews argues that given that most families now have access to their own transport it is time to revise the scheme. He told the Evening Herald: "It is hard for me as someone in the city to see how it is fully justified. "It's very much a rural scheme and given the traffic in Dublin, if anything it's Dublin it should be in. "It's a huge expense and I would have thought that there were other things higher up on the priority list."

Frank Feighan TD FG Deputy Spokesperson on Transport & Education, with Special Responsibility for Rural and School Transport has blasted Andrews proposals. The following is the text of a statement released by Mr Feighan on the issue.

FF proposal to slash school buses is unfair, blinkered & daft - Feighan

"More than 135,000 children in far-flung rural areas use the State transport scheme to get to school. Many would not be able to get to school at all without school buses, and many schools would be forced to close.
"So I was astonished to hear Dublin Fianna Fáil TD Chris Andrews suggesting that the school transport scheme should be scaled back in rural areas, and instead be rolled out in his own city. Deputy Andrews's mindless proposal shows just how out of touch the Government has become.
"This proposal is shot full of holes:
- Most urban areas already have extensive public transport networks, while most rural areas do not;
- Scrapping school buses in rural areas would force more parents to drive their children to school, driving up pollution levels and adding to congestion.
"Furthermore, in the midst of the deepest recession in living memory, it would add considerably to household bills. Brian Lenihan has already pushed up the cost of school transport by over 200%. Fianna Fáil's proposal to abolish school transport in rural areas is unthinking, inconsiderate and beyond the pale."

Chris Andrews is out of touch with life in rural Ireland. His proposals are a cynical ploy geared to curry favour with his own urban constituents. Rural backbench TDs of all political parties would strongly oppose this nonsensical proposal. Arise rural Ireland from thy political slumber.

Reflections on Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty-Some lessons for EU Commission

Just been listening to Newstalk’s discussion on Ireland’s rejection of the Lisbon Treaty.
Journalist Michael O’Regan took a very hard line on some of the No voters. However I thing that it is necessary to delve into the mindset of NO voters.

Critics of the No vote in common with the major political parties and the EU Commission have failed to get the message been sent out by voters in countries such as Ireland, France and Holland.
The No vote is not a rejection of the EU. However it is a message to integrationists to slow down. Many in Ireland see the EU Commission as remote undemocratic and at times dictatorial. Comments from Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission and some French politicians cemented this view.

Farmers labouring under increased EU induced bureaucracy and quotas have begun to realise that their way of life is under serious threat. The destruction of the Irish Sugar beet industry by the EU Commission has alarmed farmers and struck a psychological blow. Whilst it may have slipped from public consciousness it was at the back of many farmers minds. The fear is that the dairying, beef, poultry and pig farming sectors will disappear in a similar manner.

Yet the Commission is perceived in rural Ireland as not taking a hard line with on foreign food imports which lack traceability. EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson’s antics at the WTO negotiations where he appears prepared to sell out agriculture struck terror into farmers. There is a feeling that Commissioners are too powerful and not accountable to the electorate.

As farming declines large numbers of small businesses dependent on farming are under pressure. Many small businessmen, shopkeepers et al voted No for this reason.
Many workers in food processing voted No fearful for their jobs.
As EU inspired liberalisation of the postal service comes about the rural Post Offices have come under increasing threat.
The coastal communities hammered by EU regulation-specifically fishermen- are on the verge of revolt.

The reality that much of the productive sector in rural Ireland is increasingly hampered by EU Commission induced regulation.
Many people’s backs are to the wall. Elites in the Pale have failed to take cognisance of the the economic stresses building up in rural Ireland

Others voted No because the 12.5% Corporation Profits Tax is under threat. This is not a groundless fear. France and Germany appear determined to destroy Ireland’s competitive advantage. Ireland must defend this tax rate at all costs. There can be no surrender on this issue.
There is a strong fear that the EU Court of Human Rights would impose abortion on Ireland.
Working class voters-many of whom had begun too see living standards rise- have seen a rise in unemployment.

In summary the EU Commission has scored an own goal. It comes across as arrogant and out of touch not just to many Irish voters but many voters in France, Germany, Holland and Sweden. It needs to listen. It must be made more accountable. It must become more democratic. If it persists in ignoring large numbers of EU voters it runs the risk of spawning new extreme right wing and left wing parties.

Cast iron guarantees on issues such as Corporation Profits Tax, Social legislation and Irish agriculture are a sine qua non in any new negotiations to salvage the Lisbon Treaty. A little humility from the EU Commission mightn’t go amiss either.

World trade talks: the reality for Ireland if Mandelson's proposals are accepted

In a myopic article in the Sunday Business Post titled Trade about more than farmers Cliff Taylor swallows the José Manuel Barroso and Peter Mandelson line on the WTO, hook, line and sinker. He blithely glides over the effects on Ireland and gives the impression that only farmers are affected. This is arrant nonsense.

Taylor omitted to state the following:

• At least 50,000 jobs are at stake in agriculture, food processing, agricultural engineering, farm insurance and other services. The last four industries were ignored in his article. These jobs would disappear in the short term.


• Food security would be jettisoned. Have we learned nothing?


• The EU would be flooded with cheap food often lacking traceability. Are not EU consumers entitled to high quality food? It is not acceptable to put consumers health at risk.

He speaks about gains in software, business and financial services. Of course there would be some gains. Nevertheless it would be a case of live horse and you get grass.
These gains would not compensate for losses in agriculture, food processing and services linked to agriculture.
Perhaps Cliiff Taylor might care to view the advertisement from the IFA on page 23 of the Sunday Independent.-Message from Rural Ireland Stop Mandelson WTO Sell-Out. This features the businesses affected. This is not just about farmers. Consumers health,food security and spin off industries linked to agriculture come into the picture.

Obviously Cliff Taylor would prefer to buy a pig in a poke.