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In our audit of the Midlands North West European election candidates, we asked candidates to answer questions on nine of the most pressing issues facing Ireland and Europe in the coming years.
Mairead McGuinness
The focus of my work has always been for and about people. My achievements reflect my work which has a direct and indirect impact on the lives of the people I represent.
Achieving the role of First Vice-President of the Parliament with the support of 75pc of members is testament to my ability to work with representatives of all other member states, which is how you get things done in Europe. I have used my position to build relationships and gather support for our Brexit agenda. I am very vocal in international media and in the Parliament. In the next term I would continue to work for a close relationship between the EU and the UK, with Ireland’s interests protected – so people particularly in the border region can live their day-to-day lives as they do today.
In the wake of the breast implant scandal, I was a lead negotiator on legislation on medical devices (now being implemented) to ensure increased patient safety. The legislation increases patient trust and confidence in medical devices but also enables innovation in the sector that ultimately saves and prolongs lives, and improves the quality of life of people – anything from hip replacements to heart stents. Over 25,000 people in Ireland work in the medical devices industry, many in the Midlands-North-West constituency.
On agriculture, I have pushed hard for fairness in the food supply chain for many years. My work paid off when Commissioner Hogan took up the initiative and we now have legislation that will – for the first time – curtail the capacity of retailers to squeeze farmers. It is a stepping stone to correct power imbalances and towards a more sustainable food supply chain. Farmers are rightly angry that the reward for their work is low with retailers and middlemen gaining at their expense.
Maria Walsh
I live in the West of Ireland, I see the effect of rural isolation and lack of mental health services in our communities. I want to deliver funding through establishing a European Year of Good Mental Health, which will bring additional funding to community groups in our region. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of resources for mental health services in the West and North West.
Brendan Smith
To secure Brexit mitigation measures for all sectors of the economy. We need a fair and fully funded CAP supporting the farming/agri-food sector and rural development. Infrastructural needs of urban and rural communities must be supported by the EU.
Anne Rabbitte
I worked in the banking sector in Galway for over 25 years, offering support and advice to a range of clients – from individuals, young families and those planning for retirement, to start-ups and established businesses. Such a depth of knowledge and expertise in the area of finance and investment has been cultivated over many years. It is a valuable skill that I intend to put to good use at the EU level. A key priority for me, if elected, is to target and maximise EU investment through the likes of the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank for physical infrastructure in the Midlands-North-West.
We need to improve the standards of transportation, for example, so people can have more realistic commutes between home and work. We need to provide the tools for a better work-life balance so people aren’t stuck in traffic several hours of the day.
We need to start thinking outside the box and our rail network is one area that we could look at overhauling. Why aren’t we investigating a high-speed point to point rail service? Why does it take two and a half hours to travel from Galway to Dublin on the train when there’s technology that could shorten it to an hour? It would then be a reasonable proposition that someone could live in Galway and work in Dublin or vice-versa. The impact on people’s day-to-day lives would be enormous.
We’re talking about an upgrade of existing lines, so we wouldn’t be getting caught up in planning. This would also reduce the potential cost, making the feasibility of the project more realistic and allow for it to be delivered in a reasonable timeframe.
Matt Carthy
If I am re-elected by the people of the Midlands North West, one major priority for me will be fighting the EU’s proposed ‘Vulture Fund’ Directive on creating a secondary market for non-performing loans – a proposal that aims to give free rein to vulture funds and debt collectors across the EU.
Housing is the biggest issue affecting people in my constituency. This Directive, if allowed to pass, will encourage the banks to throw their customers to the wolves, through the mass sell-offs of mortgages on family homes to vulture funds. It will interfere with any attempts to regulate vulture funds in Ireland, fueling the housing and homelessness crisis. I believe it can be stopped and I will my position as an MEP to do what I can to protect family homes from vulture funds.
Saoirse McHugh
By joining the Greens/EFA in the EU I could contribute to a strong stance on climate change and biodiversity loss so people in Ireland will not face the most devastating of environmental breakdown consequences.
Cyril Brennan
Workers Rights. I want to push for EU-wide legislation to increase the number of holidays for workers. I want to reverse the changes on pensions and ensure that 65 is restored as the normal age for receiving a state pension. If the EU has directives which lead to privatisation, I want to push for directives which extend workers rights.
Michael O’Dowd
As a parent of a young person with special needs I will highlight the way Ireland continues to treat people with a disability as second class citizens. Our failure to fully implement the UN Convention is an insult to all who believe in true integration in our society.
Patrick Greene
By facilitating the use of direct democracy (DD) in decision making by the people of Ireland we can strengthen our negotiations with bigger EU states that dominate us by virtue of their size, not their fairness. I will endeavour to bring direct democracy or citizen initiated referenda to this country and the EU. I can achieve a local direct democratic system very swiftly it will not be legally binding but I will treat it as if it is. Who is going to say no to the result of a vote by the people from a properly structured transparent voting system it would be political suicide for them to object. So by introducing DD I can make immediate changes that the people of Ireland can avail of. This alone will make a direct impact on their lives.
Peter Casey
I want the Midlands-North West to become the Mecca of Ireland, a place where people want to live and work and a place where they can prosper. We must revitalise rural towns and to make this happen requires hard work, more jobs and most of all, new thinking.
Fidelma Healy Eames
RURAL DIRECT INVESTMENT.
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Nothing but a money making scheme, how many accidents have been on this stretch of road? Soon these ‘safety’ cameras will be generating millions, at the expense of the motorist, on every motorway in Ireland.
@Hugh Fogerty: not really. They work really well in the UK. 120kmph is more than enough for anyone to be doing on any road in Ireland. If you know you will end up with points and a fine you just won’t speed! Simple.
@Hugh Fogerty: If people stick to the limit, they won’t get fined. It’s that simple.
@Hugh Fogerty: Very easy way to throw a spanner in the works of this money making scheme.
@Hugh Fogerty: you probably think taxation is theft too, yeah?
@Hugh Fogerty: If you’re thick enough to get penalty points on this stretch of motorway, and it’s very clearly indicated that it’s an average-speed zone, then you deserve to be fined and get penalty points.
@Hugh Fogerty: you don’t have much faith in the intelligence levels of Irish motorists do you? Only way this will generate money is if people speed.
@Hugh Fogerty: why would you need to go any faster than the speed limit? Standard of driving in this country is appalling.
@Edward Reid: vast majority of motorways in Europe are 130km/h… 120 would be low compared
@Hugh Fogerty: only the BMW and Mercedes drivers need worry.
@Hugh Fogerty: Quite a lot actually it is a spot that, quite a lot of rain water stays on because it was built on a bog and has been a lot of accidents with aquaplaning.
@Paul Furey: You can add Audi to that list as well.
@Brendan Nolan: quite a lot is an interesting quantum, not sure if I said not very much would that be as big a number? Without actual figures it’s all conjecture. I’ve never seen an accident on that stretch of road.
@Brendan Nolan: so what you are saying is that stretch of road was badly engineered?
@Saigionsive: taxation is theft when it’s not used for what it was intended.
@Hugh Fogerty: every day there are accidents on these roads. I don’t think speed is the problem though so this figure won’t change.
If compliance was below 70% on a road, would one not think to assess if the 120kph limit was still correct? Maybe that was a sign 130kph or higher would be suited.
* fixed comment – give me edit!
@Richard: I’m not sure. If you give more people end up taking more. They would push to 140/150 if the legal limit was 130. I think the majority of people stick to 120 as it is, only some people think they should be allowed to do as they wish whether or not it puts anyone else in danger or not. I’m all for each to their own but if you cause an accident just because your a macho man showing of or whatever the reason and it killed my family or kids it changes the situation. Slow down, enough families have suffered already.
@Richard: We need to start reducing speed limits.
Fuel consumption at 130 km/HR would be much higher than say 100km/HR..
Electric cars are not suited to high speed as they have huge battery consumption above 100 km/ HR.
@Roger Bond: that should be a person own personal choice and use of money to spend it burning fuel or reducing their electric range. 130km in most European countries as the norm on motorways
@Richard: What’s the point? Driving at 130kph instead of 120 saves you about 24 seconds on a 10km journey. Are we really in that much of a hurry that it’s worth the increased danger and fuel consumption? If we say Limerick to Dublin is about 200km which is a long journey in Ireland, that’s just 8 mins knocked off the entire journey! And that’s assuming a direct motorway with no slow-downs or stops. Each increase above that gives you less and less saving on time.
@Roger Bond: that’s why you should not buy toy cars.
Another nanny state intervention. “if you get to the next camera too quickly you will be flagged on our server.” How about people just follow the safety rules? Seems that the government has taken over the church for “rule following” and being forced into submission.
How about free will, trusting people to do the right thing and give them a ticket if they are caught speeding by a Garda officer?
@Seeking Truth: its more simple than this tbh.
It was simply put in to make money.
None of them gives a flying f… about people.
@John Johnes: Seems to be a way to let people decide if they want to throw money away. The average speed zone will be well flagged on approach.
@Seeking Truth: the issue with that is that not every person speeding is caught by a speed camera van, as there simply aren’t enough of them in place at each location. I think this new system will be a positive one in that it still gives people the option to speed, or not, while guaranteeing that they are caught if they do. Their choice, with consequences for the wrong one.
@Seeking Truth: so if you think this is a nanny state should we drop health and safety in the workplace and let the ordinary worker set the the standards or have none and more deaths. Should we not have regulations for electrical devices and import potential fire hazards from every country in a race to the bottom.
@Seeking Truth: Because, left to their own ‘free will’, a lot of people behave badly.
@Seeking Truth: we’ll they have being allowing people the choice till this morning, the result has been 6 deaths and 54 serious accidents on this particular stretch of road so if given some people haven’t kept to the speed limit they have opted to enforce the speed limit. I don’t understand the issue here, what is the issue with keeping to the 120 limit? Are you so important and or in such a rush that speed limits don’t apply to you?
@Peter: is that in the past week? That’s quite a lot tbf.
Do you have a source for those numbers? We’re they in dry conditions or other conditions?
Personally I think the speed limit should be variable, higher in dry weather and low traffic volumes, lower in bad weather and or high traffic volumes. We have regional roads that used to be safe for 60mph with older less safe cars yet we are now told we have to drive 80kph on them now. Its not about safety it’s about revenue generation.
As cars are being made safer and faster we’re lowering limits, doesn’t make sense, speed limit should be raised to 140 on major motorways in the right hand lane anyway
@pkunzip doom2.zip: at 110 KPH versus 120 KPH I get an extra 10% more kilometers from my tank of diesel. That saves around 11.00 euro per fill.
@pkunzip doom2.zip: if I set my speed limiter to 110 KPH versus 120 KPH I get an extra 10% distance. At current diesel prices that is a saving of €11.00 per fill.
@Rudy de Groot: that’s great for you, well done. When I drive my leaf at 115km I get 250km from a €6.40 charge but when I want to overtake some dckhead in a leaf doing 115km and I’m in my Golf I don’t want to 3 points for driving safely, well within the car and drivers capabilities
@Rudy de Groot: you’d get even more out of your tank if you drove at 80kph
@Anthony Guinnessy: not everyone is concerned about their mileage as you seem to be, if you drive at 80km/h on a motorway you deserve a fine for dangerous driving
Can these camera be used to catch drivers that do not Indicate when overtaking and undertaking ??
@lorcmulv: the answer is in their name!
@lorcmulv: and the roundabouts. In a normal world – whoever does not use their indicators are being fined.
If compliance was below 70% on a road, would one. It think you assess if the 120kph limit was still correct? Maybe that was a sign 130kph or higher would be suited.
just as well my old van wont go over 120km
It’s about time these got rolled out, they need to be put on every stretch of motorway in the country along with variable speed limits. Both have been proven to work for reducing accidents and deaths and traffic flow. If people are driving as per the rules of the road then they have nothing to worry about. For those saying it’s a money making racket I would say they are the very people that are being targeted, not to make money from them but to change the way they drive so they are complying with the posted speed limits.
@Peter: why then are most motorway speed limits higher in Europe? Ever heard of the auto bahn? “Measurements from the German state of Brandenburg in 2006 showed average speeds of 142 km/h (88 mph) on a 6-lane section of autobahn in free-flowing conditions.[3]”
^^ thats a proper road network and just as safe as ours.
I find if I put my speed limiter to 110 KPH I get an extra 10% from my tank of diesel. Considering the cost of fuel it makes sense to reduce speed and save money (and be kinder to the environment too)
@Rudy de Groot: I’d say you’ll find if you put your speed limiter to 80kph you’ll save even more. What’s your point?
Have we invested anything in preventing drivers from travelling in the wrong direction on this motorway?
Ireland catching up with the rest of Europe.
@FliepFlap: Ireland falling further behind the rest of Europe. Safer cars, better roads should mean higher speed limits.
Drove it this morning, main issue was drivers in the overtaking lane doing 120, makes it difficult when you come up behind a slow vehicle and cant pass for the queue of cars cruising in the overtaking lane.
Then once past the second camera off they are like rockets…
If there was a bit of dirt causing the number plate reader to record an 8 or 9 out of a 3 or perhaps a 7 out of a 1 there will be no actual photo of the car showing the make, model and colour of the vehicle so you could not dispute the alleged offence. Normally you are innocent until proven guilty. With this system you are guilty…full stop.
Good grief, the amount of whinging here on this Monday morning. Don’t speed! I do a lot of motorway driving and get over 200km extra on a full tank by driving 95-100kmh on the motorways. It means an extra 10 to 15 mins on a drive from Dublin to Kilkenny but its worth it.
@Paul Furey: no its not, an extra 16 minutes a day each way would be 24hrs extra a year (conservatively). That’s 3 working days you’re giving up per year. Over a lifetime you are losing 147 working days.
@Anthony Guinnessy: what a waste of sums. Leave earlier.
We know where they are hit cruise control at 118 kmph then away u go
@James Johnson: all cars are 4-5km overstated so 124 and you’d be doing 120
Be warned if passing these at night they shine a light across the motorway that’s absolutely blinding
Years and years behind…
It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s too little too late considering these have been around for years in other countries. Motorways are built for speed. How many deaths actually occur on them? Meanwhile the technology exists to measure your speed wherever you go! Most runners have watches that give all sorts of statistics about your run. Put one of these on every car that reports safe driving back to a central server. Compliant people get a discount on their car insurance. The discount is paid for by the reduction in claims this will no doubt bring about. If you frame it as a bonus for being safe rather than a fine for speeding you’ll get much better buy-in.
What about teleportation.?
Why must everyone else slow down just because of a minority of people who can’t drive properly?
I’m sure they’ll be really useful on the M50.
What happens if you drive too slow, surely the concertina effect is equally the same as too fast but slightly more dangerous e.g overtaking.
have your say