Irish Election Tales From The Farm Yard Gate.

 "Did ye watch that election debate the other night on the RTE telly?"

"I did not but I heard the who mans talking about it this morning when they came to give us some ration".

 "Dublin, Dublin, Dublin, Dublin..."

"Dat's all dem politicians talk about."

"If they give us all public transport here in West Cork  I would vote for dem".

"Oh look up in the sky.  There are pigs flying".

But seriously folk.  I will post a rock music post next.  I just wanted to give a few living in rural Ireland thoughts about the forthcoming Irish Election tomorrow:

There is a General Election here in Ireland on Friday.  Ireland and Malta are the only two  countries formerly British ruled that use Proportional Representation.  It is not: "First Past The Post" like countries like the UK use.  You put down your number one choice then your second and third choice and all down the list of candidates standing in your constituency.

Counting begins on Saturday morning and votes are counted and then they are transferred and eventually 3 TD's (MPs) will be elected in our Cork South- West constituency by Sunday evening.  It's supposed to prevent extremism and give a broader outlook of the political landscape. 

Traditionally when I lived in north west England I always supported Labour ("still do") but living in rural Ireland for over twenty years plus.  

I am also concerned about rural issues like the lack of public transport, rural isolation, the housing shortage and allowing people the right to build on their family land or buy and sell sites in the countryside, the future  for smallholdings, providing allotments and central government creating direct jobs and not relying on just the private sector or the volunteers to clean up the beaches.

 I am also concerned about defence.  Something which was not even mentioned in the television debate. You wou would not think a NATO member is so close to us and they could be involved a world war at any time.

Part of me says what is the point of voting when only the cities, towns and villages  get the infrastructure like public transport, street lighting, mains sewers, mobile libraries, mains water, bottle banks and pavements...?  

Will we rural dwellers get any of the above?  I doubt it. One becomes cynical and thinks that 21st century infrastructure in the countryside will never happen.  If we want tourism for the  like of hikers and campers on our beautiful Sheepshead and Wild Atlantic Ways we have got to put in public transport and make the roads safe for pedestrians and hikers and cyclists to use.  Roads built for  horses and carts and covered with tarmac and 80K speeds are not safe places to run, walk or cycle.

Sixty million Euros have been allocated in Ireland for the brilliant repurposed railway lines or Greenways since 2023 and our Golden Retriever Bronte and myself  have walked and featured on here.  

Imagine if a similar figure could be used to subsidise rural taxis and public transport (school buses/ private companies) for rural dwellers to get to the pub and shop and tour and work?   I am not sure I am going to vote for the status quo or more of the same tomorrow.

At least it's not like the Enclosures Acts in England between 1604 and 1914  when the Whigs and Tories took the common lands off the people and the poor moved to the big towns and cities started the Industrial Revolution and 1 percent of the population  still own fifty percent of the land and live in a unspoilt rural setting.   

Hopefully things can only get better.

Like my late uncle use to say:

"Time will tell".

Hopefully we will get some hope and a new government by Sunday night when all the votes have been counted and my constituency gets it's three TD's probably made up of 3 different parties?  I don't think any political party has held a overall majority since the nineteen seventies so it's highly probable that we will have another coalition party.  

I still don't know if I willing to travel to vote on Friday.   Would you?  Do you think there are things like amenities that you have to sacrifice when you live in the countryside? Like a pub or a shop or a bus to town?

This  blog post was written by a Anglo Irish smallholder who resides on a smallholding overlooking Bantry Bay in West Cork. I rarely get any Irish comments but I believe the diaspora around the world is 90 million are interested in tomorrow's general election.

You don't  need to have an Irish connection to leave a comment.