Government Leaving Down Cork

Within the last 12 months the Government has held one cabinet meeting in Cork City after which the Taoiseach announced that the ‘Government was committed to Cork’. The question is; is the Government really committed to Cork?

At the last general election the Government promised that there would be extra Gardaí on the streets. The Government has yet to follow through with this promise as more and more Gardaí get caught to do more paper work as the ‘PULSE’ computer system is not working correctly.

The Government also promised that the new airport terminal at Cork Airport would have air bridges. The Government have now reneged on this promised and have said that the new terminal ‘may’ have two air bridges. In addition to this the government promised that Cork Airport would not shoulder the debt of the construction of the new terminal when it becomes a separate corporate identity. The Government have now said the new Cork Airport Authority may have to bear part of the debt incurred in the construction of the new terminal.

Then there is the Incinerator in Cork Harbour. The majority of the residents in area are opposed to the construction of the incinerator but the Government is determined to push through with this project despite mass objections. The people of Cork are worried of the possible affects on the health of people in the area due to the emissions from the incinerator.

The there is the Cork University Hospital extension which was left idle for two years. Why? Because the Department of Health refused to pay for the extra staff needed to operate the new facility.

Do these promises and projects show that the current government is committed to Cork? No. What these show are Government promises changed to ‘maybes’ and the pushing through of projects that the people of the area are opposed to. Is this what you do when a Government is committed to an area? The answer No, the people of Cork will very shortly have a chance to show how upset they are with the Government as it is believed that a General Election is due in the next 12 months.