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Latest A5 delay “totally unacceptable”

Aontú Councillor, Rosemarie Shields, has said that the delay in the A5 project is “totally unacceptable” in order to make up the shortfall of the mounting costs of the National Children’s Hospital.

The A5 Road which has been beset by delays has suffered yet another blow with news that €27 million which was earmarked for the project will be delayed.

Cllr Shields said:

“It is disgraceful that the southern government have been so cavalier about the crippling cost overruns of the National Children’s Hospital. Now we’re witnessing an outplaying of their carelessness and mismanagement.

“The A5 Dublin to Derry road will now be further delayed due to cost overruns at the Hospital. This upgrade was jointly funded by the Irish and British Governments. Indeed, a pledge of £400 million for the project by the Irish government as part of the St Andrews Agreement back in 2006 was downgraded to a sum total of £125 million in the following years. Now further cuts are being implemented.

“Leo Varadkar has already put a gloss on these gross delays – labelling the exercise as “the reprofiling of payments” rather than admitting to the catastrophe that it is. The Irish government pledged last year that there would be a big focus on regional development. However the ease at which Varadkar can postpone critical projects shows how much regard he really holds for All-Ireland infrastructure and economy.

“It’s shocking that Fianna Fáil/SDLP are allowing this to happen. Fine Gael governs on the basis of Fianna Fáil’s support. Fianna Fáil is paralysed in the south by a leader that is politically paralysed and refuses to make a decision. Accountability with regards waste is the first step to preventing it in the future. Yet FF/SDLP are refusing to hold the southern Minister for Health to account for fear that it might cause an election they are not prepared for. And all the while key infrastructure for the north slips further into the future.”
 

By Aontú Press | 13 February, 2019



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The Irish political system is radically broken



In Ireland the vast majority of elected representatives put a finger in the air to check which way the political wind is blowing. They have one eye on their leaders – seeking brownie points – and another eye keeping their seat safe. If elected reps shut up and do as they’re told, they are promoted; if they stand up for what they believe in, they are demoted. No wonder we have the political class we have. No wonder one point one billion euro is being buried in a hole under the National Children’s Hospital and that Stormont is in stalemate.



Throughout Ireland, many people are now afraid to say what they feel, many are afraid to respectfully engage on a range of different topics. Many feel there is a new censorship and a new political correctness in Ireland, that opposition to the establishment is being deleted.



Respectful opposition is not the enemy. Respectful opposition is a critical element of a functional democracy. Aontú will have the backbone to stand up, without fear, for you.




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