Fine Gael plans dismal decades for local and community development in Roscommon

Posted on 29/05/09 by Rachel Doherty Fine Gael would remove the on-the-ground involvement of communities from local development and silence the voice of community development nationally at the cabinet table all in one fell swoop, says Cllr Rachel Doherty, Fianna Fáil local election candidate for Roscommon.

"Fine Gael's Local Government Reform policy paper would vaporise community and local development in every community. This sinister and anti-democratic Fine Gael document goes by the Orwellian title of "Power to the People.""

"These Fine Gael proposals are totally negative and show no understanding of the valuable work done at a local level with communities on local development over many years. I was appalled to hear that one of the many local development structures they plan to eliminate is Roscommon Integrated Local Development Body in Carrick-on-Shannon."

"They also put the creation of new jobs in rural areas at risk because they intend to eliminate the very approach that is so central to European Union policy."

"Fine Gael intends to stifle the "get up and go" of our local communities by absorbing local development in bureaucracy and strangling it with red tape."

"Unfortunately a Fine Gael proposal is ultimately a Labour party proposal because Labour will do anything to get into power including uniting with polar opposites like Fine Gael."

"Fine Gael's Local Government Reform policy hangs like a dark spectre over an otherwise bright and positive future for community development," added Cllr Doherty.