COMMENT: No place for Kerry in IDA drive to create jobs
Related Articles
Wednesday March 10 2010
IT appears the political necessity and not the need of the people is now becoming the guiding light of the bureaucrats and politicians who run the IDA.
Once again the agency charged with attracting foreign investment to Ireland has given Kerry a resounding slap in the face.
Despite the fact that Kerry's economy is crippled and the county has quickly developed into one of Ireland's worst unemployment blackspots, the IDA has yet again ignored the county.
Kerry doesn't even feature in the list of priority investment locations launched with great fanfare by the IDA and Minister Mary Coughlan last week.
This is despite the fact that the entire purpose of the IDA's vaunted Horizon 2020 programme is supposed to prioritise unemployment blackspots like Kerry.
A quick scan of the document and Minister Coughlan's remarks as she launched it gives a good indication of the plan's priorities.
Electoral need it would appear has once again trumped the needs of the Irish people.
The counties listed as priorities for investment by the minister are Waterford, Sligo and Donegal – all areas of massive political importance for the beleaguered government.
Sligo county, which has fewer unemployed than Tralee town, is the home of two dissident FF backbenchers who now hold the fortunes of the ruling coalition in the balance following recent departures of several government TDs from the Dail.
Waterford and Donegal, Mary Coughlan's constituency, are even more important as they will soon hold by elections that could decide the fate of the government.
Is it coincidence that these crucial electoral battlegrounds are suddenly to benefit from massive government attention? While we obviously acknowledge that the unemployed everywhere need help, isn't it unusual that such politically vital counties are suddenly shunted to the very front of the queue.
Kerry needs help and it needs it urgently but ufortunately it looks like we'll be on our own until we become strategically important in the political game once more.
Maybe it's time for our government TDs, particularly one Independent government supporter, to flex their muscles and see that Kerry gets its due.
