An overhaul of government policy is needed to place rural communities at the “core of decision-making”, according to the Rural Independent Group of TDs .
The leader of the group and the Independent TD for Tipperary, Deputy Mattie McGrath, claimed today (Wednesday, August 16) that a Dublin-centric approach by the current government had “cast rural Ireland into the shadows”.
The Rural Independent Group of TDs believes that there should be a focus on “a people-powered approach to empower local communities across Ireland to thrive”.
Deputy McGrath added: “We categorically reject the current administration’s strategy of reducing rural Ireland’s economic value under the guise of environmental preservation.
“This approach is a recipe for disaster and imminent rural depopulation. Over the past decades, the geographical remoteness of rural areas has led to their exclusion from political and economic influence.”
He said that successive governments have repeatedly favoured an economic model that “elevates large international corporations and the foreign direct investment sector while side-lining the crucial small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)” throughout the country.
Status quo
The group of TDs is adamant that simply “maintaining the status quo is untenable”.
Deputy McGrath said: “A mere four out of 15 cabinet ministers hail from rural regions, and even the rural affairs portfolio is shared.
“This token representation is an affront to what rural Ireland rightly deserves.”
He said that his group of TDs envisages a different kind of government where local communities and regional development “will hold a distinguished, independent portfolio, empowering local voices to drive progress”.
The group of TDs said it wants to usher in a “new era” for rural Ireland and the TDs are adamant that their approach is not “mere rhetoric, it’s a rock-solid commitment”.
According to Deputy McGrath if the group of TDs is “entrusted with the responsibility of the next government”, it instead wants to foster “a true partnership between policymakers and communities”.
“The potential of rural Ireland is boundless.
“Our approach is grassroots, honouring the distinctiveness of each community,” he added.
Deputy McGrath is one of a number of independent TDs who have expressed an interest in forming “a new movement or organisation”.