Michael Ring TD - 'direct line to Angela Merkel'

snow ghost

I read the following article (see bottom of post) with concern.

Michael Ring is being lauded for getting major funding for projects around Westport, his home town.

As a Westport resident I have to question why the leisure centre here has been granted €350,000. Partly for the collection of rain water I believe.

Anyone that knows Westport will appreciate that due to the large amount of hotels in the town it is serviced by numerous top of the range hotel leisure centres that offer very cheap membership out of season. For a town of 5,500 people it probably has more great leisure centres than most large towns in Ireland

Moreover, the council run Westport Leisure Centre seems in great condition.

Is it just me that seems a tad concerned by such funding allocations? Especially when hospitals such as Roscommon are shutting down?




"Ring must have ‘direct line to Angela Merkel’ - Hyland


Michael Duffy

A local Westport councillor said last week that local Minister of State Michael Ring ‘must have a direct line to Angela Merkel’ (the German chancellor) after Deputy Ring’s department granted nearly €750,000 to projects in the town.

Cllr Christy Hyland, Chairman of the council, made his comments after it was confirmed at the monthly meeting of the authority that works on the projects in question were to start in the near future.

The funding will provide €85,000 for an outdoor fitness area beside the Greenway in the town; €75,000 for improvement works and floodlighting for the town centre McConville Park soccer pitch; €300,000 for the a three metres wide pathway through Pinewoods and King’s Hill and €350,000 for a variety of improvement work at Westport Leisure Park.

Cllr Ollie Gannon said the news of the funding from the Department of Tourism and Sport was proof positive that Michael Ring had the best interests of his own town at heart.

“I am firmly of the belief that Michael Ring does not get the credit he deserves. We have seen over the last six months what a difference he can make to this town as a Minister and we have seen that he is a community man who is not afraid to step up to the plate.”"

http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13902:ring-must-have-direct-line-to-angela-merkel-hyland&catid=23:news&Itemid=46

oppenheimer1

Nothing surprising about that really, considering there are four sitting government TDs from Mayo.

Bullshit like this is one of the worst aspects of politics in Ireland... Bloody parish pump politics.

Call me cynical but Mayo will find itself getting a lot of government projects over the term of this Dáil I bet.

recedite

snow ghost wrote: »

As a Westport resident I have to question why the leisure centre here has been granted €350,000.

Fair play to you for remaining objective about it. If only everyone else did, we could have a nice little society here in Ireland.

snow ghost

Seems we are doing well here in Westport, with a Westport Business Man appointed to board of Failte Ireland:

"Michael Ring TD, Minister of State at the Department of Transport Tourism and Sport has welcomed, among others, the appointment of Noel Kavanagh to the Fáilte Ireland Authority. Mr. Kavanagh's term of office will run until 27th May 2015"

http://mayotoday.ie/index.php/local-mayo-news/westport-news/item/3281-westport-businessman-appointed-to-f%C3%A1ilte-ireland.html

Personally, I just can't understand the allocation of funding to Westport Leisure Park and I don't believe people here in Mayo want such projects when it is more important to get the country back on its feet.

Bizarre stuff.

Sponge Bob

Roscommon has no tourism and Westport does....perhaps ???

Sponge Bob

And would the 3 metre pathway be a slush fund for the local subbies memtioned here...seeing as it looks like Lidl are paying for it too???

http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13907:lidl-to-opened-in-westport-by-christmas&catid=23:news&Itemid=46

snow ghost

To the best of my knowledge Mr Kavanagh owns the Wyatt Hotel next to Westport Leisure Park.

I believe that the Wyatt utilises the Leisure park for its guests as it has no leisure centre of its own.

Sponge Bob,

Westport is awash with leisure centres - no reason probably even for the council run one tbh, let alone give it €350,000 in further funding.

I'm sure such monies could be better utilised elsewhere.

goose2005

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Roscommon has no tourism and Westport does....perhaps ???

Tourists aren't really interested in indoor leisure centres. Roscommon made the mistake of only electing 2 out of 3 FG TD's.

Cllr Ollie Gannon said the news of the funding from the Department of Tourism and Sport was proof positive that Michael Ring had the best interests of his own town at heart.

“I am firmly of the belief that Michael Ring does not get the credit he deserves. We have seen over the last six months what a difference he can make to this town as a Minister and we have seen that he is a community man who is not afraid to step up to the plate.”"

Jesus. In the year 2011 we're still hearing this crap. Ollie, what if everyone in Ireland thought like you do? In fact, most of Ireland does, hence the hole we're in.

nesf

It's politics as usual. Anyone surprised by this is seriously naive.

snow ghost

I'm very surprised by the blatancy of such questionable funding in the current economic disaster zone that we find ourselves in.

I seriously don't think there is anything remotely naive about that.

nesf

snow ghost wrote: »

I'm very surprised by the blatancy of such questionable funding in the current economic disaster zone that we find ourselves in.

I seriously don't think there is anything remotely naive about that.

Seriously, politicians were doing the exact same thing back in the depths of the 80s. There's always some bit of cash floating around for elective projects and it always somehow manages to find its way into the constituencies of senior TDs of the ruling parties.

snow ghost

I appreciate that nesf.

That said I'm surprised by the overt nature of it, and not impressed to be honest.

In contrast I note down the road in Castlebar a councillor criticised Enda for not bringing home the goods for Castlebar like Cowen had for his home town.

I can't believe people actually still think like this and think of their own back yard instead of the good of the country.

Obviously Enda is clued up enough to know that if he did such things the media would most likely jump on him.

Scofflaw

nesf wrote: »

It's politics as usual. Anyone surprised by this is seriously naive.

It's still "aaargh", though.

aaargh,
Scofflaw

mikemac

The good people of Mayo are not happy
Enda Kenny is slacking, away up in Dublin and ignoring the people who put him there
What have you done for your hometown Enda?

Two Castlebar councillors are at loggerheads over Enda Kenny’s track record since he became Taoiseach.
Fianna Fáil’s Councillor Blackie Gavin has claimed that Enda Kenny has not delivered for his home town of Castlebar but Fine Gael’s Ger Deere has argued that Kenny is doing all he can in austere economic times.
“I’d love to see Enda Kenny delivering more to Castlebar,” Cllr Gavin told The Mayo News yesterday. “Tell me what has he brought to his hometown? It is time he delivered. Young people are leaving the town in their droves because there’s no work for them.
“Sure, money might be tight but it seems to be dished out in other quarters and let Enda Kenny not be afraid to deliver to his own town. You saw Brian Cowan when he was Taoiseach bringing stuff to Offaly. I was up in Tullamore and their IDA Park is buzzing with activity and the gates are closed on the IDA Park in Castlebar.
“There is a lot you can do when you are sitting around the government table and that’s where Enda Kenny is. It is time something positive came to Castlebar. Enda Kenny was long enough in opposition criticising the government, let him deliver now that he’s leading the government.”

Never mind constituencies fighting with each other
We have towns within constituencies doing it
There's bitter competition between Castlebar and Ballina for the jobs :eek:

However, speaking after the announcement that the VEC headquarters would be in Castlebar, Cllr Gavin stood over his comments.
“I’m a member of the VEC and I’m elected by the people of Castlebar to do a job there. It would be a very serious issue if we lost the VEC. Michelle Mulherin was looking for the VEC to be located to Ballina and I wasn’t going to sit there like a dummy and say nothing.
“If the VEC was lost to Castlebar, people wouldn’t be long asking me why I stayed quiet.”

Well I'm not in a position to say anything, sure we send Michael Lowry up to Dublin to get the goodies
He's not doing a good job, get cracking Michael

Arfan

And what about Scofflaw? Tell me what has he brought to his home board? It is time he delivered. Young people are leaving the board in their droves because there’s no work for them.
Sure, money might be tight but it seems to be dished out in other quarters and let Scofflaw not be afraid to deliver to his own board. You saw Dr G when he was mod bringing stuff to After Hours. I was up in The Gentlemans' Club and their IDA Park is buzzing with activity and the gates are closed on the IDA Park in Irish Economy.

*with apologies to the mods

Donal Og O Baelach

Arfan wrote: »

And what about Scofflaw? Tell me what has he brought to his home board? It is time he delivered. Young people are leaving the board in their droves because there’s no work for them.
Sure, money might be tight but it seems to be dished out in other quarters and let Scofflaw not be afraid to deliver to his own board. You saw Dr G when he was mod bringing stuff to After Hours. I was up in The Gentlemans' Club and their IDA Park is buzzing with activity and the gates are closed on the IDA Park in Irish Economy.

*with apologies to the mods

If he isn't delivering for us, let him not forget who put him there and who can put him right back out again. We're the laughing stock. People forget about us up here because we have no one with a backbone to speak out for us.

nuac

Guys, all politics are local.

Westport is an enterprising tourist centre. This investment will produce more business and thus more jobs

Noel Kavanagh has built up a major business. He is a man of great ability and energy, and would be an addition to any state board.

There is a can do attitude in Westport and in it's various organisations. There is a traditions of getting on with the job.

GetWithIt

Up Mayo!

Fr Tod Umptious

nuac wrote: »

Guys, all politics are local.

Westport is an enterprising tourist centre. This investment will produce more business and thus more jobs

Noel Kavanagh has built up a major business. He is a man of great ability and energy, and would be an addition to any state board.

There is a can do attitude in Westport and in it's various organisations. There is a traditions of getting on with the job.

I posted on another thread a while back that despite what most people think here not every piece of investment in an area delivered by a local TD is done so in a underhanded or scurrlious means.

The Westport story in like one in Killarney when there was a certain amount of uproar from the hotel owners a few years ago when a new leisure centre was built and paid for by public money yet the town had more than it's fill of pools and gyms in hotels, that were open to the public.

On the Blackie Gavin thing that is just bizarre.

Have FF politicians leaned anything from the debacle of the 2011 General Election or is he just having cut at Kenny because that is the only thing he can have a cut at him about ?

irishh_bob

FG
FF

two cheeks of the same arse

snow ghost

nuac wrote: »

Guys, all politics are local.

Westport is an enterprising tourist centre. This investment will produce more business and thus more jobs

Noel Kavanagh has built up a major business. He is a man of great ability and energy, and would be an addition to any state board.

There is a can do attitude in Westport and in it's various organisations. There is a traditions of getting on with the job.

'All politics are local'? Tell that to the numerous people from Westport that have emigrated in recent times.

These questionable investments will produce more business how exactly? You think collecting rain water from the roof of a leisure centre - in a town full of numerous leisure centres - will create more business?

This funding is extremely questionable and many people in Westport are not impressed by this one iota. It will generally not benefit the town and the monies could be better spend where they are better needed.

nuac

Snow ghost. I have lived in Westport for many years ( 70+)

I recall when there were few facilities for locals or tourists. Whatever about the rain, the tourism plant we now have did not fall out of the sky.

there were a few small hotels, the local golfcourse was a 9 hole swamp in Carraholly.

In the mid-fifties Tommie Brennan organised the first International Sea Angling Festival, bringing in parties from France, UK, and US forces stationed in Germany. It showcased the beauty of Clew Bay. At the time only one person could be found in the town to speak French. That festival, copied later alll over the country, brought in thousands of visitors over the years

Westport House opened to tourists about 1960 - a novel concept at the time, and is now still trading, attracting many to the area.

Thru the Tourist Development Co and later Ireland West the town gained the confidence of Bord Failte as a place worth developing as tourist centre.

That in turn led to further state and private tourism investment in the town - an 18 hole golf course, sea-angling centre, sailing centres at Rosmoney and Collanmore, further new hotels etc etc.

The Leisure Centre was built at time when there was none other in Westport. Nearest swimming pool was in Castlebar ( town about 10 miles east of Westport ). The all=weather facility was needed to grow tourism in town.

Later due to the tax reliefs of the Seaside Resort Scheme c 1996 ( thank you Enda ) other hotels were able to build leisure centres, but there is still a need for the original publicly owned facility.

The voluntary work continues thru recent successes in Tidy Town entries and further promotion etc etc all of which enhances Westport and area's tourist trade.

In economic terms there is a quick return to the community from tourism investment e.g. the Greenway from Westport to Achill, and Westport has shown that it is one of the best places for such investment.

More business = more jobs. Simple as.

Let us push for more and cease the carping. Congrats to Ml Ring for securing the investment.

Think positive people

Wildlife Actor

The govt ministers get to share it out each to heir own constituencies (Jimmy Denihan got 7m euro for some house restoration in killarney). Look at where the decentralised departments went and then look at who the ministers were in those constituencies.

Could you get a statement of all govt funding listed by constituency over the life of a government in an FOI request?

Of course the sad thing is that pork barrel politics is a part of our system. Govt ministers and high rankers have a conflict of interest between the country and their constituency and we the voters make it so they have to prioritise constituency. So it will never change. the best we can do is make bigger constituencies and make all govt funding to a minister's own constituency go through some anti-pork barrel vetting process (which they'll get around by doing inter-minister deals). It's depressing.

goose2005

nuac wrote: »

Guys, all politics are local.

Westport is an enterprising tourist centre. This investment will produce more business and thus more jobs

Noel Kavanagh has built up a major business. He is a man of great ability and energy, and would be an addition to any state board.

There is a can do attitude in Westport and in it's various organisations. There is a traditions of getting on with the job.

No, some politics is local. Some is regional, some national, and some international. And if Westport is so "can do", why do you then say in the same breath that it needs another big bag of black rent from Dublin (the average Dubliner pays €4,000 p.a. to the rest of country)

snow ghost

nuac,

I'm well aware of the history of tourism in Westport... however I am talking about the here and now 2011 and what I consider questionable funding worthy of analysis.

I believe that getting the country's economy solvent and working will have much more benefit to Westport than Michael Ring's home town funding.

I find that in the insolvent situation we find ourselves in that this funding is very questionable and should not be applauded.