How so convenient is this Nice coincidence

COINCIDENCE and convenience are comfortable bed fellows. It’s just a coincidence that farmers will be getting EU subsidy payments of more than €500 million just three days before the Nice Referendum.

But isn’t it convenient that the wonders of the European Union will be so graphically illustrated at this crucial time. Perhaps the cheques could be delivered by Fianna Fáil backbenchers in person as they’re supposed to be knocking on doors anyway seeking a Yes to Nice.

Equally, the contentious plan for the development of the regions for the next 20 years will conveniently not be published until after the Nice date. As the Government’s plans for the decentralisation of up to 10,000 civil servants are dependent upon the strategy’s proposals, that report is also being kept quiet.

After waiting for 30 years for a national spatial strategy, you could ask what’s wrong with waiting another month?

The problem is that the plan was supposed to be published last year and has been sitting in the Department of the Environment for the past 10 months. Since January, the department has said the report was being finalised and will soon be on the way to cabinet for approval.

At this stage, it will be a major disappointment if it isn’t written in iambic pentameter, such is the attention being afforded the text by department mandarins.

The reality is that the National Spatial Strategy has been shelved to avoid a backlash from areas which will be perceived to lose out under the plan. Not everyone will be pleased with its recommendations but if the report is to be effective, it has to make tough decisions.

Former Environment Minister Noel Dempsey all but admitted that the report was shelved prior to the election. Following criticism by An Taisce of the Government’s delay in publishing the report, Mr Dempsey said he had not wanted to publish the strategy close to the election because it would have been dragged into the campaign.

Now his replacement, Minister Cullen, wants us to believe the delay has nothing to do with another impending vote.

It beggars belief that half way through the National Development Plan, aimed at upgrading the country’s infrastructure, we still do not have a plan in place to decide where population growth will occur.

Equally the National Health Strategy is supposed to cater for the health needs of the nation for the next decade, yet it is being implemented without any consideration of where the demand for services will be greatest over that time period. Planning decisions are being made on a daily basis with no reference to the blueprint for the development of the country over the next 20 years.

At least, the decisions made under the National Spatial Strategy can be put down to proper planning for the future, but there’s a lot of political credibility riding on what towns will benefit from decentralisation.

Virtually every rural Fianna Fáil TD is looking for government jobs to be allocated to their constituencies. You can hardly blame them after Cabinet Ministers John O’Donoghue, Michael Smith and Dermot Ahern all decentralised some civil servants under their control to their own bailiwicks. Many of the 100 towns that made representations seeking Government Departments will be disappointed as it now transpires that the 10,000 figure was a gross exaggeration.

Government is about leadership. Leadership is about making decisions in the best interests of the country. Its about time this government had the courage of its convictions and let the people know what tough decisions are being made for the future development of the country. Publish the reports and get on with it.