Young gun aims to give politics ‘a good shake-up’

HE is president of the students’ union at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) – a young gun admired by his peers.

Gearóid Buckley is now aiming his sights at a seat on Cork County Council. But the 22-year-old may well discover – the hard way – that more than ambition and confidence are needed to give local politics a “good shake-up”.

Although he has all but been ruled out by pundits, Mr Buckley, running for Labour, remains “confident” of a seat and maintains the experience of representing 8,500 students is ample preparation for a job where he would be working on behalf of almost 22,000 in the Bandon electoral area. Indeed, it is perhaps more than many candidates offer in terms of hands-on experience representing people, but can someone just out of college give constituents the leadership they require in these tough times?

The marketing graduate says he is looking for votes because he is “sick of the way things are being run”.

Among his gripes are a lack of services for young people. He wants to develop the town hall, perhaps get a cinema and a swimming pool, a playground and green area too. Mr Buckley also pointed to an 18-week waiting time at the dole office – one of the longest in the country.

So what would he do? “Begin a serious campaign to change things,” he says.

But where is the money for his grand plans in these straitened times? The council has it, he insists.

Mr Buckley maintains Bandon’s contributions in commercial rates are going straight into county coffers and are not being reinvested in the town. The community, he says, is not working as there is no strategic plan to bring people together and encourage diversity in business.

He is the man to change all this and by “hassling and campaigning” people until they listen, things then get done, he says.

One of the youngest runners in the county for a seat, Mr Buckley, who rose through the ranks at CIT from class rep to union president, admits he only recently joined Labour.

But he believes it is the only party which can lead the country out of the current mess. He is candid about his chances.

“Two weeks ago, I would have said the chances are very slim, but from the response on the doorsteps, things are looking good... We need change from the same old fogies... I will shake things up and bring life back to the community.”