Don’t take away hope, pleads priest
Fr Pat Hogan made his comments as controversy continues over comments by Defence Minister Willie O’Dea that the Government hasn’t the money to fulfil its part of the deal.
Distrust, he said, had grown between the people and the powers that be in the city.
Fr Hogan said: “These are people who have lived without hope for a long, long time that anyone would do anything for them. Regeneration came and raised their hopes. To make statements like handing back regeneration to the city council, no money, knocks the hope out of people.
“I think our leaders have no right to take the hope out of people’s lives.
“At a residents’ meeting the other night they were saying ‘do they take us for fools? We are not fools, we know there is an economic downturn but we can wait a little longer, but don’t take our hope’.”
Fr Hogan said people were sick at the thought that the regeneration programme would not proceed.
The Government pledged €1.7 billion in 2007, but much could be done now for a fraction of that sum. Fr Hogan said €50 million had been spent so far and €500m over 10 years could achieve an awful lot.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael MEP Sean Kelly yesterday called on the Government to access EU funds to reignite the regeneration.
Mr Kelly said he has succeeded in amending EU legislation to make such projects eligible for aid.
“I have worked in the Regional Development Committee to get projects such as in Limerick included under the EU funds heading. I am delighted now to see the entire European Parliament has voted through these changes to give Limerick a chance to recover from the crisis which it is suffering.”
