Get involved and save our future

NOTHING seems to make sense anymore — except perhaps to the IMF and the bailed-out bankers and bondholders.

The Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs gets a 16% budget cut which will impact completely disproportionately on Ireland’s most vulnerable communities.

The Heritage Council suffers a further 47% cut on top of last year’s 30% cut and the National Parks and Wildlife Service suffers a 56% cut — both vital services that have not only done incredible work to protect our heritage but also have created and maintained thousands of jobs and brought much investment and tourism income to the economy.

According to the Heritage Council website, research conducted in September 2010 by economist Jim Power examined the economic value of County Heritage Plans.

The implementation of these plans between 2004 and 2008 supported the creation of 1,012 full-time jobs in small businesses with an estimated return of €30.1m to the economy. It is madness to jeopardise this huge boost to jobs and economy for the sake of saving just a couple of million.

Meanwhile, the poor and vulnerable are being stripped of their life-jackets and food supply and left floundering in a sink-hole. Really it seems our only hope now is to build our own rafts and try to save ourselves — by which I mean strengthen our communities and local economies by shopping local, growing and eating local produce, saving money by saving energy wherever we can — travel less, use public transport or share car journeys as much as possible, learn to use local natural and recycled materials to make our own furniture, tools, utensils and to construct buildings.

There is now an all-Ireland Transition Initiatives network with an extremely useful website (http://transitiontownsireland.ning.com) where you can look up your local initiatives, share ideas and maybe start a new initiative. Another big and growing movement that everyone can make an input to is Claiming Our Future (www.claimingourfuture.ie) — so the message is don’t just sit there suffering in silence — get involved.

Bob Wilson

Centre for Environmental Living and Training

Co Clare