The people will finally be heard — at local elections

The words ‘we the people’ are the foundation of democracy.

Those words refer to the power of the people to choose the path that the government should follow.

When a government that was elected by the people doesn’t listen, the recourse of the people is to exercise voting power. The erecting of gigantic pylons across the country has demonstrated that the Fine Gael and Labour coalition is out of touch with the will of the people that it represents.

The government parties’ TDs are not permitted to go against the predetermined Eirgrid pylon project.

The uproar heard from rural Ireland has fallen on deaf ears.

The Government’s determination to get this done, no matter what anyone says, shows they are not in touch with the will of their constituents.

There are local and European elections scheduled in a few months.

Considering the number of candidates that Fine Gael and Labour have in the counties affected by Eirgrid’s Grid Link project, the people have the power to make Enda Kenny and Pat Rabbitte listen.

Delaying the announcement of the final routes of the pylons until after the elections will not make a difference. Fine Gael and Labour are leaving their parties’ contenders vulnerable on this issue alone.

It won’t matter how vocal the local politicians have been on this issue, the fact that their party hasn’t listened to the people will work against them in the upcoming elections.

This is the way a democracy works.

Martin Power

Lismore

Co Waterford