Our country’s natural resources are being squandered by politicians

Party politics as practised in Ireland is no longer fit for purpose.

It corrodes democracy and makes a mockery of the nation’s constitution. We need a robust restructuring of the system which would enable people to nominate representatives who have attained the various economic, academic, industrial, scientific, humanitarian or human resources skills to see us into the future.

We need representatives who, in a restructured Parliament, will be able to represent the will of the majority of their constituents without fear or favour.

Any government which places our Irish natural resources in the hands of private enterprise, jeopardizing exchequer revenues and jobs are betraying the people.

We pay them enough to put skilled management in place to successfully run state-owned industries on behalf of the people.

Just consider some of the decisions made by successive governments on behalf of the people. The beet industry with its potential to manufacture, not only sugar, but biofuels, was unnecessarily closed down.

Look at the Eircom fiasco, which by now should be wholly state-owned and servicing a nationwide broadband network, instead it was stripped and changed hands multiple times.

Look at our Government’s policy on oil and gas resources, ceding ownership and handing control to the oil industry. Look at our vast fisheries potential pawned off to the European Union. Look at Bórd Gais, sold for a song while an international gas conglomerate sit on over one trillion cu.ft. of natural gas a few miles off our shore just waiting for a pipeline link to Britain and Europe to be completed.

Look at a 700,000 Irish customer base handed to the British energy company Centrica which has been mired in controversy in the UK .

Look at the dismantling of our energy resources which should be retained in Irish control so we can develop a cohesive energy plan establishing an indigenous industry.

Look at the beef industry with hard-working farmers squeezed on prices while the beef barons can buy former bank headquarters.

Look at the way the system has favoured rogue banks and penal evictions while the ongoing scandal of patients on trolleys in hospital corridors persists in 21st Century Ireland.

And then look at Irish Water, even in its embryonic stage we can see a public funds-consuming monster emerging.

We really do need to deal with Ireland’s number one problem — complacency.

Joe Brennan

Ballinspittle

Co Cork