Infrastructure Bill is a dilution of democracy
I am referring to his desire to have the mandarin powers of the mayor of Shanghai.
Environment Minister Dick Roche’s new Infrastructure Bill is the embodiment of this further dilution of democracy and the removal of people from the planning process, not that they figure prominently in the current regime.
Former Environment Minister Martin Cullen’s words to the effect that there is too much democracy in the planning process are finally being realised in a piece of legislation that can only be seen as a sell-out to big business, predominantly construction, and the further centralisation of power in Dublin. This seems at odds with Junior Minister Tom Parlon’s zeal in his pursuit of decentralisation - or is this just window dressing?
The further erosion of local democracy is surely an affront to the special status afforded to local government in article 28a of the constitution. Its authors were wise enough to realise that a healthy local democracy is an integral part of a healthy state.
By its actions the Government has declared war on our environment and, by extension, our health. Now it has extended this to our democracy.
The Government, McDowell-like, should rethink its position. We can choose to drink or not.
However, our children and grandchildren will be able to do nothing about a degraded environment with cancer a universal phenomenon and democracy extinct.
Perhaps the Taoiseach is considering changing the Tricolor to red.
John Russell
10A McCurtain Street
Cork
