One of Ireland’s strongest exports is food and grain, and when I’m elected I will support legislation to further increase that export industry, as well as making sure Ireland’s rural areas maintain their reputation as world-class environmental locations, by protecting Ireland’s biodiversity.
The ANSWERS series will be updated daily until Feb 25th. All answers were those given by Dylan to questions received online or on the doorstep.
On the Vincent Browne programme on TV 3 last night I said that public money should go to public services. The situation whereby our tax (past, present and future) is being used to cover losses made by private banks is extremely unfair. Unfortunately the bank guarantee voted for by Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the Green Party etc. has linked sovereign debt to private debt. In this regrettable scenario it is essential that any bank that receives public money should be made to account for it publicly (eg. before a joint Oireachtas Committee).
I also said that while promises of burning bondholders might get you elected, we need to think about the long-term consequences for Ireland of any election promise we make. Irish banks have failed beyond hope. Bailing them out is likely to bankrupt Ireland, and defaults on our loans are likely unless the EU/IMF debt is re-structured. Unfortunately, even this might be too little, too late and we may be forced to default. In that event, those who took the biggest risks should be the first to be hit by a default.
In the meantime, we need to open our national accounts to scrutiny and make those who receive our money accountable for that money. This debate doesn’t end when the polls close on Friday; bailing out banks is a much longer process than that. That’s why transparency in our financial markets is so important.
The ANSWERS series will be updated daily until Feb 25th. All answers were those given by Dylan to questions received online or on the doorstep.
I would support putting a cap on the cost of ministerial cars. I believe the taxpayer deserves value for money across the board on all kinds of expenses incurred by ministers and other politicians. I think when all citizens are struggling financially and we’re constantly being spoken to about ‘austerity’, our politicians should reflect such prudence. Capping the cost of ministerial cars would be one way of both saving money and showing that every public servant is making an effort to act in the best interests of the tax payer in these trying times. They could also lead by example by using hybrid cars to show their dedication to lowering emissions and caring for the environment.
The ANSWERS series will be updated daily until Feb 25th. All answers were those given by Dylan to questions received online or on the doorstep.
During the ‘Celtic Tiger’ period, wages in the private sector increased rapidly and the public sector had to also increase the salaries paid to its staff, in order to attract and keep the best workers. While wages have come down in the private sector, it is not so easy to change public sector wages. This means there’s now a gap between some public and private salaries, and certain public servants and members of semi-states are now earning more than their opposite numbers in the private sector. When elected, I will fight to reduce private sector/public service animosity by making public sector pay discussions and agreements more public and transparent. I will also seek to reduce the number of political appointees to semi-state bodies.
The ANSWERS series will be updated daily until Feb 25th. All answers were those given by Dylan to questions received online or on the doorstep.
I don’t view this as a priority right now. 18 is a reasonable voting age. Unfortunately, too few 18 to 30 year olds vote. I want to change that in this election.
The ANSWERS series will be updated daily until Feb 25th. All answers were those given by Dylan to questions received online or on the doorstep.
I believe the licence fee system needs a massive overhaul to reflect the changed way that people access TV programmes and the news. When elected, I will support any move by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, RTE and the commercial media channels, as well as digital television services to find a way to reduce the cost of the licence fee but making sure that RTE remains independently funded and free from political interference, so that it can produce the best independent programmes possible on television, radio and the internet.
The ANSWERS series will be updated daily until Feb 25th. All answers were those given by Dylan to questions received online or on the doorstep.
It’s hugely important to have new voices and new faces in the Dail. With the majority of TDs male and over the age of 50, it’s also important to introduce a greater balance in terms of both age and gender. You don’t have to be in government to make a difference. You don’t even have to be in a party. In Dail Eireann, I will be a voice to hold politicians to account for the promises that they made. Even though I am unaffiliated with any party or alliance it will be possible to form a technical group with other independent TDs for speaking rights. There’s also lots of important work to be done on committees, so hopefully I will also have influence in those forums.
My commitment is to have no blind or tactical allegiances – I will use my voice and vote to support ideas and initiatives that I believe are in the national interest rather than parties or people.
In addition, plenty of my initiatives in my policy document don’t necessitate me being in government or having the support of a party, such as setting up a monthly constituency forum in Dublin South East, or establishing a Creative Investment Fund with one quarter of my salary.
The ANSWERS series will be updated daily until Feb 25th. All answers were those given by Dylan to questions received online or on the doorstep.
Yes. We have banned discrimination on the basis of physical disability from the workplace and we must ban it from the democratic process. Everyone must be able to vote and I will work to make sure nobody is excluded from exercising their rights.
The ANSWERS series will be updated daily until Feb 25th. All answers were those given by Dylan to questions received online or on the doorstep.
I believe that taxpayers’ money should be used to pay for public services rather than propping up failing banks. Such was the failure of our banking system that banks were able to hide their debts from both government and regulators for decades and the money needed to re-capitalise them is endless.
Banks should be broken up, and failed sections allowed to collapse. While the blanket bank guarantee voted for by Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the Green Party and Sinn Féin has had disastrous consequences, it would not help economic stability to reverse these decisions.
The blanket guarantee was supposed to help consumer confidence and assist the banks start lending to small firms. That hasn’t worked. Irish companies are still failing because their credit line has been cut off, despite billions having been poured into the banks.
We need to find new, affordable and sustainable ways to plug the hole in the banking sector and get Irish banks back to work. This ultimately means letting some fail.
Unfortunately, it is not certain that it would even be possible to recover the funds already lost.
The ANSWERS series will be updated daily until Feb 25th. All answers were those given by Dylan to questions received online or on the doorstep.
Yes. I believe that it’s time to update our laws from the 1911 Protection of Animals Act to reflect our society’s view on animal welfare. I would support legislation to end the existence of puppy farms.
The ANSWERS series will be updated daily until Feb 25th. All answers were those given by Dylan to questions received online or on the doorstep.
