Renua Ireland’s Mailo Power is criss-crossing Waterford this week in a last minute bid to persuade more voters to the cause of the party led by Lucinda Creighton.
Said Ms Power: “It’s been a very hectic few weeks but it’s been incredibly invigorating at the same time.
“Last Saturday alone, we began our morning canvassing in Ardkeen and from there we hit the road, headed west and had a great welcome in Abbeyside, Dungarvan, Ardmore, Lismore and Ballysaggart. It’s been a real whirlwind of a campaign and I have to say we have met a very receptive and supportive message.
“Of course, whether the mood on the doorsteps is reflected in terms of votes will only be ascertained on Saturday during the count, but I am very proud of the campaign we have conducted across Waterford city and county. We didn’t have the machinery of a larger scale party; after all we’ve only been in existence for less than a year, but I can say, hand on heart, that we couldn’t have put in a more wholehearted effort and I’m very proud of the impact Renua Ireland has made over the course of this campaign.”
One of the key planks of Renua’s manifesto has been the 23 per cent flat tax rate, which Ms Power said is “all about liberating working people so they can earn more without having the tax man seize half their income”.
She added: “But the first and most important point about Flat Tax is that it is designed to be a fiscal agent of social change. Flat tax is has been designed to create a country where workers from the minimum wage, through to middle and higher incomes can thrive and be rewarded for working hard.”
The other Renua-exclusive policy that has catalysed public debate has been their proposed ‘three strikes’ sentencing regime.
“We will direct the Law Reform Commission to identify and recommend specific serious offences which will be subject to a ‘Three Strikes’ sentencing regime,” said Mailo Power.
“Judicial discretion on the application of the three strike rule would only be allowed in exceptional circumstances.
“We are proposing radical and practical changes that will leave the insider culture of privilege and entitlement in the past.”
On a local front, Ms Power re-iterated the anger she expressed during the Waterford Chamber election debate, which must like seem like an age ago for the candidates.
“We will restore the ownership of communities over local services and undo the damage caused by the changes of this coalition and we will restore Waterford’s city status, hijacked by Phil Hogan in 2014, the year of 1100th anniversary as Ireland’s oldest city.”
