General Election candidate Killian Mangan

Killian Mangan, Progressive Independent For Waterford, who is standing for the General Election in the Waterford Constituency, has said Waterford Airport is just the tip of the iceberg, with countless other examples of underinvestment in our county hidden beneath the surface.

“It is time for all candidates in Waterford to be more ambitious and to get serious on the systems which cause Waterford to be left behind,” Mr. Mangan said.

“As Waterford Airport monopolises the conversation, our county continues to be left behind in countless other ways. The €12m in public funding requested for the runway extension represents just 0.01% of the €115bn spent by the State last year, and I hope that all candidates and all voters in Waterford ask themselves in the coming weeks: ‘is this really the height of our ambitions for our county’?” he said.

“Instead of following some other candidates who clamber to show the strongest support for the latest specific example of underinvestment in Waterford before managing our ambitions as a county post-election, I’d like to push for greater ambition for our county and region.

“One clear deficit in our infrastructure is that in Ireland, unique among our neighbours, we lack a rail line between our 5th and 2nd cities. Think of how transformative a direct Waterford-Cork train would be for the local communities of Tramore, Dungarvan, Youghal, and Midleton along a potential new coastal route. It could revolutionise our daily lives in a way that a small regional airport, which some of us may use a handful of times a year at best, could never do. I am calling for a review to be conducted immediately on potential routes, and for other candidates to come out in favour of this common sense policy; the recent All-Island Strategic Rail Review 2050 left a growing Waterford behind yet again, and we must come together as a community to push for more ambition.

“Ultimately, I don’t think our singular focus as a county should be on any specific project; we have for years attempted to send our politicians into government, or elect independent candidates to the Dáil in the hope of delivering a specific project, while our county and region continues to be forgotten about by Dublin overall. At best, we get a motorway to Dublin. Other times, we end up with major compromises such as a proposed Waterford University becoming a regional South East Technological University or a 24/7 cath lab promise becoming an 8am-8pm service.”

RADICAL NEW APPROACH

“Instead, I am proposing a radical new approach; to work with others across the country on an ambitious plan to transform the system into one which is more democratic, more decentralised, and more decarbonised,” Mr. Mangan continued.

“Instead of relying on powerless councillors to ask an unelected local government to follow our wishes as locals, we must demand the right to elect a local government accountable to us, a right which exists around the world. Instead of asking Dublin for funding for each specific project due to living in one of the most centralised countries in the OECD, we must demand a radical decentralisation of powers, responsibilities, and funding to local and regional levels, so that decisions are made by those more accountable to us in Waterford.

“Changing the system will empower all of us and finally allow Waterford to thrive,” he added.