EDITORIAL

THE battle lines have been drawn, or perhaps redrawn might be the more appropriate term, as we now know exactly what the four new areas are for the Clare County Council elections next year.

 

 

Set in motion by Environment Minister Phil Hogan, the report of the Boundary Committee, published last week, marks the beginning of a new era in local politics.

In Clare, winding up Ennis, Shannon, Kilrush and Kilkee town councils [36 members] and the reduction in the number of county councillors from 32 to 28, in four areas rather than six, will make for intriguing electioneering and debate leading up to next May.

The reduction of seats in Clare by a massive 40 – 68 to 28 – puts the squeeze not only on incumbents bidding to hold their seats but members of redundant town councils trying to remain within the local political framework. Several councillors have both town and county mandates so, for them, one safety net has been removed.

In every election you have to factor in first-time candidates, some of whom are bound to make the breakthrough, so there is no such thing as a safe seat.
Ratcheting up the intensity of the 2014 campaign is the reduction in the number of electoral areas from six to four, with new boundaries leaving some councillors deprived of quite a chunk of their power hub. Deciding on which area to stand in could prove critical.

While the divisions give a reasonable population balance, some communities see themselves cast into alien territory. The sheer geographical spread of West Clare and Killaloe has given rise to concern as to the relevance of the respective areas to people living quite a distance apart.

The new Killaloe boundary has hastened the decision of Boston-based councillor Michael Kelly to declare an end to his involvement in local politics. More long-serving councillors are sure to follow his lead.
It is 60 miles from the tip of Loop Head to Gleninagh in the north, taking in a swathe of the old North Clare area. It would be a safe bet to make that the majority of people from these parishes have never met and have little in common. This vast area, with a population of 34,500, will now have a representation of just eight councillors, compared to 27 (including 18 Kilrush and Kilkee town councillors) under the old West Clare/North Clare arrangement.

Much the same can be said of the Killaloe area, which also bites into North Clare. Also some 60 miles long, people in the Burren live in a totally different environment than those in South-East Clare. Both areas have different needs and six councillors will have to represent almost 23,000 people.

Shannon, though relatively small even with the inclusion of a few more parishes, has a population of 27,000 and will be represented by six councillors compared to the existing 15 (including Shannon Town Council).
Ennis, an amalgamation of Ennis East and West, has a population of 33,000, but representation will drop from 18 (including Ennis Town Council) to eight. This presents a challenge for party strategists in trying to ensure the town area gets proper representation, especially given the loss of the town council.

The Boundary Committee’s announcement has merely set the scene for what’s going to be an unfolding real-life drama, with unexpected twists and turns, until the final vote is cast. All we’re missing now is the full list of players; some are quite obvious but there will be greater interest in the newcomers who declare their hand.

Blazing an exam trail

AN interesting statistic to emerge on Wednesday morning was that blazing sunshine has marked the first day of the Leaving and Junior Certificate exams in two out of every three years.
This random piece of information was hardly on the minds of the 117,000 pupils, who streamed into the exams halls countrywide to tackle the first English paper. Maybe it could have been worked into some sort of question for this Friday’s maths paper.

More than 2,700 Clare pupils are sitting the State exams in 2013. Girls outnumber boys, 667 to 646, for the Leaving Cert, while it’s the reverse for the Junior Cert, 751 boys to 690 girls. In addition, 47 boys and 29 girls are sitting the Leaving Cert Applied. The fact that Junior Cert numbers outstrip Leaving Certs augurs well for the strength of the second-level school system in the county.

Over the next couple of weeks of trying exams, pupils will have to remain focused as they tick off the subjects all the way to Friday, June 21.
Then there is what seems to be an endless wait for the results, especially for the Leaving Cert pupils. The sum total of their endeavours will largely influence the direction in life that they want to take.

Many pupils already have a well thought-out plan, aiming towards a particular qualification and the start of a career in three or four years. That is, of course, dependent on the economy smiling kindly on their profession. College courses are also an option for those who might not be sure of their end goal but can transfer onto another course after a year or on completion of their degree.

Before making that all-important final decision, there’s always lots of advice from schools, family and friends, which pupils should weigh up very carefully.
The exams have to be completed first, of course. Good luck and best wishes go out to Clare’s Leaving Cert and Junior Cert classes.