Clare farm leader, Eddie Punch, has named the development of Shannon Airport and the return of political power to local areas, as two of his main issues ahead of his bid to be elected to the European Parliament.
The East Clare man stepped down as General Secretary of the ICSA on Tuesday in order to attempt to become Clare’s first MEP since Sylvie Barrett (FG) was elected in 1984.
Mr Punch believes that now is the time to rebalance the political power structure in Ireland. He says that the upcoming introduction of a directly elected mayor for Limerick could be a catalyst for increased devolution of powers at the local level. He also believes that the role of Shannon Airport must be strengthened in the years ahead to insure balanced regional development.
“I am really concerned about the tourism sector in Clare in particular. There has been a completely lackadaisical approach to tourism. The role of Shannon Airport really has to be brought to the centre stage,” he told The Clare Champion.
“When we hear this talk about the capacity of Dublin Airport increasing by 25%, while there is very little connectivity from Shannon to places like Brussels, Amsterdam and Berlin.
“That is a huge disadvantage when it comes to inward investment. It is a huge disadvantage to the important businesses that we have in the Shannon Industrial Estate.
“There is a directly elected mayor coming for Limerick. I think that should be the start of a complete turnaround where we bring back decision making to a local and regional level. The centralised decision making in Dublin and Brussels is not working.
“We need more power and decision making at a local level and let Europe do what Europe has always been good at.”
After spending the past 25 years working for the ICSA, Mr Punch is likely to get a lot of support from farmers and rural dwellers in Munster and Leinster. He believes that an increasing disconnect between rural people and politicians is driving recent events such as the Europe-wide tractor protests and even the result of the weekends referendums.
“I feel very frustrated that the EU Commission and the leaders at that level are detached from the people on the ground. Our own leaders have been too focussed on getting a clap on the back from Europe, and not focussed enough on what is good for the people,” he said.
“The disconnect is real. The fact that we have tractor protests right across Europe shows that the European Commission has lost touch with the reality of the people on the ground.
“They have brought in rafts of regulations, which is putting more demands on our farmers, but they have no concept of what that means in practice. I’m talking about family farms where people are flat-out trying to look after their animals to produce good food to put on the dinner table.
“They are stressed out with the challenges of running a small business and all they are getting from Europe is more regulations, and a negative narrative about the agricultural sector.
“I know what the job of an MEP is like. I have spent the last 25 years telling them [MEPs] what I believe they should be saying in the European Parliament. Based on my experience and passion I believe that I can bring something to the table.
“We have to be united as farmers, but more than that we need to be united as rural people. We as a country have a vital natural interest in the success of our agricultural sector. All of that needs to be stood up for in the European Parliament in a way that it hasn’t been up to now.”
Andrew Hamilton is a journalist, investigative reporter and podcaster who has been working in the media in Ireland for the past 20 years. His areas of special interest include the environment, mental health and politics.