Catherine Connolly launches her Independent campaign

galway | politics / elections | news report Sunday November 19, 2006 08:53 by ray

The worst kept secret in Galway politics was confirmed this week as Cllr Catherine Connolly officially launched her campaign as an Independent candidate for Galway West in the 2007 General Election.

During a heated city council meeting earlier this year, Cllr Connolly told the chamber that she would run as an Independent. Despite this she continued to sit with Labour councillors and it was unclear for some time if she was actually an Independent or still a Labour councillor.

On Wednesday night Labour Councilor Declan Bree from Sligo launched Cllr Connolly’s campaign in The Park House Hotel. During the launch Cllr Connolly said that from her experience and work on the ground it is “very clear that people are looking for an alternative in this election”.

She also spoke about the various issues she will be campaigning on, such as health. “One cannot remain silent and watch as the Government shamelessly promote private medicine to the detriment of our public health service,” she said. “Quite clearly Minister Harney’s proposal to build a private hospital on the grounds of the Regional Hospital must be stopped.”

Cllr Connolly also raised the issue of the Galway City Council’s housing waiting list. She said there are now “officially 2,546 households” on the housing waiting list with many waiting between eight and 10 years for a home. She also pointed out that 54 per cent of all new households formed will not be able to buy a house.

Cllr Connolly believes these problems are not inevitable and “the measure of any civilised society is how it cares for its sick and vulnerable population”. As a result she is calling on the Government to “tackle the two tier health system” and “fund and resource a public health system based on need and not wealth”.

In relation to housing she said, the accumulation of land banks by the local authority and the construction of sufficient affordable and local authority houses together with the implementation of the Part V - which sees 20 per cent of a new housing development set aside for local authority housing - is the “most effective solution”.

Cllr Connolly said she is “absolutely committed” to the provision of public transport, park and ride, and bus lanes to solve the city’s traffic congestion. She also said “the lack of Government will and a foolish addiction to the provision of an outer bypass that will worsen traffic are the “only obstacles to tackling the traffic congestion”.

Cllr Connolly said it is time to “reclaim our city” and ensure its development “benefits us all inclusively”. As such she has called for the appointment of a city architect to ensure “development of our city is not developer led”.