A chara, - Responsibility for the rejection by Eurostat of Ireland's bid for Objective One status lies solely with the Government. It was as a direct result of its ineptitude and political expediency that this application has been denied - a decision that could have potentially catastrophic consequences for the people of the West, the Border counties and the midland region. As a result of it, the region could lose out on hundreds of millions of pounds and suffer dearly in terms of employment and job creation.
The Government's decision to include counties Clare and Kerry in order to ensure continued support from certain TDs, plus its failure to adequately devolve power to the regions, has resulted in the rejection of this proposal. It must now re-apply immediately to retain Objective One status for the original region, as it has only a month to do so. The priority for the Government must be the securing of maximum funding and resources for these 13 disadvantaged counties, which figures verified by the Central Statistics Office have shown lag far behind the rest of the country in economic competitiveness and wages earned.
The Government's role in this affair has also potentially damaged Ireland's position in the negotiations on the CAP reforms currently under way in Europe. The fact that the Government is now faced with two difficult sets of negotiations (CAP reforms and securing Objective One status) at the same time bodes ill for this region. It is certain that it will come under pressure from the EU to reach a compromise on these issues. Its record in recent negotiations and its abysmal behaviour in putting together the application for Objective One status does not help create an air of confidence about the outcome of these negotiations.
The people of this region are only seeking to have a level playing field. It is high time that they too also reaped the benefits of the so-called Celtic Tiger. The Government must not fail us a second time. - Is mise, Ald Sean MacManus,
Mountain View, Maugheraboy, Sligo.