Marie Louise O'Donnell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

May I add something? When I was speaking about Naas, I did not mean to undermine the wonderful town that it is. I was really talking about the dumbing down of the shops and the big Tesco taking over the whole life force and pulling it out of the town. That is bad planning. In Naas, McAuley Place is one of the greatest and most creative places for older people to live in the middle of the community. It is the greatest template for the rest of the country. Therefore, there are incredible things going on. I was really giving that as an example and Dr. Hughes knows his geography better than that. However, it sort of questions his great theory about satellite towns near a great city pulling or being able to pound on the tentacles of the great city. Where is that theory there? In one way, I understand it but, in another, Dr. Hughes is saying that a town must stand up for itself and be totally independent and that it cannot be dependent on a big city and must do it for itself. Therefore, where is the theory?