Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)

I hold a clinic in Castleblayney every Monday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The people in Castleblayney know they can meet an Independent Deputy in their town each Monday night. This is what Members of the Oireachtas are paid for. I also hold a clinic in Carrickmacross at 4 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month.

My idea was so good that a major political party decided the very next week to run clinics every first Saturday. Is it a case of great minds or fools thinking alike? I was glad I was the first to have this good idea because otherwise I could have been accused of copying it. Maybe the people will realise I have set this trend. It will change the face of politics in County Monaghan. It is very important to locate one's office where the people are.

It is only in recent times that politicians have thought it worth their while to open offices in local towns. It is a new way and circumstances have changed. In the past, clinics were sporadic and constituents did not know exactly when they would be held. They had to watch the paper like a hawk to find out. Now they know they can meet a politician in a given place at a given time. This is why we are elected.

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