Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)

Reforming the Oireachtas will be a waste of time unless we reform the way local government works as well. If Ireland wants to do well, it needs places such as Roscommon, Leitrim, Wexford and Limerick to do well. Unless those pieces of the jigsaw are right, we cannot put the whole jigsaw together properly.

I got involved in politics and democracy because I thought that if I put my name forward and got elected, I would have the power to address issues of concern. From my experience as a member of Roscommon County Council, I would advise people with any drive, ambition or ideas to stay a million miles away from local government under the current system, because they would be wasting their time. Their input would not be taken into account because they would have no power to do anything.

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