Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

They could have stood up tonight and given us the chance to have a vote and to let people at home see who was who and what was what. After this, we are going to have Fine Gael Deputies going around and talking about rural Ireland. They will say they did this, that and the other thing for rural Ireland. If they are asked what they did about the Minister, Deputy Ross's Bill, they can mutter and they can stutter but the one thing they will be able to say is that they did not vote with the Minister. When there is no vote on amendments like these, there is no record of them voting against the Minister but they can still say that they were not with him either. They can do the thing that every one of us hates to see. They will be able to walk both sides of the white line. They will have one leg in one camp and one leg in the other. They will be looking for support in rural Ireland and if the Minister wants my honest opinion, they will not deserve it. I think they are letting their constituents down but it is not for me to criticise other politicians; they can speak up for themselves.

I am really worried about what is going on here. I am worried about the future of rural Ireland. I have seen what has happened to our post offices. It is happening today. I am sure the Minister is aware that 390 letters went out today to post offices around the country telling them of their futures and offering them a compensation package to close their doors. There has been a campaign throughout the past to close down rural Ireland. We have had it with the small shops. In the village I am from, there were six pubs and 26 shops. There are now two shops and three pubs. That is only indicative of every other small parish and every other small rural community. They have knocked it away chip by chip. Back in Lauragh there was a great public house, the Shebeen, and I recall the number of times over the years that our late father went there to do our clinics. To think that I must pass that door now, which is closed permanently, to be honest it is sad.

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