O’Cuiv Anti-Urban Populism a Nonsense and Hypocritical
Statement by Councillor Dermot Lacey, Labour Party, Dublin City Council
29th August 2011
“The comments from the Fianna Fail Deputy Leader, Eamon O’Cuiv, regarding the new Septic Tank levy reflects a deep anti urban bias – in particular an Anti Dublin bias and coming from a Politician whose term in office was sustained by the millions poured into the Exchequer by Urban, primarily Dublin home buyers are both hypocritical and nonsense,” according to Labour Councillor and former Lord Mayor of Dublin, Dermot Lacey.
Contrary to the nonsense uttered by Deputy O’Cuiv, the truth is, that urban dwellers through the more costly property transactions in Dublin and other Urban areas and other taxes effectively subsidised and continues to subsidise rural Ireland and not the other way round. Eamon O’Cuiv should be careful in case he gets what he wishes for – Equality of contribution and distribution.
I would welcome such equality for Dublin.
Perhaps if Dubliners were reimbursed for the millions – approximately E500million for the period in which Eamon O’Cuiv was a Government Minister – in Commercial Rates, which his Government refused to pay to Dublin City Council. Perhaps if Dublin City Council was reimbursed for the excess in Motor Tax accounts paid into the Local Government Fund and redistributed to the rest of Ireland and there is more, Eamon O’Cuiv would have some moral authority to complain. However he never spoke up for such equality then.
Instead in his continuing search for a role as some sort of Rural Chieftain this former resident of Dublin 4 seeks to promote a stupid and outdated divisiveness that does no one any good except those in search of the local vote and cheap populism. We need to have an honest debate in Ireland about how we finance our Local Government system. I have been seeking this for years. Deputy O’Cuiv was a Government Minister for most of that time – he did absolutely nothing about it. I have no wish to penalise rural dwellers and am in favour of a balanced taxation and service charge approach which is fair to all. Perhaps Deputy O’Cuiv could now, in opposition, at least put his mind to that task. Simple Populism is no alternative to real ideas -unfortunately it still seems to be what some Politicians are at.
[…] see if his statement gets any coverage at all. Currently, I can only find it on his own website: O’Cuiv Anti-Urban Populism a Nonsense and Hypocritical | Cllr Dermot Lacey Let's see if our rural-dominated media give this statement the same coverage that they rewarded […]