Candidate Web Site North & East Ward   Kieran Cunnane
	East of the River
Renmore..  Mervue..  Ballybane..  Ballybritt..  Doughiska..  City Centre..  Tirellan..  Menlo..  Sandy Rd..  Riverside..  Castlegar..

Here's my opinion on several of the Ministers.

Seamus Brennan:

Breaking up the Aer Rainta group seems to be based on a hunch, not backed up by hard data. Lacking bottle in relation to the Western Rail Corridor, for which he is requesting loads of data and analysis. He acknowledges that a "leap of faith" or "leap of vision" is required in the final analysis, but hasn't given a full commitment as of yet. The reason he's stalling on this vital project, because the ball is already moving on road projects, several of them completely daft. I believe the privatisation agenda has also been pushed on him by Bertie Ahern, Mary Harney and Charlie McCreevey, so he's merely lacking the leadership, vision and bottle to defend his portfolio. If he privatises Iarnród Eireann, the Western Rail Corridor will fail. He is pouring billions down the drain - one of the ministers most likely to do serious long term damage to the Country.

Micheal Martin:

Well done on the smoking ban. Ask any Doctor how they would improve the Health Service, they will say stop smoking is the number one priority. Trying his best to clean up the bureaucracy mess with the health board changes. Where he has fared poorly is implementing the Hanley report, which the 2 independent doctor TDs point out is very much flawed. He should scrap Hanley and listen to these two guys instead. He is tackling obesity causing foods, which again many doctors will tell you is a high priority. The obesity food tax he proposes is difficult to implement, because there are so many contradictory reports about which foods are bad for you, where does it end. Nevertheless, if he keeps at it, he could find a way.  The Greens are locall very critical locally that there is no real impetuous for getting free breast and smear tests in the West.

A Galway based doctor & member was consulted by local representative Niall O Brolchain who co-wrote our health policy. Where we differ from Fianna Fail is that we would have local health clinics to prevent the need for people clogging up accident and emergencies around the Country, (or on a local level around the County). Primary healthcare and preventative health are phrases the greens use - i.e. prevention is better (and cheaper) than the cure. We are also open minded about holistic and alternative health practices.

Michael McDowell:

Talks a lot, but hasn't succeeded in many of the changes he proposes. The bull in a China shop approach to resolving issues hasn't really gotten him anywhere fast. Has made enemies with just about everyone. He likes to mute people. He has muted the guards from talking to the media, which can be a useful tool in doing their job. Doing the same with prison officers. However, the biggest issue by far is his watering down of the freedom of information act. Very unfair in his treatment of foreign Nationals living in this state, as evidenced by his trying to fast track the referendum without adequate debate or a white paper.

Will waste a lot of resources if he closes Mountjoy, particularly the state of the art Women's prison which was opened in 2000. Although the rest of the prison needs to be brought into the 21st Century, the OPW has done considerable design work on plans for the renewal and upgrading of the men’s prison in its current location.

Mary Harney:

Largely reduced to job announcements, some bogus as we saw in Galway during the election. Her privatisation agenda resembles Thatcherism.

Eamonn O' Cuiv:

A genuine supporter of decentralisation and of the Western Rail Corridor in its entirety. He upset people by his U-turn on Nice. Has a tough job in pushing rural revitalisation. After a positive start the decentralisation policy has run into difficulty in recent months due to lack of consultation with the people it directly affects. The policy which has no strategic approach for its implementation. It which doesn’t estimate the overall cost of the policy. Minister O' Cuiv needs to be at the forefront in addressing these issues. I believe Mr. O' Cuiv, genuinely has the interests of the people in the West at heart.

Bertie:

Power at all costs is Bertie's aim, the good of the Country comes as secondary. Still very good at the media spin but has become more arrogant with the press, sometimes ticking off reporters on RTE. He's very much behind erosions of democracy and freedom of expression. He's an international lapdog who rarely steps out of line on a foreign stage. Bertie has no real vision. No one can associate him with any ideology. When questioned, he almost never addresses the actual points of the questions. Opposition seems to let him off the hook too easily at times.

Charlie McCreevey:

Has blown the boom in terms of services and now it's a regime of stealth taxes and cutbacks. He refuses to raise income tax which is the obvious way to free up money for services but unpopular. Many of the cutbacks caused by his policies have double and triple negative knock on effects, such as cutting back to education grants. The other thing he could do is raise Corporation Tax, which the ESRI says we can increase to over 17.5% without causing any harm to the economy. He could try out 16% to test the water. Looks after his friends in the Horse Industry. Profile not as high as the previous term. Our poverty statistics and public services are very poor. Even for the relatively well off, quality of life is not as good as it was before the boom but people have more  money and many of us do not see the big picture. Inflation has reduced, but we are still far more expensive and consequently less competitive than out European neighbours.

Martin Cullen:

Very much a dictator. Was given the environment portfolio as a stepping stone carrot. If he can stand up to all the environmentalists, something good could be in store. Listens to no-one from the public. Says he is knee deep in reports on incineration, but doesn't claim to have read any of them. I agree with one policy of his, which is the abolition of the dual mandate. He tried to undermine Micheal Martin on the smoking ban. He recently let big business off the hook on Kyoto fines, with the remaining 2/3 of the Carbon produces left to foot the bill. Has been nicknamed "Minister against the environment" and "concrete Cullen" by the Greens. This Minister is a disaster for the environment. He has set Race against Waste in place in a manner which works from the bottom up and doesn't allow incineration to be questioned. He needs a top down approach if he is to seriously address the waste crisis. The electronic voting fiasco has demonstrated his arrogance to the public and severely dented his credibility.

Frank Fahey (Junior Minister):

Corrib gas field failure was a big blow to him, but still wants to push ahead. He is one of the ministers personally responsible for giving away all the Gas field's potential economic benefit and wealth. His dedication is questionable - was found missing (away on holidays) during the smoking ban debate, which was part of his portfolio. Many of his comments are now at local level, giving out about anti-globalisation protesters or the slowing of the Corrib bypass. I don't know how he's perceived within Fainna Fail, but from talking with many local Community and Non-Governmental Organisations, he doesn't listen to constituents whose opinions differ in any way from Government policy. 

Brian Cowen:

Recently working on the Palestine Israel Conflict and capably represents the Country on these discussions. I'm very disappointed with his stance on Shannon Airport. The people of Ireland are being lied to repeatedly when it comes to our Neutrality position and this is unacceptable. Foreign affairs is very much a political game of not upsetting anyone; he plays the safe game very well. He doesn't stand out on a limb or express the Irish people's position on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. This is a shirking of his responsibility.