A RURAL regeneration campaigner has hit out at the coverage given to new damning evidence of Donegal’s decline
Charlie McCafferty says the CEDRA Report, which was launched last Monday received muted media coverage and generated little political debate, so far.
“The four Political Parties in Donegal have said nothing yet, as far as I can ascertain. There has been no local or national discussion, a full week after the publication of the CEDRA Report, regarding the fact that County Donegal is at the bottom of the Irish Unemployment table,” said McClafferty, a publican in Churchill and independent election candidate.
“A previous Teagasc presentation also showed that 4 of the 7 worst National Unemployment Blackspots were in just one County alone- County Donegal.
“The CEDRA report was compiled by independent specialists, economists and Departmental staff following a laudable and widespread public consultation process.
“The CEDRA Report’s launch was one of Rural Ireland’s biggest opportunities to highlight its crippling disadvantages and focus on the Report’s excellent Recommendations and potential solutions,” he said.
The full Report is available online at www.ruralireland.ie
The CEDRA Report contains two introductory prefaces, from Minister Hogan, T.D., Dept of Environment and Local Government and Minister Coveney, T.D., Depart of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Report was launched in the Museum of Country Life, Castlebar, by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, T.D. Minister Hogan, T.D., has indicated a willingness to attend the Seanad, in order to discuss the Report findings with Senators, after the Easter Dáil recess.
“Why is one of the main findings in this extensive piece of research, relating to the spatial spread of National Unemployment in 2011, not given a full page Map, or even a half page map, like other less relevant findings?” asked McClafferty.
“Why are the three Unemployment Maps, squeezed into Figure 9, on Page 35, not given a range of colour codes for separate categories, like all other maps in this report?
“Did it not strike anyone that the exceptional extent of unemployment across County Donegal warranted a mention in the Report’s text?” asked McClafferty
“I have written to the Teagasc research team to inquire how much influence the Department of Environment officials and/or Minister Hogan’s special advisors had on editorial decisions regarding the presentation styles used to minimise the visual impact of the Unemployment ‘Black hole’ on Page 35, that is County Donegal?
“I have also written to the RTE TV NEWS Editor to enquire if a news item, on the publication of the CEDRA Report, was filed by their Western Correspondent and staff attending the launch, and if so why it was not aired?
“The RTE Six O Clock TV News on Monday 14th April covered up to 19 news and sports items that evening, including stories from the USA (3), Ukraine (2), Nigeria and South Africa. Yet for whatever reason, Rural Donegal and Rural Ireland were somehow deemed not to be news worthy!
“The Taoiseach was quoted as saying “The Government has a plan for rural Ireland” and that “Change for the better is coming”. The people of Donegal keenly await an elaboration of his unknown Master-plan and I humbly remind him that, “Up Here it is Different – we Still Export Our Young People”.
“The Taoiseach may wish to re-read the CEDRA report and re-examine the scale of the economic challenges facing Donegal. He may even wish to consider a growing momentum for a discreet Government Led Donegal Regeneration Programme, if only to tackle the extent and unfortunate burden of the Donegal Live Register on the National Taxpayer, regardless of his Cabinet’s heretofore indifference and lack of compassion for Donegal’s Emigrants,” he added.