Election 2024: Seamus Boland — it all boils down to the economy and rural Ireland has been sidelined
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Elections, like Christmas, mean long shopping lists and like Christmas lists, children are warned that Santa can only deliver so much.
Of the many items on the rural election shopping list, broadband still remains. In 2007, when Irish Rural Link advocated that rural broadband should come to every house, we were roundly scoffed at by all and sundry economists.
Really? Broadband going to every house? In our innocence, we believed that since rural electricity was delivered in times of absolute poverty, it made sense that similar broadband delivery as an essential service should be a no-brainer. Thankfully, despite the naysayers, it's well on the way and will significantly contribute to a real sustainable rural economy.
Like electricity, it is now accepted by all, which is why we need to be braver about delivering the essential components of a proper rural social and economic order. Its arrival will present some challenges.
In particular, no clarity exists on how its availability will enhance and promote rural areas. Many experts suggest that broadband can improve the management of health service delivery. It can transform how we work, especially from home or properly designed workstations in towns and villages. It also has the potential to attract a different kind of knowledge-based industry from across the world, complementing the successful foreign direct investment strategy.
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In Ireland, 37% of the population lives in rural areas. Many of our large and small provincial towns were established in an era when transport was minimal and places were needed to service the sale of agricultural produce.
Unfortunately, many of these towns suffer because their original reasons for existence have changed.
All political parties have acknowledged this problem. While they may disagree on details, all have accepted that the substantial government support already given to towns and villages is welcome. Despite this help, there is a dawning reality that a significant re-invention of the purpose of towns, in terms of new services, housing, and niche enterprises, is urgently required.
Most towns no longer serve as market towns for agricultural goods. The rationalisation of how farm produce is sold has changed this orientation. Instead of the traditionally connected agricultural industries, we have an increasing number of large retail outlets, often built outside the town.
As a result, the town centres are becoming less occupied and sometimes less relevant to potential customers.
One of the solutions is a re-invention of purpose, which means a complete examination of the issue of local authority rates charged. It also means a concentrated placement of essential services, increasing the footfall and bringing people into the town centres.
In third-level education, we have a strange imbalance in terms of geographical location.
Universities are located mainly in Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Limerick. This is somewhat rectified by the fact that most of the Technological Institutes are in regional areas. Many have developed strong links with multiple industries based close by.
However, we need to ask the question: Is it enough? In practice, more and more students are now going to third level. Most will leave their local areas and not return, especially if they go to university.
Over the years, countless studies have demonstrated the need for balanced regional economic and social strategies. Apart from a bit of re-location of civil services, we have yet to produce long-term sustainable industries in each region.
Yes, there are exceptions such as Shannon, but these are few, and where they exist, they are almost there on an ad-hoc basis. Following Bord Na Mona's ending of involvement in peat excavation, the midlands were not helped by the loss of 400 jobs in Tullamore. These well-paid jobs are not being replaced, which leaves the area very vulnerable to any dip in the economy.
Speaking to GAA members, there is a real fear that many of this region's great clubs may not exist in another 10 years. Similar patterns emerge in western counties, including Kerry, Clare, and North Westmeath.
The growing older population and the challenges of providing a wide range of services, from health to Meals on Wheels, are also areas of enormous potential. The demographers tell us that this population will soon overwhelm the services. This, coupled with the decline of a local younger population, means that current state service providers must urgently plan carefully.
There is already the beginning of a national network of Meals on Wheels organised through Irish Rural Link. This network has the potential to deliver to the home many of the services required at a fraction of the cost needed to build thousands more nursing homes. The demand for such a network is vast and is expected to grow exponentially in the next two years. However, meeting these demands will require investment in training, development of high production standards, and the delivery of many services needed.
The other three urgent items on the shopping list are housing retrofit, immigration, and transport. Labour shortages and a need for more clarity on the finance available limit the official target of retrofitting 500,000 housing units by 2030.
The easiest way to manage finances is to make them more accessible to people through credit unions. There is also the need to tackle skill shortages urgently. Part of the problem links to the way we manage immigration policy.
On the one hand, accommodation is required where it and necessary services are unavailable, thus causing massive anxiety and stress in communities. On the other hand, there is a growing deficit of skills, which has slowed down any retrofit or housing momentum.
On a positive note, Local Link transport has been a great success. Much of the success is a commitment to provide the necessary funding and a significant service re-organisation. But it's not enough. Many people are still overly dependent on the car. Since they have no alternative, they cannot avoid paying the exorbitant carbon tax. If a measure was ever designed to embitter a sector against the severe message of climate change, then this is ingenious.
As in all elections, the results will boil down to 'the economy stupid', In rural areas where the economy is still centralised in Dublin or other cities, the perception of severe imbalance prevails and needs to be fixed.