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INDEPENDENT IRELAND HAS pledged to freeze “green taxes”, create a Department of Efficiency and subsidise rental accommodation for front-line workers as part of its general election manifesto.
It has also pledged to expand light rail services to all 26 counties in the state, committing to complete a feasibility study on this within the first two years in government.
Launched today in Athlone, the document is a short and concise manifesto titled ‘Common sense solutions for a better Ireland’ spanning 25 pages.
Independent Ireland was set up by Cork South-West TD Michael Collins and Limerick TD Richard O’Donoghue last November.
The party currently has three TDs, Collins and O’Donoghue alongside Michael Fitzmaurice. In June, its candidate, the former RTÉ correspondent, Ciaran Mullolly secured a European Parliament seat, while the party also returned 23 local councillors in its first election.
Under its climate section, Independent Ireland pledges to abandon the “unachievable and destructive net zero agenda” and instead adopt a “common sense approach that protects our economy and environment together instead of sacrificing one for the other”.
It also pledges to expand the use of floating gas terminals as it deems this a “clean” energy source.
Its main pledge is the creation of a Department of Efficiency and Reform to act as an independent watchdog of government spending.
The party says this Department would target €2b a year in savings through improved efficiencies.
It sets out how the Department would operate similar to the Revenue Commissioners or Hiqa and would be recruited from the private sector, dedicated to monitoring and improving public sector spending with the power to conduct unannounced audits of public bodies, NGOs and agencies.
Independent Ireland says it would cost €45m to establish the new Department, but that it would have a goal to deliver 10% savings on 2024 government spending.
On housing, the party wants to “declare” a housing emergency, incentivise vacant property development and reduce VAT on building materials to spur construction.
On the cost-of-living, the party has pledged to raise the entry point to the 40% rate of tax to €50,000 per year and reduce taxation on overtime to fill staff shortages and “reward hard work”.
It has also pledged to subsidise rental accommodation for front-line workers, including nurses, junior doctors, teachers, gardaí, members of the Defence Forces and Fire Services.
It also pledges to reduce VAT to 9% for tourism and hospitality, excluding accommodation.
Elsewhere, it pledges to abolish the means test for carers, automatically issue medical cards to patients undergoing cancer treatment for the duration of the treatment, and “curtail issue of medical cards to IPAS applicants”.
The manifesto hits out at a “city centric” Cabinet and a “green agenda that disproportionately targets our agricultural sector”.
It promises to oppose any mandatory cull of the national herd, oppose any reduction in derogation level and support farmers with water quality challenges, and ensure farmers will not be forced to re-wet their land.
On crime, the party pledges to oppose any hate-speech legislation, ensure year-round access to criminal courts, and implement stricter sentencing guidelines for serious and violent crimes.
It also pledges to prevent sex offenders from legally changing their name to avoid detection in the future and oblige gardaí to notify schools of registered child sex offenders in the area.
On immigration, the party says it supports “legal” immigration, but highlighted that it remains “one of the most pressing issues facing Ireland in 2024″.
On asylum seekers, the party pledges to expedite applications and eliminate wasteful spending.
It also pledges to “deport incarcerated foreign nationals immediately after their prison sentence ends”.
On the European Union, the party says it is supportive of Ireland’s role in the EU but opposes joining a multinational EU Defence Force.
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Lucas for every county? How would that work? Where would the stations be? Price of all the CPOs including agricultural land? Bloody bonkers stuff.
@Paul Fahey: not that bonkers. Been saying it for years. Need to work on public transport outside of Dublin, Cork, Galway. Public transport is awful.
It might cost but the benefits and profits outweigh these issues. Plus could reduce emissions.
Saying all that they will make a mess of it anyway.
@Rafa C: yes work on public transport doesn’t mean building a Luas in every county. Do you think they can just cut through thousands and thousands of miles of peoples land for free?
@Paul Fahey: I needed a laugh this morning, and I got one , ” inter-county luas” ohh dear. Glad I have my mind made up who to vote for.
@Rafa C: Does Galway have public transport, I doubt too many people would agree with you. Even public transport in Dublin is dreadful by International standards.
@The Firestarter: Galway does, and a new station Oranmore which I have used , when we lived there Michael D was campaigning for the 2007 election and showed be the concept for the Galway Luas, it was essentially a bendy bus run on electric overhead lines, no tracks but rather wheels. In those days there wasn’t a regular bus service from Oranmore now there is as the intercity buses don’t go through that much.
@Rafa C: A Luas in Leitrim would actually increase emissions. One passenger per Luas trip
@Rafa C: Ever heard of a cost benefit analysis?!?!….. Some projects aren’t viable. And in the majority of counties a Luas isn’t viable!
@Cole Palmer: they cut through people’s land in Dublin for free for bus lanes.
A Luas for Letrim …. Really … ? Where are they all going to … ?
@Colm Doyle: Dublin…
@Colm Doyle: sure Ind-Ire joined the same eu group as FF
@Colm Doyle: starts at a pile of rocks, stopping at a lake, a bog, a field full of rocks and finishing up at the house in the big field.
Seriously this lot are as clueless as SF
@Trump24: Imagine supporting Trump and thinking SF are a problem. SF would be considered saints compared to trump
@Ollie McGlinchey: You really need to stop using people with Autism as an insult, I understand you’re probably not capable of writing probably and will be of low intellectual level, but using a disability to insult isn’t what decent people do.
@Ollie McGlinchey: juvenile reaction
@Ollie McGlinchey: I’ve reported this by the way.
@Ollie McGlinchey:
People with autism are among some of the the most cleverest people going.
Your comment is ignorant.
@Ollie McGlinchey: Catch yourself on, Muppet.
@Mary.E.: Yep ……and most geniuses are slightly or more within the spectrum as the view things differently.
@Ger Whelan: Yeah but SF have scarey issues in relation to child protection.
@Ger Whelan: Trump won bigly, Republican Party won bigly, get over it and stop being a wet nappy
@Trump24: And so has your hero!
A Luas for everyone in the audience.
@Don’t Forget: it gets dafter and dafter
Didn’t Dustin the turkey promise a Dart to Dingle – and we thought e was being sarcastic.
@Thomas Sheridan: a Dart is really more of a heavy rail solution so not so sustainable!!!
@T S: Actually the Dart+ is
They hope to achieve 10% savings in public spending while subsiding rent for frontline workers and building a Luas in every county? Isn’t this completely contradictory?
@PaulPots: show me something in life that doesn’t have an inherent contradiction?
@Thesaltyurchin: that comment makes little sense as most things in life are without contradiction. For example, it’s lunchtime, I am hungry, so I will have something to eat.
@PaulPots: Being hungry is a declaration of state, there is small contradiction in timing, but maybe one in the choice of what to eat and which option kills you quicker? (Chips or salad). The sun, giver of life, taker of life, etc.
They cannot bring the train to Navan/Donegal daydream.
@Phillip Smyth: Navan will happen Donegal not is a lot of our lifetimes if at all!
Any positive measures regarding the environment, which would benefit farmers and other rural dwellers alike, would be labelled ‘an attack on rural Ireland’ and promptly binned. No thanks.
@Brendan O’Brien: Hope you tell your buddies in FF and FG no thanks because it’s looking more likely government will be a coalition of FF, FG and this independent alliance.
@Ger Whelan: They’re not my buddies. Yes, that’s a possibility, unfortunately. I would much prefer to see Labour, SD and/or Greens in a coalition government with FF/FG.
@Brendan O’Brien: they’ve already thrown the Greens under the bus. They’ll struggle to keep half their seats. Labour would probably sell out and go in with FF and FG, but can’t see the SD doing that
@Ger Whelan: hopefully the greens will lose all their seats
@John Reynolds: They won’t and whatever happens they might be in Government again, even if the seats aren’t needed.
@Paul O’Mahoney: If the seats are not needed they will not be in government. If FF and FG could get in without any other party you can bet your bottom Euro they’ll do it as it gives them more freedom to implement any policy they want. More parties equals less freedom to implement their own policies.
@Ger Whelan: Go to the bookies then and bet against my thesis…..cock on the block time….
Luas for Kilkenny City?
They are having a laugh, I’m all for public transport and we need massive bus rollout in every county. But Luas is only workable with certain populations.
Dublin
Cork
Galway
Limerick
Maybe Waterford are all suitable, but every county is a joke and a total waste of money.
These people are insane.
@Martin Bishop: no one ‘wants’ to be on a bus. dream bigger
@Martin Bishop: not even Galway. Maybe trolly busses with priority lights, but I’ve never seen a scientific analysis of to-from journeys for Galway to suggest that Luas is the answer.
That information should be available at a high level from Google, but nobody has attempted to use it.
@Martin Bishop: What’s the plural of Luas?
Luai?
Luases?
@Thomas Sheridan: I thought I saw one about 2005 and it did recommend that more public transport especially from city limits, Oranmore to the otherside can’t remember name, but not going into city….then commuter trains which I can only comment on from Athlone that stops in many stations now I never knew existed…..I believe there’s also trains from the south of the county but I dunno if that’s true.
@Thesaltyurchin: i want to be on a bus when i need to go somewhere served by a bus route, i would have thought that’s normal enough
@Thomas Sheridan: Yeah streets in Galway are far too narrow for any kind of a light rail. Just build the bypass, and that should help Galway massively
@eoin fitzpatrick: Ah if you need the few drinks like, but no ones gonna commute in road traffic hell. Trains are the way, for commuting AND goods transport.
@Thesaltyurchin: monorail?
@Thomas Sheridan: although the population wouldn’t be as great Galway would probably benefit the most from one given its geographic limitations for transport relief.
@The Firestarter: If they don’t they can kiss the tourist industry goodbye. As the coaches struggle to get to hotels to drop and collect guests!
On immigration , just stop letting refugees and asylum seekers into Ireland . Deport those already here , no exceptions , no excuses . End of .
@Jim Ryan: How is it ‘end of’ when you declared before that a person’s skin colour should be a factor?
@Jim Ryan: What a novel idea, imagine if other countries did that with illegal Irish immigrants.
Hilarious that a country that is famed for illegal immigration to other countries and yet people think like this!
All those immigrants work at the jobs Irish people won’t!
That is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard, honestly how are these clowns even allowed to go forward for election. Seriously for such a small country, we are massively over-governed, too many parties, too many TDs etc. Time for a referendum, and bring the amount of TDs down to 100, and limit the amount of parties.
There you have it, politicians think there’s a pot of gold under the bridge.
Am, Hello Politicians, Where’s this pot of gold that the Irish Taxpayers don’t actually see? Because I’m curious to know where it is? As I’m coming out with less money every month when all the rent and bills are paid off. I’m only left with E200 for a month and I’m paid monthly.
@Tommy: Read the analysis on the board and it will tell you what extra spending each of the big 3 propose to spend, that’ll frighten you even more….
Luas for every county? Isn’t that a railway service?
Improving existing public transport and reducing car dependence, high density housing in urban areas to prevent sprawl. They won’t promise anything on these positive things because there are concrete actions they can take towards these and can be questioned and held accountable for them when they fail to take action
@Ronan Mc: High density housing like say Ballymun, where the nice people don’t have to live!
Look at the amount of Greens complaining about housing near their upper middle class areas.
Monorail…Monorail…Monorail!
@damien leen: There’s nothing on earth like a genuine bona fide electrified six car monorail!
Committing to a feasibility study to be completed in 2 years!
Reaching for the stars folks!
The outcome of this election is fairly obvious. FF+FG and small third party. There’s no alternative.
@Seamus O,Gallachoir: Certainly looking like that, so the bet is which small party, my flutter is on the Greens, they will lose seats but will still have some and even if they aren’t needed I think they’ll be in government.
@Seamus O,Gallachoir: there is an alternative. Just remains to be seen if the alternatives can form the collations needed.
@Ger Whelan: They won’t combined if they amass 35% I’ll be shocked and that’s with SF getting 18% first preferences, which is dubious ……present Government will have more than enough 50% ish to form new government.
@Seamus O,Gallachoir: We’ll be back at the polls come March.
@Jack Cass: Not a chance whatever happens will be for 5 years.
@Paul O’Mahoney: They are not needed that is true!
This is some of the most idiotic stuff I read yet. I was half thinking of voting for them, I won’t be now.
They’re in desperate need of a Luas from Scartaglen to Castleisland in Kerry. Can’t budge on that route during rush hour.
Its a decent swipe. They might do well, some good ideas in there. In terms of the new department being “recruited from the private sector”… In my own private/public sector experience, you will need to pay these people way more than those already in the job and are assuming that anyone in top level employment wants the work, and also that they can achieve anything where literally everyone else has failed (presuming that those people actually tried lol)
Where is all this money going to come from to pay for all this spending?
A department of efficiency seriously!!
@Lydia Mcloughlin: Well those Luas , plural?, will need to run on time and that’ll take a whole department….
Pretty bland and underwhelming stuff from Independent Ireland. I was hoping that for once, a party running for election in Ireland would have a bold agenda but it’s just more boring centre-left policies which do nothing effective. Look, declaring something an “emergency” doesn’t change anything. Subsiding rent for people will only cause the problem to get worse because more money is pumped into circulation in the economy. Their plan for a LUAS in every county is nonsensical big spending that is nowhere near realistic of something which can be afforded unless taxes are hiked significantly. The most disappointing thing however, is that they have bought into the establishment viewpoint and don’t have the balls to just come out and say that they are going to abolish the carbon tax.
They are right about the sham green tax, what Ireland needs is proper infrastructure not outdate crap infrastructure that is there now, 40years plus waiting for Metro underground, not fit for purpose useless Irish Rail under whom no European standard infrastructure will ever be achieved, stupid cycling Lanes that waste money that should be spent on backward Dublin and rest of country’s 1930 infrastructure
A party I would have a lot of time for purely on the grounds they are not as bad as the reigingvlunatics or the lunatic fringe. Them and Aontu.
@AnthonyK: They are worse!
Delusional nonsense….
When’s Fundetland starting?
Not going to happen get real
You couldn’t take this lot seriously
FFS. Bus and train services were removed due to underuse in some counties and this clown wants light rail for each county. I am afraid that this guy is as thick as he looks.
Wow..what a comment to make. Let’s build a luas from Carrick on Shannon to Drumshambo
Please why can’t we vote today and get this over. Ireland is so fragmented in every way there is no way forward with a party clearly ruled by Bullies in Belfast.
Keep Ireland to 26 counties we don’t want another divided British colony.
They can literally promise whatever they want because they will never be held to account for it. Firstly no party, not even FG are running enough candidates to win an overall majority, therefore there is a 100% probability of a coalition. Therefore, a program for government will not be mandated by the people, it will be negotiated by parties who have been partially mandated by the people. Secondly, Independent Ireland are not running enough candidates to even have a chance of becoming a main government party. If they support any of the other parties, they will have to sacrifice most of their imaginary manifesto. It is all such nonsense.
Delusional is a nice word for their plans. If I said what I really feel the Journal bots would have a melt down!
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