Okay so. Lets get the nasty truths out of the way.
Our International reputation as a Country is shot (evidence the increased cost of borrowing for Ireland Inc.) Ivor (I will one day be President) Callely is making extremely heavy weather of this whole expenses saga. Ministers are traipsing around the country in heavy duty jets while their Ministerial Mercs are tagging after them on the road network.
The Anglo Irish Banks bill is heading for just under €25,000,000,000! Yes that's 25 BILLION if you've lost count of the numbers. The HSE are closing beds and wards and hospitals wherever they can. The cost of doing business just went up this weekend with the energy levy. The Cystic Fibrosis patients are still dying without their isolation rooms. The elderly and cared for are having their support hours cut. Special schools are having their budgets cut.
Irish Rail are doing their best to close down the Rosslare Waterford railway line. We STILL have no decision on a University for Waterford. And all of this is just taking in the last month or so for news! The list goes on.
The Country, it seems, is up the creek!
So what can we do in our little corner of it?
What can we do for ourselves? What decisions are within our power to change, influence or implement? Those are the decisions that we should concentrate on.
The City Council has led the way using tourism as a driver with the delivery of the House of Waterford Crystal, the improvements on The Mall (pictured above from an unusual angle), the development of the Tourism product (festivals & marketing etc.) and the new www.discoverwaterfordcity.ie website (a real gem).
We are continuing that focus and adding in an Enterprise focus to hunt down jobs for our city and to promote an enterprise culture. We need people to create jobs both for themselves and if possible, for others.
We continue to try and bring improvements to the public realm and either encourage or force others to do so also. However the powers available to do this are limited and will not in truth deliver the kind of radical solutions that some people (including me) might like.
By the end of the year Waterford will be the only City (possibly the only place in Ireland) to be able to say that we are 'flood proof'. By September we will have a Motorway all the way to the Capital with the tourists and market that it opens up to us.
Bad and all as things are nationally and even Internationally I believe that 2010 could see the dawn of a prosperous and visionary decade for our City. If we all put our shoulders to the wheel and get our brains in gear - then I know it will be. It is up to us to capitalise on these many developments because no one is going to do it for us.
So ask yourself this: What can I bring to the party? And then bring it!
2 comments:
Great post Mary... we have so much going for us but when we start shouting from the rooftops you can see the whole country roll its eyes or something...
You should consider bringing in Glanbia into the equation, I'm doing work for them at the moment and they're trying their best to get a large company to invest in Kilmeaden Fields, which will create jobs for people in the city if sold and something is set up there. If anything it might strengthen your initiative to get them involved. If you need a contact let me know.
hmmmm I have an issue with them though Cian...whether accidentally or on purpose they have taken almost every single former Waterford Co-op job out of County Waterford with almost no exceptions except those they couldn't move! They certainly have bridges to mend but are they on the level?
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