WIT - LESS TALK, MORE ACTION

While I welcome Enda Kennys statement in Waterford yesterday committing Fine Gael to a University of the South East, I personally would still prefer a form of wording which committed to the 'designation of WIT as the University of the South East' but perhaps I am being pedantic. My faith in political promises is at something of a low ebb.

I also note that the process which Mr Kenny seems to be proposing is to develop criteria for the creation of a University and the the examination of WIT's or any other case through Section 9 of the Universities Act 1997. And I have to ask: how long is that going to take? On my experience it sounds like a 3 - 5 year process. WE CANNOT WAIT THAT LONG!

Jobs are being lost this city and region today. Our young people and their talent are being lost to this region every day. We are operating at a disadvantage every day. How long more must we be expected to do this?

So while I welcome Fine Gaels seeming comittment, I still say we need this now. We need this issue to be the number one issue that is being talked about and fought for in the city. Why? Because it has the capapcity to deliver jobs. End of.

We need to rack the University issue up as an election issue and make it clear to Fianna Fail that if they don't deliver this to our region immediately they will face electoral annhialation. We need the people of Waterford to get up on our soap boxes and to really push for this.

Why should you be raising your children for export? We need jobs for them here. The best way to get that is to have a University. Today. Now. By this current government. Why should we accept any less? We need government to deliver for this region and I will continue to rattle cages and upset any politician in the land of any party in order to keep the pressure up for the designation of WIT as a University and I make no apologies to anyone - regardless of what they may say about me - in my effort to do that.

The debate is on again. We can tease out the niceties and debate the nuances to our hearts content but what we really need is action. Action. Give us a University. Designate WIT or suffer the consequences. People of Waterford I am asking for your support for this campaign. Together we can bring this issue to the fore and it is critical for the future of our children and our region - and Ireland - that we have equality and can contribute to, rather than be a drain on, the recovery that will need to be fought hard for, for our city and for our country.