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Fine Gael gone soft on university?

  • 15-02-2011 5:12pm
    #1
    merlante
    Registered Users Posts: 2,272 ✭✭✭


    Regarding Fine Gael's support of a university for the south east, their manifesto is just out:

    Fine Gael Manifesto
    http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0215/finegaelmanifesto.pdf

    The only reference to university status is on p.38:
    "Applications for University Status: We will amend the Universities Act 1997 as necessary to facilitate applications for university status."

    Not that I'm shocked, but Coffey did re-affirm FG's commitment to the university of the south east at the debate in WIT. So if he calls to your door -- or Deasy for that matter -- make sure you question this fact.


Comments

  • #2
    Bards
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,792 ✭✭✭Bards


    merlante wrote: »
    Regarding Fine Gael's support of a university for the south east, their manifesto is just out:

    Fine Gael Manifesto
    http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0215/finegaelmanifesto.pdf

    The only reference to university status is on p.38:
    "Applications for University Status: We will amend the Universities Act 1997 as necessary to facilitate applications for university status."

    Not that I'm shocked, but Coffey did re-affirm FG's commitment to the university of the south east at the debate in WIT. So if he calls to your door -- or Deasy for that matter -- make sure you question this fact.

    Might be best asking Phil Hogan for his views on this, as he was insensed with the proposed merger of WIT & CIT


  • #3
    Sully
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 24,056 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sully


    What's the problem? That's what's needed to get WIT upgraded and what has always been said even by Enda on his recent visit to Waterford!


  • #4
    dayshah
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,542 ✭✭✭dayshah


    Sully wrote: »
    What's the problem? That's what's needed to get WIT upgraded and what has always been said even by Enda on his recent visit to Waterford!
    Its not exactly an unambiguous pro-university statement.


  • #5
    Sully
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 24,056 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sully


    dayshah wrote: »
    Its not exactly an unambiguous pro-university statement.

    Its been constantly repeated though and anytime something slightly differently worded comes out people claim they are running away from it.

    WIT cant be upgraded as it is. Fine Gael have explained this and indicated what they will do that will allow the process of getting the application sorted.

    They have policy directly on education, people have comments from various TDs in the South East, and the party leader.

    Has any other party explicitly stated in their manifesto that WIT will be upgraded?


  • #6
    Smiley Burnett
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 511 ✭✭✭Smiley Burnett


    Bards wrote: »
    Might be best asking Phil Hogan for his views on this, as he was insensed with the proposed merger of WIT & CIT

    Phil Hogan was incensed because he felt the proposed merger as a watered-down version of what is required!!

    Phil Hogan fully supports a university in waterford!!

    Cut out the nonsense!!


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  • #7
    merlante
    Registered Users Posts: 2,272 ✭✭✭merlante


    Sully wrote: »
    Its been constantly repeated though and anytime something slightly differently worded comes out people claim they are running away from it.

    WIT cant be upgraded as it is. Fine Gael have explained this and indicated what they will do that will allow the process of getting the application sorted.

    They have policy directly on education, people have comments from various TDs in the South East, and the party leader.

    Has any other party explicitly stated in their manifesto that WIT will be upgraded?

    Fair enough, Sully, but I'd prefer to see something with the word 'Waterford' or 'South East' in it -- if that is what they are going to do. I know then they'd probably get in trouble for appealing to local interests, but the fact remains, committing to amending the universities act is not the same thing as committing to create a university for the south east. Not by a long shot.

    Even Fianna Fail would have had to amend that act anyway to allow for the implementation of the Hunt report with regard to establishing technical universities. The word on the street is that FG are planning to implement Hunt more or less as is. If this is true, then we will not get a university for the south east, we will get a technical university, and with the way things are going, it might not even be headquartered in Waterford, let alone the south east.

    At the very least, I would like them to mention some kind of a WIT upgrade and emphasise that it would be a south east institution and not some kind of Waterford-Cork frankenstein's monster.

    What exactly did Enda say when he was in Waterford, and did he say it to the media?


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