Aerarann to close Waterford services in January

ART6

So once again a valuable public service is to be lot to the South East. We will no longer have fast and convenient access to the rest of the world unless we are prepared to bear the costs and time constraints of traveling to Dublin or Cork. I seriously begin to wonder, is this corner of Ireland in some foreign country? If it is, then shouldn't we avail of the substantial overseas aid programme?

The only possible solution to the bog in which successive governments have mired us is exports. Those are what make the money. Anything else is pure financial bartering on a local scale. Austerity cannot work if all it does is take away spending power in industry and among consumers. An export industry needs to be supported by a strong national economy - domestic consumers buying things!

Twenty years ago I transferred a UK company to Waterford. Would I do it now? NO! I have no confidence whatever that the people in government have any idea of what they are doing, and the desperately sad thing is that I don't see anything in the major political parties to change my view.

ardmacha

So once again a valuable public service is to be lot to the South East.

Would that be because not enough people wanted to travel on it?

Godge

ART6 wrote: »

So once again a valuable public service is to be lot to the South East. We will no longer have fast and convenient access to the rest of the world unless we are prepared to bear the costs and time constraints of traveling to Dublin or Cork. I seriously begin to wonder, is this corner of Ireland in some foreign country? If it is, then shouldn't we avail of the substantial overseas aid programme?

The only possible solution to the bog in which successive governments have mired us is exports. Those are what make the money. Anything else is pure financial bartering on a local scale. Austerity cannot work if all it does is take away spending power in industry and among consumers. An export industry needs to be supported by a strong national economy - domestic consumers buying things!

Twenty years ago I transferred a UK company to Waterford. Would I do it now? NO! I have no confidence whatever that the people in government have any idea of what they are doing, and the desperately sad thing is that I don't see anything in the major political parties to change my view.

What is being cancelled?
What fast and convenient access is being lost?
Two hours to Dublin airport, most Ryanair destinations are further from their capital city.

Austerity can work if money wasted on regions too small to develop is either saved or spent on Dublin.

L1011

These routes were meant to be profitable - Aer Arann however can make *more* money with their currently very limited fleet by operating more rotations feeding Aer Lingus longhaul ops in Dublin from UK regional cities. If the routes were particularly unprofitable they wouldn't keep running them over the winter.

I would be very surprised if another airline doesn't come in to operate Waterford to London (may not be Luton or Southend, possibly FlyBe to Gatwick) and I also wouldn't be surprised to see Aer Arann back when they get their new planes delivered - as the older ones will then be freed up.

washman3

Godge wrote: »

Austerity can work if money wasted on regions too small to develop is either saved or spent on Dublin.

Or if the same money is given to bankers pension funds.......

Max Powers

The south east and Waterford City in particular has been particularly hard hit, 25% unemployment in the city, VEC removed by govt, council merger will mean less money, zero IDA FDI jobs announced in last couple of years, IDA hiding behind small successes of companies started by local people, talk of downgrading Regional Hospital.

The SE has a population greater than the West of the country and all the SE wants is fairness, fair craic of the whip, fair amount of FDI/IDA jobs, (1800 IDA backed jobs announced in Galway 2011, 0 in Waterford), fair amount of govt investment and not what people down here are calling the govts 'raping/killing of Waterford'.

Waterford airport has been particularly sucessful operating even without the govt subsidies given to other regional airports routes. Im sure with unemployment and businesses closing down, the london route has dropped numbers, its a shame, but it seems like a perfect storm is happening now and the govt is looking the other way, in fact, ministers from Wexford and KK seem intent on stripping Waterford of its assests.

ART6

Max Powers wrote: »

The south east and Waterford City in particular has been particularly hard hit, 25% unemployment in the city, VEC removed by govt, council merger will mean less money, zero IDA FDI jobs announced in last couple of years, IDA hiding behind small successes of companies started by local people, talk of downgrading Regional Hospital.

The SE has a population greater than the West of the country and all the SE wants is fairness, fair craic of the whip, fair amount of FDI/IDA jobs, (1800 IDA backed jobs announced in Galway 2011, 0 in Waterford), fair amount of govt investment and not what people down here are calling the govts 'raping/killing of Waterford'.

Waterford airport has been particularly sucessful operating even without the govt subsidies given to other regional airports routes. Im sure with unemployment and businesses closing down, the london route has dropped numbers, its a shame, but it seems like a perfect storm is happening now and the govt is looking the other way, in fact, ministers from Wexford and KK seem intent on stripping Waterford of its assests.

You want fairness, when the majority of cabinet ministers cannot see beyond the need to encourage votes from their constituencies? It has been a case for as many years as I can remember that if your area did not have a minister, you were stuffed! This is Irish politics: To Hell with the needs of the people, who can I count on for the votes to keep my snout in the trough? How much will I have to give them to ensure those votes?

In government, what will we have to do to ensure our majority in the Dail? Some deals with independents to keep them sweet and on our side? A price worth paying, even if we personally do not have to pay that price.

I am no expert on politics, and would not wish to be, but it seems to me that as long as members of the cabinet are also constituency TDs this is not going to change. Is it possible that the answer (or part of it) is that cabinet members are elected by the TDs and that they no longer represent any constituencies? We elect a parliament, and they then elect a government. That government could then represent all of the people, but it would be subject to the votes of the Dail. The TDs could just as easily eject a minister as establish one.

That would make the job of a minister subject to some pressure. Have to perform, and be seen to be doing so in the interests of the people at large. Is this any different to the rules that apply in major private companies, where the directors have to stand for election at AGMs? A director is required by law to represent the shareholders. Why is a minister any different?

This procedure might also get rid for once and for all of the party whip system, where it doesn't matter what your personal views might happen to be. You must follow the party line or be ejected and, in due course, loose your seat because you don't have the party machine behind you. It doesn't matter if you have principles, or if you want to make a difference. Toe the party line determined by your superiors if you want to progress to doing anything useful and then spend the rest of your time doing nothing useful.

Our political system has long been based upon the British model that was established a thousand years ago, and it is outdated. It simply doesn't work now.

Black Smoke

Godge wrote: »

What is being cancelled?
What fast and convenient access is being lost?
Two hours to Dublin airport, most Ryanair destinations are further from their capital city.

Austerity can work if money wasted on regions too small to develop is either saved or spent on Dublin.

In other words, you favour continued and increased austerity, outside the Pale, whilst having a stimulous inside the Pale. Good man

avalon68

Its a real shame to see smaller airports losing flights. Ive been travelling a lot over the last few weeks and where in previous years I could have flown out of shannon, I have had to fly from Dublin airport this time round. Its extremely inconvenient for people from outside of Dublin, especially for very early flights. I dont have a car so I had to bus it up to Dublin (30 euro single trip i think it was) and had the added expense of having to stay overnight in a hotel (60 euro). Not to mention having to spend half a day travelling to Dublin when theres a perfectly good airport in Shannon that should be utilised far more than it is. There is life outside of Dublin.....we persist depite cutbacks to everything