Happy New Year. As part of my 2010 New Year’s resolutions I have resolved to take up blogging again. Despite being one of the first TDs to start a blog, I haven't been updating it regularly for a while and I hope to address that this year.
I had a surreal conversation on Today FM's Last Word the other day with Ciaran Cuffe TD about postcodes. As each day passes the Green's seem more and more disconnected with reality.
I'm concerned about the cost to businesses and organisations with the introduction of postcodes. I believe that postcodes are a good idea, but they could pose lots of problems in the current economic climate. When I'd made what I thought to be a sensible point on this, I found myself in a weird ding dong with Deputy Cuffe who insisted that even Santa Claus had a postcode! I'm not sure this is the greatest argument for postcodes I've ever heard!
In more recent days I met again with Ciaran, who on a personal level I have great time for, on East Coast FM. Again, I found his arguments out of touch with the reality on the ground. The lack of understanding he showed towards the impact the weather crisis was having was offensive to people across Co. Wicklow, who phoned me later to express their frustration.
I accept that Dublin is also suffering badly by the harsh weather, but the reality is that Co. Wicklow and rural areas like it, is severely affected. People are very anxious and the remote rural areas are dangerously isolated. Thankfully, neighbours are really putting in an effort in all sorts of wonderful ways even in such hazardous conditions. I found this out to my cost this morning when going out to do a message for a neighbour and landed flat on my back. Most undignified.
1 comment:
Liz,
well done on your opposition to postcodes. Many say they are in favour of postcodes but the fact is that most, including Eamon Ryan, have not studied what is proposed in any detail. Few realise that postcodes mean property rezoning and there is now a mention of a related property tax.
They also mean that in rural areas where a single postcode will cover a complete townland, the townland name itself will become redundant and can be omitted in favour of the 6 character postcode which bears the name of the nearest postal town instead. eg "The Village Inn, Partry, Claremorris, Co Mayo" would just become
"The Village Inn,
Claremorris,
Co. Mayo CLM 666"
This is the same as was imposed on Northern Ireland by the Royal Mail in the 1970's when the BT postcode was added there. Townlands were discarded and they are now trying to fix the loss of historic townland names. There is an interesting report here which perhaps The Dept of Communications and the Miniter should have a careful look at: http://www.crossexaminer.co.uk/archives/2244
So amongst other shortcomings with respect to the proposed postcode, it seems that when the Minister acknowledged recently in the Dail that he did not consult the authorities in Northern Ireland on their experiences relating to their imposed postcode, he has yet again, made a serious mistake in planning this undertaking.
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