General Election Interview: David Cullinane, Sinn Féin
Deputy David Cullinane is running as a Sinn Féin candidate in the General Election in Waterford. Photo: Hugh Dooley
David Cullinane TD is the Sinn Féin spokesperson for Health and is running in the General Election race in Waterford. A staunch member of the opposition in the Dáil, Cullinane topped the poll in 2020 following his party's "mistake" not to run two candidates in the last election. This time he is hoping to secure two Sinn Féin seats in his home constituency.
One of the most prominent Sinn Féin TDs, Cullinane was asked if he thinks that Waterford has been left behind by the current government.
"I think the people of Waterford certainly believe that Waterford does not get its fair share. I believe that we have to fight harder than other regions and other counties - unfairly so. I think part of the problem is we haven't had a senior minister of cabinet for an awfully long time, but you shouldn't need to have a minister to get what a county or a region deserves."
"If you look at all of the big ticket issues, which have impacted on Waterford [such as] the hospital, even getting to the point of the second cath lab was a battle where people had to take to the streets. We had to keep fighting with ministers to get that over the line, we see it with the North Quays, eventually the money came, but it was a long battle again to get that funding.
"We're seeing it still with 24/7 cardiac care, we can't seem to get that over the line. The government, and the local ministers here and politicians, have committed to it but it still hasn't been delivered. [We are seeing it] most recently, with the airport - which really frustrates people because I've been dealing with this issue for an awful long time."
Cullinane says that the delays in funding for projects in Waterford are seen as a representation of the "attitude towards Waterford".
"It shouldn't have to be that way, that we have to fight and fight for resources, but we do. That's why we need to send strong, capable TDs to Leinster House to stand up for Waterford and deliver for Waterford."
Sinn Féin is aiming to be part of the next government, and part of that ambition is seeking to elect two TDs in Waterford, Cullinane said.
"We're standing two candidates this time, myself and Connor McGuinness.
"My first challenge is to win two seats for Sinn Fein in Waterford," he said, "We obviously want to win as many seats as possible statewide. That will put us in a position to form a government.
"I believe that the electorate deserves a choice, the electorate deserves an alternative, and Sinn Fein is giving the people that choice," he said.
Cullinane sees himself as the best bet for a senior Minister elected in Waterford.
He believes that Waterford "is the engine of the South East" and says "if we win two seats here in Waterford and I am a senior minister, we can deliver for Waterford but also for the entire South East. Because if you deliver for Waterford, you also deliver for the entire region."
To put fuel into the engine of the South East, Cullinane says that Waterford needs to be a hub for international investment through the development of offshore wind.
"If we want to meet our climate action targets, I believe that we should strive to be a carbon-neutral city and a carbon-neutral region," he said.
In doing so, he believes Waterford can attract FDI; "Investors are smart. Multinational companies, when they make investments, are looking at the next generation. They're not going to lock themselves into areas that are still dependent on fossil fuels. So it's in our interest to be world leaders in this area."
"We have to do more in relation to renewable energy, and for me, we have a very unique opportunity here in the South East. We have Rosslare Europort and we have Waterford Port."
Cullinane hailed the "huge potential" in developing offshore wind and said it would result in "hundreds of millions of euros of additional money coming into Waterford."
He also said: "We have an opportunity to have a different government that would represent ordinary working people; that will deal with the housing crisis because a lot of young people are locked out of a chance of owning their own home; will build a world-class health service, which is not beyond us in a wealthy country. We've always been conditioned to accept or normalize failure in all of these areas, and I don't believe that that's the height of our ambition."
Cullinane is promising an ambitious future for the county, and following the furore following his controversial celebrations in 2020 when he was filmed chanting "Up the Republic, up the Ra, and Tiocfaidh ár lá", Cullinane said he could "guarantee that if I am elected this time, that that won't be part of my celebration".
