PHOENIX: They have to be embarrassed!

Maybe it’s only me, but is there a palpable sense of drift around politics and government? 

The Dáil is not in session and much attention is focused on the forthcoming presidential election. I’ve been waiting for a call to run. The qualifications are not too demanding. Maybe dance an Irish jig, play a rock and roll guitar, manage a Gaelic football team or whatever and there’s a chance of a seven year stint in a very nice house in the Phoenix Park and a €350,000 salary. So far the telephone has not rung and it looks like Heather Humphries or Jim Gavin will be among the favourites. Meanwhile the real world of actual politics outside our door is in a state of chaos, largely brought on by the nonsense, masquerading as policy, emanating from Washington DC. Our ability to do anything about the latter is minuscule, other than lecturing the main players from what often seems like a smug pulpit. Like the Skibbereen Eagle, we can only keep an eye on Russia. We are “neutral” and depend on others to defend us. Our seas and skies can be traversed with impunity. Our ability to react to unfriendly transgressions or fire a shot in anger is almost non-existent. Our prosperity is largely imported rather than home grown. Ireland is a prisoner of events and decisions made elsewhere. All we can do is call the shots and hope for the best.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch, the extent to which mention of the word Waterford has vanished from the national discourse is remarkable. The failure to elect Matt Shanahan has created a void in public questioning of the political system which is almost unbelievable. It would be interesting to review the Dáil record comparing the first nine months of 2024 with the first nine months of 2025 to see how often we were mentioned in debates. 

Public pronouncements on the state of the local economy from our two government reps are not to be heard. Our two Sinn Fein reps are almost silent on local issues. Is everyone happy now that the local issues which dominated the local discourse before the general election, 24/7 cardiology, investment in UHW, new engineering building at SETU have to some extent been put to bed? We can all relax now, everything is grand? A recipe for stagnation?

Legacy developments, which in any well-ordered society would have been delivered long before now, are happening. They stabilise our local Model 4 hospital and our Technological University but provide little catch up impetus. While we waited for the government funding bus, our peer cities moved ahead. No one is waiting for us. Anyone who has been in Limerick or Galway this summer will have seen the difference. 

It’s very pleasant to win a competition as “the best place to live” or “the most livable place” in Ireland but it would also be nice to clearly see that Waterford city is given the same treatment, investment and opportunity as Limerick and Galway. Most locals know that this is a nice place to live, albeit with faults, but as regards government investment, it’s a case of show us the money. Why for instance can’t we have a full medical school in UHW? It has all the necessary expertise and would really underpin acute medical provision in this region.

The SEEM report states that 'The South East generated €13.56 billion in primary income (earnings before taxes and transfers), just 83.2% of the national average per person. This is largely due to lower employee compensation, which is just 81.9% of the national per capita figure. Total household income (after transfers, before tax) is just 87.8% of the national average, and after taxes, 2023 disposable income per person in the South East was €26,660per annum.” 

SEEM also reports “While the national economy has recorded GDP growth of 40.2% since 2019, the South East, like other disadvantaged regions follow a notably different trajectory. Over the same period, the region’s GDP has grown by just 8.2%, with two of the last five years showing contraction. 

The South East has seen virtually no growth since 2018. Dublin’s economy is now over twelve times the size of the South East’s, despite having just three times the population. In 2021, the ratio was nine to one.' How our TDS are not screaming about this data is beyond understanding.

A tsunami of state investment flows into Dublin. It’s not even certain that normal accountancy practices or controls on state spending apply there. The €2.4billion National Children’s Hospital is merely the most egregious example, while the prospect of Metro North costing anything from €12 to €20 billion is a mere bauble. The one that caught the eye, other than bike sheds or security huts, was last November’s opening of a new bus and cycle route from Clontarf to Dublin City Centre. “It will provide segregated cycling facilities and bus priority infrastructure along a 2.7km route at a cost of €68million.” Like the McDonald’s international index which ranks expensive cities on their cost of a Big Mac, we can rank investment in Waterford on the Dublin Bike lane scale. Our North Quays cost three bike lanes, our new SETU engineering building cost maybe one and a half and our new UHW surgical hub costs perhaps the same. Six bike lanes in all!

The SEEM knockout punch is state capital investment. “The Government’s Capital Tracker, updated in May 2025, lists 268 major public investment projects at county level, from pre-tender to implementation stages. The national imbalance is stark. Dublin, with 28% of the population, is in the process of receiving 56% of capital spending. That is more than double its proportional share. This highlights the failure of repeated government commitments since 2018 to deliver balanced regional development. The South East, despite marquee projects like the North Quays, has the lowest per capita investment at €1,738—around €7,000 below the national average—reflecting a persistent pattern of regional underinvestment.” And not a word from our TDs!

The situation is unacceptable. While awaiting funding for Waterford airport, Waterford Port and equitable funding for non-legacy projects in UHW and SETU, these figures must embarrass our public representatives.