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Anne-Marie Fuller.
A GREEN party representative for Tralee has sincerely welcomed the Green Party’s vote to support the programme for government.
Anne-Marie Fuller, who ran in the local elections in the Tralee Municipal District last year, believes it proposes to deliver on the key priorities of her local election campaign last year and to help transform Tralee based on climate action that is good for people and the planet.
Ms Fuller said that when she decided to stand in the local elections last year it was because she felt that elected officials did not really understand the gravity and urgency of the climate and biodiversity emergency.
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She feels that has now changed, as the programme for government commits to an average 7 % per annum reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from 2021 to 2030.
Ms Fuller believes that important in the programme for government is the symbolic full withdrawal of government support for fossil fuel exploration off the coast of Ireland and the Shannon LNG project.
She said that during her campaign she wanted to highlight that climate action, if done in the right way, can help local economies to thrive, help connect communities and improve their wellbeing.
She points out the Town Centre First approach included in the programme for government by the Greens aims to create vibrant town centres by encouraging people back into living in town centres and bringing vacant buildings back into use.
The programme for government includes the implementation of a major waste and circular economy action plan. Including introducing a deposit and return scheme for plastic bottles and aluminium cans, actions to reduce plastic packaging and examining the potential for a municipal compost system for biodegradable packaging.
She welcomes the fact that the roads budgets has been increased to include a committed extra €1 million a day for cycling and walking infrastructure.
She says public transport options are set to improve by a commitment to treble the number of passengers Local Link carries under this programme for government and that this means better services connecting people who live in the countryside to Tralee and to our national bus and rail services.
Ms Fuller also points out that the programme for government promotes Recreational Tourism, a new type of active, outdoor tourism that will encourage people to visit and stay in Kerry and importantly enhance the leisure options of people living locally.
She admits that the programme for government is not perfect, but she says overall the programme for government is a good ‘Green New Deal’ for rural townlands like Tralee.
Congratulations if FFGG fails this time and Sinn Fein field more candidates in the next election, it’s game over for all three parties and there will be a new era of political change and rule in this nation for decades to come.
In the last election if Sinn Fein put up more candidates, even donkeys and sheep they would be in power today.
They were robbed.