FIANNA Fáil Limerick TD Niall Collins has dismissed a Fine Gael social media campaign as a “grotesque distortion of the facts” that is “insulting to people’s intelligence”.
Deputy Collins says the campaign “tries to convince the Irish people that this Government is standing up for rural Ireland”.
“We have long known that this Fine Gael/Labour coalition is a Government of spin and broken promises, but the attempt to spin their record as representing an effort to stand up for rural Ireland is one PR gimmick too many and represents a grotesque distortion of the facts.
“The truth is that this Government has done nothing but attack rural communities since it came into power over three years ago. When he took office, Taoiseach Enda Kenny decided to abolish the Ministry of Rural Development, a Cabinet position which had been created by a previous Fianna Fáill-ed Government in 2002.
“This Minister had a seat at the Cabinet table and was able to ensure that rural communities were seen as equals, and not second class citizens,” he said.
Deputy Collins has accused the Fianna Fáil and Labour coalition of cutting resources to smaller communities, saying it has dismantled LEADER companies, made “negative” changes to the Farm Assist Scheme, increased rural class sizes and closed rural garda stations.
He concluded: “The misrepresentation of this appalling record as an effort to stand up for rural Ireland is deeply insulting to the intelligence of our people and will convince no one.”
