by Alan Jacques
OPENNESS, equality, progress and sustainability are the key policy platforms on which Sarah Jane Hennelly’s general election campaign will run in Limerick City.
The 27-year-old Social Democrats candidate from Castletroy launched her election campaign at the Shannon Rowing Club this week. Social Democrats joint leader Stephen Donnelly TD also attended the event.
Hennelly, a graduate of European Politics and Law from UL, said that she regards Limerick City as incredibly important in the national development of the Social Democrats.
“We feel the city will be receptive to our party’s policies based on the enormous support for us so far,” she told the Limerick Post.
“We are not afraid to take on the key issues facing this country at the moment — our mortgage crisis, our housing crisis, our homeless crisis, our refugee crisis. The crises require people willing to challenge the establishment, call out unjust policies, and speak for the vulnerable. The founders have a track-record of doing this, and we intend to work together in the same way to make a bigger impact.”
She explained that her campaign would focus on giving a voice to Limerick City’s young and marginalised. She believes these groups have been let down by successive governments in areas such as education and mental health.
“It is time for someone to seriously take on these issues. The Social Democrats believe in a strong public service to foster social and personal development, which will in turn stimulate the local economy.
“I also intend to help develop Limerick as an economic hub. To do this, I believe the infrastructure of the city must be improved. The fact that after all these years there is still no motorway between Limerick and Cork is an indicator of how little past governments have done to tap into Limerick’s economic potential.”
According to Ms Hennelly, the Social Democrats believe in a strong economy, which creates a supportive environment for start-ups and entrepreneurialism.
“The joblessness rate in the city remains too high but I believe that with well-planned investment in our infrastructure, our public services and, most importantly, our people, we can attract high quality jobs to the city,” she concluded.
