There is a certain irony in the Minister launching a consultation on his rural future policy just weeks after we saw widespread protests across rural Ireland and his colleagues in government flatly refused to listen to, or engage with, the very people from struggling rural communities. Communities like mine in south Kilkenny do not need more strategies or consultation processes. We need the Government to start delivering for ordinary people. Only recently, for example, we got the announcement that a vital bus route connecting rural villages is to be stopped from the beginning of May. After that, Bus Éireann reviewed the route and confirmed it meets the demand requirement but Bus Éireann is still planning to cut this service despite the review. The Minister’s backbench colleague came out and told people there was great news – he had got the bus sorted. That was a load of bull. Rural communities want more than the crappy promises of some backbencher. They want, and they deserve, a commitment from the Minister and Bus Éireann that these services will be continued and protected. This was a service used by workers, students and the elderly. So much for the Minister’s talk of enhancing public services in rural Ireland. We have seen it time and again - big strategies with long lists of action points but little to no follow-through on delivery. Access to housing is the number one issue in rural Ireland. Those with land are being locked out of building because, across Carlow and Kilkenny, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have completely failed to invest in fit-for-purpose water and waste infrastructure. Over the weekend just gone, businesses in Ferrybank had to close shop, and today they are closed again, because of these failures. People want to live in the community they grew up in. They want to know that their children have access to creche places, school places, a local GP and local sports clubs - a sense of community. I do not think any of those are unrealistic expectations but the reality is that, for so many in rural Ireland, they are. If you live in rural Ireland, all of those - a GP, sports clubs, a school place, especially if your child has additional needs - are limited resources.

Sentiment score: -0.04

The number of parents forced to travel long distances to secure a school place for their child is shocking. It is deeply wrong that children are not provided for in their own community. People in rural Ireland are sick of being left behind by this Government year after year.

Sentiment score: -0.50