Recall 'The Spirit of 1923' - Heydon

The 'broken' Ireland of today could draw inspiration from the country's first Government as a means of getting back on its financial feet.

That's the view of Fine Gael's general election candidate in Kildare South, Cllr Martin Heydon.



Speaking at the launch of his new website, Cllr Heydon noted that the 1923 Government led by WT Cosgrove and Cumann Na nGaedheal took over a divided country, economically ruined and with a physical infrastructure 'in tatters'.

"The budgetary problems faced by Cosgrove and his government were enormous," he told a packed house at Judge Roy Bean's in Newbridge on Thursday night. "Tough choices and strong leadership were needed to get things back in order."

But even though that government had to virtually halve its spending over the next three years, it still managed to get underway the electrification of Ireland with the building of the Ardnacrusha dam, involving the building of 65 miles of railway, the construction of four major bridges, the diversion of nine rivers and four streams. And, crucially, the employment of 5,000 men.

"Similar to today, we had some assistance from Germany, who sent over engineers and machinery. And just four years later WT Cosgrove pushed the button that let the first water through the turbines."

Cllr Heydon compared that feat with the snail's pace of the Greater Dublin Water Supply project which aims to pump water from the Shannon to the east of the country. It has taken 14 years to get to the planning application stage, and will take at least another 12 years before it is commissioned.

"Something has gone very wrong in this country," he said. "We need to get back to basics, cut through the red tape. That first Government, with little resources and without the technologies we have now, managed to create the structures of a new modern state. In 2010, that state now faces new challenges."

Cllr Heydon concluded by saying that no government in itself is going to fix a country when it is broken. "It is down to the people themselves," he said. "Government can lead, assist, and make sure the conditions are right for recovery, but without the will of the people it will not happen."

The candidate's message on Thursday night was blunt: it is time for the national spirit that pulled the new Free State up by its bootstraps back in the 20s to be recalled to duty and lead us out of the current economic mess.

Pictured above with Cllr Martin Heydon at the launch are Fionnuala Dukes, Phena Bermingham and Anne Bermingham.

Brian Byrne.