Bríd Smith TD- National Development Plan “fantasy and fraud”

Press Release- Bríd Smith TD, People Before Profit

16/02/2018

People Before Profit TD, Bríd Smith, has labelled the new government National Development Plan a “fantasy and a fraud”.

“We are being promised pie in the sky, but only by 2040, we will have new hospitals, houses and trains, but only by 2040. This National Development Plan is simply a pre-election gimmick by Varadkar’s spin team,” said the Dublin South Central TD.

“Like other strategies and plans, this will look great but ultimately in the hands of Fine Gael or Fianna Fail it will be developer lead and will not address the real problems people face today. It will do nothing for the 100,000 people in housing need or facing soaring rent rises and threats of evictions.

“It will do nothing for young workers on low paid, low hour contracts, and it will do nothing to the majority of people in both cities and towns who cannot access public transport and who, when they do, must pay huge fares.

 “This government cannot deliver broadband for rural areas or properly subsidise our buses and trains in the cities to give people a real alternative to the private car. They are still closing rural post offices all over the country.

“They also cannot deliver operations for children with scoliosis and Trolley Watch figures are still incredibly high.

“Genuine planning requires control of economic resources. As long as we are governed by a neoliberal government, plans like this are simply a form of fantasy politics. I have no faith that the government can deliver any of this.”

ENDS

Contact- Bríd Smith TD- 087 909 0166

Nick Lee (Press Officer)- 087 615 6473