Vote No 1 Joe Carey – My Election Commitments

Today I officially launch my election campaign. A mood for change prevails in the Mid-West.

General Election 2011 will be about what kind of Ireland we want to see re-emerge in the coming years.

There is a clear message coming back from the doorsteps – people want change. I believe Fine Gael have the policies and the talent to deliver a better Ireland and get County Clare and the Mid-West Region back to work.

The issues which need to be tackled are jobs, emigration, our health services, investment in education and infrastructure such as water services, continued supports for the agricultural industry and the future of Shannon Airport.

A vote for Fine Gael in this election is a vote for better government. It is a vote for recovery and stability. I will be standing on my record over the past three years, where I was a strong and consistent voice for County Clare in Dáil Éireann.

I have a clear vision for the future of County Clare:

– We need a coherent and long-term plan for Shannon Airport, which includes dealing with the governance issues and making sure government is working for the Airport not against it. This would see the delivery of the Lynx Cargo facility, the reversal of the travel tax and the proper promotion and marketing of Shannon International Airport.

– I want to see radical reform of the current health service. Fine Gael has a plan to bring this about and eliminate the two tier health system as operated by the HSE. Our policy is known as FairCare and based on the Dutch model of health care, which is the number one such system in Europe.

– The Fine Gael jobs policy puts job creation and retention at the heart of government policy. I myself have fed into this policy with the proposal for a community works scheme.

-The political system in this country is broken and this needs to be addressed by the incoming government. Fine Gael is committed to fix our broken political system through our reinventing Government Policy. I recognised this by being the only Clare TD to take a voluntary pay cut.

I vow, that when in government, the Mid-West and County Clare will once again have a strong voice at the heart of government. I want to be the link locally between people and politics. It’s time to get the Mid-West back to work. It’s time for a new era, and a new way forward.”