McHugh’s Derry City Airport comments reflects Fine Gael partitionism" - MacLochlainn

[Rossa]

Derry Sinn Fein Councillor, Gerry MacLochlainn has slammed comments by Fine Gael TD Joe McHugh who is calling into question all-Ireland investment in vital infrastructure for the North West.

Speaking today Councillor MacLochlainn said

“As a TD for Donegal Joe McHugh should know only too well how much the North West region has suffered from government underinvestment and the devastating effects partition has had on our local economy. Recent investment by the Irish Government in projects that it sees as beneficial to Irish Regional economies should be welcomed by politicians throughout the North West regardless of political affiliation.

“The investment in City of Derry Airport by Derry ratepayers is beneficial to the entire region in terms of tourism and business travel and that includes Donegal. Recognising the regional benefit of the Airport as essential to maintain our region’s links with the wider world both, administrations took the prudent decision to invest in the facility. The £7 ½ million contributed by the Irish government was based on a full business assessment that considered the benefits to the region.

“Almost 50% of users of Derry Airport travel to or from Donegal whilst the airport brings some £20million annually into the regional economy. Donegal reaps a substantial portion of this economic activity. Therefore the Irish government investment is modest in comparison to the returns.

“Perhaps Joe should pay some heed to the recent IBEC-CBI Joint Business Committee report that sent a very clear message to both administrations on this island that a focused approach on building an all-Ireland single economy is the best way for forward for economic regeneration.
“Other business leaders across Ireland also realise that all-Ireland makes sense. They realise that two separate economies on an island of under 6 million people, now more than ever, will only serve to hamper efforts to revitalise the economy. They recognise that unnecessary economic competition will lead to stagnation and wasteful spending on duplication of services.”

"McHugh?s Derry City Airport comments reflects Fine Gael partitionism" - MacLochlainn | Sinn Féin

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Would like to know why Joe McHugh has an issue for money being pumped into Derry airport? Seems a sensible investment for to help build the economy one of the poorest regions in Ireland.

[HEAVENHELPUS]

FG the 26 County party.
A far as they are concerned Ireland ends at the Border!

[followmylips]

Mc Hugh tells people of Donegal that a "fast track" direct train service from Letterkenny to Derry airport would be a good investment( heard him on Highland radio).
a) a distance of 45 km at a cost of £10m stg per km ... 450 stg plus cost of buying land( 200 million) and bridge over the Foyle ..100 million.
b) from Lkenny to Derry without any stops would be silly and with stops a lot sillier, imagine a train station in Manorcunningham,St Johnston,Carrigans, to pick up a couple of passengers going on a Ryanair flight. another 2 million per station.
c) absolutely no benefit to Inishowen
d) absolutely no benefit most of Donegal. Drive your car to Letterkenny and park at the station, might as well drive the extra half hour to airport.
e) What happens if Ryanair drops the Derry service... a billion euro track to no where.
f) Mc Hugh of FG made no submission to recent Letterkenny Dev Plan about a railway. he has no interest in it at all.
g) Mc Hugh talks about tax payers money being squardered. He should know all about that.He and his wife were good at that when they were double claiming to the tune of 60k in overnight claiming in Dublin.
h)

[Mr.De-Regulation]

WTF? What the hell has this got to do with partitionism? He should get back to what SF do best, and work for the crown.

[the_moss]

This has been pulled straight from PSFs website and makes no mention of what McHugh actually said.
I'm no fan of FG (blueshirts) but hearing what the man said might lend some balance to the issue and look less like petty point scoring.

[hiding behind a poster]

This has been pulled straight from PSFs website and makes no mention of what McHugh actually said.
I'm no fan of FG (blueshirts) but hearing what the man said might lend some balance to the issue and look less like petty point scoring.

I was just thinking that. Any chance we get to read what McHugh ACTUALLY said?

[FutureTaoiseach]

This appears to be what SF are referring to:

THE taxpayer has paid an "outlandish" €11m towards Derry airport in the past year even though the government has no idea how many passengers from the Republic use the airport.

Transport minister Noel Dempsey told the Dáil last week that his department has spent €11m on a runway safety project since the beginning of 2008.

Donegal TD Joe McHugh, Fine Gael's spokesman on North-South co-operation, has claimed it is "outlandish" that the government did not carry out a cost-benefit analysis and condemned Dempsey's "fecklessness".

"I strongly support the principle of North-South co-operation," McHugh told the Sunday Tribune. "I often fly to and from City of Derry airport but I strongly object to the investment of €11m of taxpayers' money when the Department of Transport has not performed any cost-benefit analysis.

"Minister Dempsey informed me that he does not hold any information about the numbers of ROI citizens and visitors using the airport... His statement is outlandish. How can money be spent without cost-benefit analysis?"

McHugh has written to the North's regional development minister, Conor Murphy, and to airlines Aer Arann and Loganair for Derry airport passenger information.

The issue of taxpayers funding the airport was also contained in the An Bord Snip Nua report...

[the_moss]

Thanks FT for the additional info. I wasn't going to search for it with a lazy biased thread.
MacLochlainn may indeed have a point here. McHugh claims to have no "information about the numbers of ROI citizens and visitors using the airport" but it should be obvious to all that people choosing to fly to the north west will do so for a reason. ie. to visit the north west.
Also his objection to spending on infrastructure benefiting the region does reek of a 26C partitionist mentality. Seems the border (line on a map) is an obstacle for him.

[the_moss]

Is feck a curse word ?? Naughty blueshirt !

[Darren Mac an Phríora]

Sadly many people do not wait to hear both sides of the story. It doesn't really matter though in relation to the Shinners as most people in the Republic anyway don't believe what they have to say generally and most educated people don't really take them serious on an intellectual basis regading politics and even living aside their violent past and criminality connections. I am glad though in a funny kind of way that Mac Lochlainn used the word "reflects Fine Gael partitionism".

He is the first politician I know of to publicly question FG's patriotism albeit in the heading of the press release and not actually in it. This brings the question into the public more which is where the rump of people in the Republic (and perhaps a lot more in NI although the majority of them would be Shinner supporters) will have their childishness (and for some its honest misconception) exposed. I am thinking here really of the argument that some FF members non-publicly make as I know that it affects a good few people nationally- people not au fait with the reality of politics. As regards Donegal though this particular story just shows (unsurprisingly) how a) stupid Mac Lochlainn is (read what Joe McHugh said) and 2) his desperation given that despite the vote SF got in the last GE and can be expected to get next time in the county they don't get the transfers and so more than likely won't get a seat in either constituency, I think.