‘I’m The Minister Of The Department And I Make The Decisions’

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Top (from left): Journalist Ken Foxe, document he obtained under FOI, and Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring

Last Sunday.

Ken Foxe, in both The Sunday Times and the Irish Mail on Sunday reported that the Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring allocated almost €120,000 to a project – involving pedal-powered carriages on a disused railway line – in his constituency “despite warnings from civil servants it could set ‘problematic precedents'”.

Mr Foxe reported: “One official said the project appeared to have the least merit of four proposals that were seeking extra funding.”

He also wrote the Kiltimagh Velo project received the single largest funding allocation of any local authority project last year.

Further to this…

Yesterday evening…

Mr Ring spoke to Midwest Radio about the project and said he wouldn’t be apologising to Mr Foxe, the Irish Daily Mail [sic] or The Sunday Times for any decision he makes regarding funding allocations.

From the interview…

“First of all, I have to say, that I’m the minister of the department and I make the decisions, as minister. That was Ken Foxe and the Daily Mail and The Sunday Times. I didn’t see Ken Foxe reporting that I gave €2million to inner city Dublin before Christmas in relation to projects that need to be done there – particularly in disadvantaged areas.

“But when a few euros come to Mayo, they seem to have a major problem with it. Ken Foxe and the Daily Mail and The Sunday Times seem to have a problem with any funding coming into Mayo, so, in future now, do I have to correspond with Ken Foxe and anybody else when I’m putting funding into Mayo.

“The answer to that is no. I will make the decisions as I make the decisions…

“…I make decisions on the basis of the decisions that come before me and I have no problem making big decisions, that’s my job, as minister. I make decisions every single day.

I make decisions in relation to my department and I will continue to do that and I won’t be apologising to Ken Foxe, I won’t be apologising to the Daily Mail, and I won’t be apologising to The Sunday Times and I won’t be apologising to anybody in relation to any decisions of allocations of money I make in rural Ireland.”

Ring freewheels into ‘problematic’ Mayo funding row (Ken Foxe, The Sunday Times)

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23 thoughts on “‘I’m The Minister Of The Department And I Make The Decisions’

  1. Ron

    What an arrogant bstrd – Its utterly hopeless in this country. I’m tired at being angry about all this – there is no point. Nothing will ever change. Idiots in Ireland will always re-elect these buffoons

    1. realPolithicks

      +1. You’d have more respect for these jokers if they just admitted what they were doing instead of coming out with this kind of BS.

    2. david

      Maybe he needs to get through his thick head is we are the people and we decide who we elect into office and since he is the minister who made the decision for this he has to carry the can for its failure
      So resign

  2. b

    why shouldn’t Kiltimagh get a Velorail and put it in the same league as Ogdenville and North Haverbrook?

    1. TheQ47

      “I come before you good people tonight with an idea. Probably the greatest—Aw, it’s not for you. It’s more a Swinford idea.”

  3. Me

    It’s exactly the same with Lotto grants, all are dealt with by Government departments now

    1. Optimus Grime

      That is true! Lotto grants are dealt with by the Government. They dictate where Lottery funds go so it was no surprise that a lot of money went to Mayo for a few years.

  4. Dhaughton99

    “pedal-powered carriages”
    Like the ones in the Wild West where you push the lever to get away from the sheriff or the ones the loud brits use on stag weekends down O’Connell street?

  5. Friscondo

    Says the baying mob, with pitchforks at the ready. I left a poverty stricken, unemployment black spot that was Mayo in late 80’s for London. I live in Kildare now. When I return to visit today, I’m still astounded at the lack of investment compared to other parts of the country. I’ve never voted Fine Gael in my life, but there are other places outside of Mayo I’d be quicker to begrudge money going to. The condescending country bumpkin tone isn’t a good look either. Sophisticated city slickers, yeah right.

  6. ollie

    The issue isn’t investment it’s skulduggery. By the way, the entire Country was an unemployment blackspot in the 80s.

    1. david

      Different to what I remembered it as we had little homeless and people could afford a home

      1. Cian

        really? my memories[1] of the 80s was unemployment and huge emigration…

        [1] backed by data.
        Unemployment went from 8% in 1980 to 18% in 1989
        More than 200,000 left Ireland in the 1980s.

  7. bisted

    …if the plan to privatise water hadn’t been defeated, would Ringer have to pay the parish pump bill?

  8. yoyo

    Strange… I live right beside this length of track, and it isn’t finished. A digger spent a few weeks clearing bryers. And lated some gravel either side of the track. I don’t see anything else along it.

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