LOCAL AND EUROPEAN ELECTIONS 2024
Patrick Murphy is ceo of The Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation.
Patrick is a community activist and a long-time advocate for the rights of people in the fisheries and agriculture sectors.
‘I negotiated the Russian withdrawal from our waters. I want to negotiate the return of common sense, accountability and integrity to Irish politics.’
Those are the impassioned words of Aontú’s Patrick Murphy ahead of the official launch of his candidacy for the Bantry LEA and European Parliament elections, both to be held on June 7th.
PUBLIC MEETING
The fisheries and farming advocate will be joined at the launch, this Saturday, May 11th at the Ballydehob Community Hall, by Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín.
The West Cork man says: ‘not one person in Ireland is unaware of the bad deal our Government negotiated in Europe on behalf of our fishing Industry as we have the smallest share of fish in our own waters for over 50 years.’
‘I meet people across West Cork who are genuinely in despair at the direction this country is going in. Young people are emigrating in their droves, they have no hope of buying their own homes, and this is having a terrible societal and community effect. Rural Ireland is being hollowed out and there is now an epidemic of loneliness amongst both young and old which is heartbreaking.’
HELP OF THE ELECTORATE
‘Couples who both work and pay their taxes deserve better than be told by this Government go to the welfare office for a top-up as your wages do not cover your cost of living.
'This is a clear indicator the candidates running for election are also out of touch with you the electorate.
'Our young couples tell me they know this means they can never afford to put a roof over their heads and are leaving our country, for God sake, breaking grandparents’ hearts as we once again are saying goodbye to their grandchildren.
'Our health service is not properly run and is not fit for purpose, billions spent on a children's hospital that still has no completion date, our roads network with potholes everywhere creating huge dangers, policed streets a thing of the past as Government refuse to pay decent wages to our Gardai, but with the help of the electorate we can bring a future to look forward to.
'We will do this by properly rewarding carers, who are saving this State tens of millions as it is but have to fight for every scrap - it is absolutely scandalous.
'They are treated with complete indifference by this Government who know that despite everything, the carers will continue to care for their loved ones as that is just what they do.
'I believe this Government is guilty of a gross dereliction of duty over the way it is handling immigration, it has spent millions upon millions buying properties to house immigrants, yet 37 of these are idle.
'It is truly unbelievable and incredibly irresponsible and accountability is glaringly absent.
‘I want the people of West Cork and Ireland to remember when our economy collapsed and we lost our homes and our jobs, austerity cuts then targeted the most vulnerable and the Government brought in the vulture funds.
'Our elderly said NO more, as they took to the streets to protest proposed cuts.
'I am asking the people of West Cork to join me in giving this cynical Government the drubbing it deserves as it is still so out of touch with the people, it is frightening.’
FEARLESS ADVOCATE
‘I am a man of my word, a politician who is a fearless advocate for the beleaguered fishing communities of the coastal communities of West Cork and Ireland. It is vital to ensure the continuation of the industry, which is quite literally drowning.’
‘I don’t think there is a woman or man in Ireland who would not agree that the Irish fishing industry has been treated appallingly by successive Irish Governments, our MEPs and Europe.’
‘I have built my own companies within the industry, I have spent all my working life in the agricultural sector, the past eight years as chief executive representing our industry nationally and in Brussels. I know and understand the very particular issues and problems that our fishermen and farmers have to face on a daily basis.’
‘I was and am so appalled by the blasé way that hardworking Irish fishermen are being treated that I made the decision to run myself. As God knows they need people not afraid to stand up and fight for their interests. We have a group of people, elected to represent the people who voted them into their highly-paid jobs and not only are they not representing the people of Ireland, but it could also be argued that they are actively working against us. It is actually unbelievable.’
‘They are not standing up for an industry that is literally going under.’
‘Look at the facts - fish prices are going up as our fishermen are put out of business, on an island country that should be heavily promoting this rich and natural resource and we are hugely anxious about jobs. We have more than 8,000 people directly employed in the industry with some 7,000 more indirectly employed. The value to the Irish economy is circa €1.3 billion and the sector is frankly being treated with contempt.’
‘I have repeatedly called for a full review into the Common Fisheries Policy and to say the Irish are not getting a fair deal is an understatement, to say the very least.’
‘As it stands, a whopping 85% of our fish stock in our waters is going to foreign vessels. It is absolutely scandalous but Irish fishermen are on their own. We have a minister who is not only not fighting for us, but he is also actively allowing fishers from other countries to fish our seas dry and our share is falling below 15%. He has allowed the Norwegians in, perhaps the Icelandic crews are next, it is truly beyond belief. I have challenged him to a debate, but his response is deafening.’
CUSTODIAN OF LAND AND SEA
‘They are now trying to replicate the damage they did to the fishing industry across the whole agriculture sector. Farmers are custodians of the land, fishermen are the custodians of our seas, they love it like nobody else does. They are the ultimate environmentalists, but their efforts and their livelihoods are being treated with contempt by an increasingly autocratic and high-handed ‘officialdom’, making it almost impossible for them to earn a living from the land.’
Fishing representatives, Patrick Murphy from the Irish South and West Fish Producer’s Organisation (IS&WFPO) and Brendan Byrne from the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association (IFPEA) met with Russian Ambassador to Ireland, Yuriy Filatov Thursday (27 January), to discuss a planned exercise by the Russian Navy 240kms southwest of Ireland, in a highly sensitive marine area.
Those talks resulted in the Russians moving their planned naval exercise outside the Irish EEZ.
EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius praised the Irish fishing community for their efforts in preventing the Russian Navy from performing military exercises in Ireland’s EEZ.
For further information contact Patrick Murphy on 086 2360001
