Moran making her mark as an Independent on a mission
The A Team
As the general election campaign enters its final days Aisling Moran is buoyed and energised by the momentum, goodwill, and positive reaction to her candidacy, Flanked on the canvass trail everywhere she goes by fellow independent Laois councillors Ben Brennan, James Kelly and Tommy Mulligan the Moran campaign, dubbed The A Team, is proving a potent vehicle for change in the usually boringly predictable 3-seat midlands constituency.
“People are really up for it,” enthuses Moran, “everyone is sick of the same old, same old and recognise this as an opportunity to shake up the cosy consensus and jaded policies of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael who are going for their fourth consecutive term in government. They have failed us terribly on housing, on health services, on the cost of living, disability supports, school places, on rents, on value for money, accountability, the list is endless,” asserts Moran who is relishing her newfound independence since she quit FG and teamed up with the other independent councillors in Laois.
Regarded as a breath of fresh air with her forthright and straight-talking views, Moran insists that she is not just a protest candidate but rather offering a real alternative, a credible option with practical and sustainable policies that can provide a better quality of life for families and future generations.
Aisling Moran maintains that the election campaign has merely served to expose the deficiencies and detached nature of the government parties.
“They are coming across all smug, condescending, and dismissive, with the neck to talk about their achievements in health and housing. What planet are they living on? They are incapable of accepting even constructive criticism and take responsibility for nothing. This lack of accountability is unhealthy. It is reasonable for the taxpayer to demand value for their money and not see it flitted away and squandered as they work around the clock to make ends meet and pay their bills.
“It is astonishing to see the two big government parties now indulging in a phoney war and promising the sun, moon and stars, things they point blank refused to consider in their Budget only a month ago. People see through this irresponsible auction politics in a country where there’s no school places for special needs children, and a chronic shortage of GPs,nurses, guards, and builders – who has been in charge for the last ten years? Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and now they’re offering more of the same, well no thanks!
Moran doesn’t pull her punches and is making her mark as an Independent on a mission.
In her final media interview in the last week of the campaign she relishes the challenge and the prospects of winning the third seat here as she urges Laois voters to give her a chance to speak up and speak out for them.
“Everyone has their own concerns, but there’s no getting away from the burden of the costs of living and skyrocketing prices for everything.
“The housing shortage and high rents, now hitting €2000 per month here in Laois are a huge worry for so many people locked out of the housing market and trying to make ends meet. I am offering innovative and practical solutions to address these issues.
“The health service is in disarray. I am astonished that the Government has the neck to talk about its achievements in health – tell that to the nurses on the frontline, or should I say the firing line, tell that to someone looking for supports for autistic children or elderly parents waiting for home help; tell that to someone waiting for hours on end in Portlaoise A&E; tell that to someone looking for a GP at the weekend or mental health supports, or disability services, they’re not there!
Apart from the bread-and-butter issues Cllr Moran maintains that people, especially young families, and parents are concerned about Climate Change and exercised by the wars in the Middle East.
“Mothers especially are not detached or oblivious from these concerns. What’s going on in Gaza is a genocide, a war crime, a slaughter of innocent women and their children, killing medics, journalists, and babies with no mercy. We must do more than hand wringing. President Higgins has shown leadership, but our government must do more. It’s not antisemitic to call out this murderous disregard for international law by Netanyahu. The time has come to action our outrage and boycott Israel on all fronts.
“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are like an old married couple, squabbling in public, but they’ll still get back in bed together. Nothing will change if they are returned.”
