A local councillor said he is shocked at the muted response in Laois to the proposed move of Portarlington and surrounding areas into the Kildare South constituency.
Cllr Noel Tuohy had a motion before the monthly meeting of Laois County Council asking that they strenuously oppose and lodge a formal objection to the proposed electoral boundary commission annexation of Portarlington into the Kildare South constituency.
This will result in the disenfranchisement of over 10,000 Laois voters, he said.
“I am astonished at the relatively muted response to the proposals to annex the entire town of Portarlington and its hinterlands and transfer it into Kildare,” he said.
He said it is up to the elected representatives to shout stop.
“On a very basic level it is undemocratic to disenfranchise the entire community, the second biggest town in the county, along with other areas such as Ballybrittas. It’s absurd.
“I don’t think they would try to pull this stunt anywhere else.
“It’s Portarlington today and maybe if we are a soft touch and roll over, they will come back for Graiguecullen in a local authority or general election boundary review the next time? Imagine trying to suggest that you would move the town of Nenagh into Offaly and cut the number of Dáil seats in Tipp to add one in Offaly. There would be uproar,” Cllr Tuohy said.
He said he had to agree with the Sinn Fein analysis that the changes could result in Kildare having eight TDs and Laois having just two
“The people of Portarlington and the people of Laois deserve better and they deserve more from us their elected representatives than to just throw a few shapes and shed a few crocodile tears, as some in the major parties may feel that they will be at no loss as their seat is not under threat,” Cllr Tuohy said.
He said Laois is being punished because of its population growth.
“I think this is a ridiculous recommendation, to divide the area,” Cllr Tom Mulhall agreed of Fine Gael agreed.
He said putting parts of Kildare, such as Monasterevin, into Laois for the last general election didn’t work. “People were lost,” he said.
“A lot of people won’t know who they are voting for,” he said. “It will make it very awkward. I think it is ludicrous,” he said.
“It makes absolutely no sense,” Fianna Fáil councillor Catherine Fitzgerald said. “I am absolutely disgusted with it. This is the second largest town in our county,” she said.
Elected TDs in South Kildare will now have to represent three counties, Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley said.
“I don’t think there is any incentive for the people of Portarlington to go out and vote,” she said.
“I agree with the sentiments,” council cathaoirleach Cllr Padraig Fleming said. “If we don’t put a strong fight on this then we are at nothing,” he said.
A deputation is to be sent from each political grouping in the council, along with the cathaoirleach to challenge the boundary changes.
