"“I just think every gov department needs to hear this...it's disappointing when a debate goes out into media circles creating an 'us vs them' situation,” he said. “That's no way to debate an issue and it's an oldest trick in the book...the longer the debate goes on the deeper people dig into what quickly becomes their entrenched positions. “I would be better if we as politicians were to work on consensus and what we agree and moving forward. That was what the peace process in Northern Ireland was built on."
"“We are one country and it's not helpful when someone comes out and says urban Ireland is supporting rural Ireland...its 'both/and' rather than 'either/or'.”"
"“We have people establishing businesses in rural Ireland and taking risks and earning their w"
"He said rural Ireland was 'very quick' to tell people in urban Ireland that they were the ones 'feeding the country' and that urban Ireland should be "a little bit more blunt" point out that that wasn't the case."
Kerry councillors criticized comments made by former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar about an urban-rural divide. The remarks claimed rural Ireland quickly tells people in urban areas that they are the ones feeding the country, and suggested urban Ireland should be more blunt in responding. Varadkar later apologized after backlash, saying he went too far. At a Kerry County Council meeting, Councillor Fionan Fitzgerald said the comments were disappointing and urged the government to avoid media-driven “us vs them” debate. He argued for consensus politics and said the tourism industry and shared national identity require “both/and” rather than “either/or.” Councillor Deirdre Ferris described the comments as wholly insulting, emphasizing rural entrepreneurship and Kerry’s tourism prominence.
Read at Irish Independent
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