MERVYN A. CRAWFORD,
Sir, - Does the democratic principle: "Government by the people, for the people" obtain in rural Ireland?
When should local democracy be negated? These are two crucial questions for the future of rural Irish communities.
Some time ago your Environment Correspondent covered the plight of the village of Castletownshend, a village in West Cork of about 30 families, faced with the prospect of 100 holiday homes in their village.
Despite almost unanimous opposition to this development, the Cork Planning Authority has recently granted permission for seventy such houses. Such a large development in such a small, cul-de-sac village will simply swamp its amenities and change the lives of the villagers irrevocably, despite their adamant opposition.
The democratic wish of this village (expressed by written questionnaire) has been weighed against the wishes of one developer and the villagers wish to preserve their way of life has been negated.
What can they do? Representative democracy, in this local case, simply does not protect them. Their small number of votes is of little interest to politicians.
If this is true of Castletownshend it is true for many small communities in rural Ireland. Representative democracy leaves them powerless. I suspect that many people, reading this letter, will identify with their powerlessness.
The democratic principle can only protect the way of life of many rural communities if their majority wish is paramount and is only negated where an interest of truly national scope and significance is at stake e.g. national defence, national health, national resources... Perhaps some might add national waste disposal. - Yours, etc.,
MERVYN A. CRAWFORD, Cross Street, Castletownshed, Co Cork.