My name is Lilly Rose. I am so fortunate to be part of a loving family who are very supportive and always encourage me and my brothers and sisters. I love the fact that I live in a country where there is no wars with guns and bombs. However at times I am afraid that the wars in Gaza and Ukraine might get worse. I am also afraid of Viruses and concerned about global warming.
Myself and my older brother are very close and we talk a lot about issues that concern us and our friends. Unfortunately many of our friends are not as interested in some of these issues. We do talk a lot to our parents and our three living grandparents on many of the issues. My brother and myself talked about running a campaign to see if we can get our friends more interested and had decided to call our campaign Save Our Future. One of my Grans, Sarah when we told her about “Save Our Future” she said can that be all our futures not just you and your young friends. I said of course. So we changed our campaign to “Save Our Futures”.
My Gran Sarah has a friend whom I have not yet met and she told him about this idea and on New Years Day 2024 on her earlier request he registered the website “saveourfutures!. That night Gran Sarah sent me and my brother a picture of the registration. It was indeed registered that day!. I immediately typed the website address into my phone and what I got back was “Its parked ………” I asked my brother who was also thrilled and he told me it won’t be live until we publish something. Please note it’s not www.saveourfutures.com. or.ie My brother and I are withholding the full address until we launch which will be soon.
Interestingly my brother told me last week that www.saveourfuture.com was not available last January and is now for sale for $19, 550. (Reference www.who.is). I would love to know the value of grans new year’s day present!. Must be at least worth the same price or more. My brother said it would have been a lot more expensive to buy than a ‘.com’. Our website is not for sale. I am so impressed with my Gran Sarah.
We asked if her friend could help with publishing. Grandad was there and he said you have a little bit more work to do before its ready and I am happy to help. Gran Sarah said she would also love to help. I think we may have the makings of a great team.
Earlier in the year grandad told me and my brother about the clinics many of the politicians run. He showed me a list of clinics run by one T.D. Grandad told us he had seen a documentary on tv a number of years earlier on this guy and that he would try to find same.” It is a ‘must see for any young person’, he said. He also said “ they get people like your gran a solid fuel stove and a medical card”. “Is that their job”?, I asked. “No he said but it gets them elected”. He said there are people employed to process grants applications for home improvements and for medical cards but that this is what gets many elected, doing another person’s job while they should be working on the big national issues.
Grandad said that most T.D.’s run these clinics. Later that week it was my brother that found the documentary and we watched it with My Grandad and Gran Sarah. I sent my Mon and Dad the link and they watched it two days later. My other Gran, Aoife (grandad’s wife) did not watch it but did bake us some lovely queen cakes, my favourite. She finds it hard to sit down. She is always on the go. Speaking of on the go I was amazed at the energy of the T.D. in the documentary. He would be hard to keep up with. However I was amused when I heard an elderly man praise him and no doubt vote for him because he got him a “solid fuel stove and double glazed windows”. Grandad was not too far out with his earlier comment” Stove and medical card”. In an Ireland where there are major problems like in housing, health, and many other issues it’s not for solving those issues but for getting some one a stove you get elected. This man should be made “King of his County” for all he does for his constituents. However we cannot have people elected to our national parliament who cannot solve national issues ……maybe he can ?. Gran Aoife, who normally doesn’t say much about politics said what we are talking about here is the candidates who run clinics are at “parish pump politics”. I had to get her to explain. I am so disappointed in the voters who do not demand more on the big issues but will vote for a stove.
When I have a vote it would be worth a lot more than a solid fuel stove. I would give my vote to a candidate who had a solution(s) to a big national issue (s). We do have a civil service and local government and many citizens advice bureaus to deal efficiently with local issues. Perhaps we should ban these clinics apart from when TD’s are meeting with large groups on national issues?. The public do have plenty of excellent councillors they elected to represent them at local level whom they can call to meetings on local issues.
While talking recently about issues Gran Sarah brought up ministries and on one occasion she asked us all to write down three position we would like to fill if in government. She gave us a few days to think about it. Up until a few months ago our favourite thing to do in Gran Aoife and Grandads home was playing Scrabble. We used to love scrabble but this is a lot more exciting. My brother and myself according to my grandparents and parents had interesting lists. Gran Sarah, came back a few days later with a list of three ministries proposed by her friend who helped set up the website. It was interesting as one was a brand new ministry. We all liked it including my Mom and Dad. Grandad and Grans lists were also interesting.
Inspired by Gran Sarah, I now ask you and all those who intend to go for election to publish what ministries you/they would like, including the position of Taoiseach. If you/they could also say what they would do in those positions I think it would be so helpful for all including my brother, my parents, my grandparents and all the people who are privileged to have a vote in helping them decide who to elect.
Perhaps the media can ask those going for election to do this for all of us?.
Up to a few weeks ago, my brother and I were very excited. While I will not be able to vote in the next election we thought my brother would. He will be 18 in January and he and I were so looking forward to this big event in his life. We are looking forward to having many long talks together and with our grandparents and parents over the next few months.
My gran Sarah said that while our Taoiseach Mr Harris was adamant that an election would not be until next year that for strategic reasons that he will be calling one soon.
I asked her what strategic reasons and won’t go into them here as I guess you may already have a fair idea.
An election in say early November will mean that my brother and by his estimation around 25,700 who will become 18 between end of October and 16th March (latest date for election) will miss an opportunity to vote.
I want Mr Harris to tell, the 25,700, including my brother who will turn 18 between now and the end February, their parents, grandparents and the public including young people like me who don’t have a vote that there will be no election until end of February at earliest unless it is totally unavoidable. My preference would be March 16th, in order to include as many of the above mentioned young voters as possible.
If he does not and decides to call an election before mid-February I have asked our President to consider my wishes.
I appreciate that many are not happy with our government. I’m not but at present I cannot see a better alternative. We need a lot of debate first. Maybe we need a lot of new people in the Dail ?. We need to get all persons not registered to do so and to vote intelligently. We all must demand more from the candidates, and we must think of all our futures not just their own. My grandad calls what some do as ‘Mé Feinism’…”looking after yourself”. Other times he says “ I’m ok Jack”
Grandad advised me not use any of our real names. He mentioned Greta Thunberg and that she came under fire for speaking out.
You might express your desire to whom ever you can influence in government to also deliver on my wish.
The politicians and most candidates might think they are ready but I don’t think they are presently properly prepared and or more importantly I don’t believe the people of our wonderful, beautiful Country we call Ireland are.
Thank You for taking the time to read my letter
Tomorrow Is a New Day
Lilly Rose