Council Chairman and the Taliban

Dear Sir - Once again the Taliban rears its head. They were name-checked twice this week.

Once, when members of the Meath Archaeological and Historical Society were making their case to the EU parliament's petitions committee in relation to the destruction of the Tara-Skryne Valley, and again by Colr. Killian at a recent conference in Trim.

Of course, the MAHS suggested that the impact of the M3 motorway near the Hill of Tara was comparable with the "Taliban's destruction of Afghanistan's heritage" whereas Colr. Killian suggested that the protesters should "leave Ireland and join the Taliban".

Colr. Killian, in his tenure as Meath County Council Cathaoirleach, has managed to say quite a few daft things about the M3 debacle, but perhaps the most bizarre is his recent suggestion that the Rath Lugh protesters had "desecrated the area by camping".

In linguistic terms alone, it's a bizarre, oxymoronic mangling of words. It sits alongside a litany of xenophobia and the worst kind of parochial Irish politics. He is happy to welcome "others" from outside the county, but only if they don't meddle in Meath's affairs. Perhaps it's time to reinstate Meath as the famous fifth province? Only then will Colr. Killian be truly happy.

I suggest Colr. Killian should spend more time explaining to hard-pressed commuters why they have been sold a pup of a motorway that will be tolled twice, explain why town bypasses that would have solved most of their travel problems years ago were shelved, and why it is taking so long to reinstate the rail link.

Had more sensible solutions to Meath's problems been sought and introduced years ago, then we would not have had the "plague on society", as the councillor put it, camping out at Tara, to protect our heritage, and the over-worked PRO for the Taliban would not have to spend so much time defending the indefensible. Assuming there is such a role. If not, I can suggest an excellent candidate.

Yours

Declan Kenny,
Black Lodge,
Mill Lane,
Leixlip,
Co. Kildare.

© The Meath Chronicle, 12th. April 2008.

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