Political Platform Charlie McConalogue TD
First elected to Dáil Éireann in 2011, Fianna Fáil TD Charlie McConalogue represents Donegal North East. He studied economics, politics and history at University College Dublin and was previously a member of Donegal County Council. Charlie is the party’s spokesperson on education and skills, and sits on the Education and Social Protection Committee and the Public Service Oversight and Petitions Committee.
How did you become interested in politics?
I had an interest in politics from a young age which developed over time so that I joined Fianna Fáil when I went to college. It grew gradually out of my interest in following current affairs and I developed a clear sense early on that involvement in politics was the most effective way to influence issues in the world around me. I grew up on a farm but we also had a small traditional country shop and pub attached to our house which meant that I had a lot of exposure to the community around me, and that encouraged my interest in politics.
Who inspires you?
I draw inspiration from the people I know and see work selflessly for those around them, either in their families, communities or on issues. They make valuable contributions day in and day out without recognition or looking for it, and I’ve always found this inspirational as opposed to being able to pin point one or two individuals who inspire me.
What is unique about Donegal North East?
Firstly its beauty and the nature of its people, and I think most people who visit will come away saying that. As the Bord Fáilte marketing strapline said: “Up here, it’s different.” The county has suffered economically because of our geography as over 95 per cent of our border is with Northern Ireland rather than the Republic with whom we obviously share the same currency and jurisdiction. The Troubles in the North therefore had a really significant impact on the county in terms of the development of our economy and infrastructure. This means that we have serious catching up to do. For example, we are the only county in the country that doesn’t have a railway line while the St Andrews Agreement which included a cross-border commitment to build an A5 dual carriageway from Monaghan to Derry wasn’t signed until 2006, and now the road still awaits proper funding.
What do you count as your main achievements to date?
I have worked locally with communities to achieve developments in schools, roads and broadband. Nationally, as the party’s education spokesperson, I have focused on highlighting key issues and trying to pressure the Government into addressing them. Issues such as teacher cuts, school supports, student maintenance grants and special needs services are issues which I have highlighted through motions and special debates in the Dáil.
Please outline Fianna Fáil’s main priorities in education policy.
Fianna Fáil has a very proud tradition of developing education services and in recent budgets as cuts have been made under the current and previous Minister, we have instead ring-fenced education funding in our alternative budgets. We don’t believe the Government should be cutting teachers from schools or capitation funding and it is our policy to reduce class sizes.
Our recent Budget document allocated funding to reduce the pupil teacher ratio at primary level from 28 students per teacher to 27 per teacher and we are committed to reducing this further in future years. One of our key priorities at second level is the reintroduction of a specific allocation for guidance counsellors and a reformed junior certificate programme that would introduce continuous assessment but also see written examination elements continue to be assessed externally to maintain standards and confidence in the assessment.
What more should be done to improve rural broadband?
The Government simply need to bite the bullet and start a programme that will bring fixed line fibre broadband into all homes in the same way as happened in the past for electricity and telephones. Unfortunately they are sitting back and leaving it to the private sector, which everyone knows will not deliver for large sections of the country. This is going to lead to a two-speed Ireland and will see one third of the population not receiving proper broadband for many years. They need to put a programme in place now that will start delivering broadband to those areas where it is clear that the private sector will have no interest rather than continuously kick the can down the road. At the moment, the issue is only getting lip service and it’s a total neglect of the Government’s duty to ensure that many areas and people are not left behind for years to come.
How do you spend your free time?
In politics, there is very little free time. It is the biggest downside of the job. A lot of political work sees you out and about at meetings and engaging with people so if you get a free night you’re often glad just to spend it at home! I spend any free time I get with my wife and catching up with family. I also enjoy reading, following sport and being out in the fresh air any chance I get.
