What does that mean?

I’d be happy with one line: “We will give Comreg some sharp teeth”.

As for discussing issues on doorsteps, Kieran has never dismissed people with “Read the Manifesto� as far as I know.

The point is that an awful lot of people expect a visit from the candidates and it is physically impossible to have a good discussion with each one of up to 100,000 people in 3 weeks. A little maths or experience on the doorsteps will show you that. After the election, there will be clinics and an office to take the time to go into the issues with whoever wants to discuss them.

As for 100% coverage. Did you hear of BBnet http://www.bbnet.ie? They are doing wireless broadband in Adare and they may even cover Patrickswell (at least according to broadband.gov.ie) and there is mention of a transmitter on Cratloe Hill and people getting a signal in Askeaton. If the government were to cover Patrickswell, then they could be put out of business. It might make more sense to subsidise them to cover Patrickswell too if they haven’t plans to cover it already.

So unless you have a problem with the manifesto, leave personal encounters out of it.

Personal encounters? I met him in his official capacity as Comms spokesperson at the launch of the Oireachtas broadband report, the one he now will now not endorse. And people don’t vote for manifestos, they vote for people who have the ability to implement the manifestos. All politics is personal and if the supposed point-man on an area avoids any form of engagement on that area, it is a worrying trend.

Joe did you lift your “ruuning roughshod over commercial operator” line from PD literature. Are you sure you’re supporting the right party.

The question of 100% broadband roll out is ridiculous. For example there’s a town in Limerick called Patrickswell. It’s a commuter town it’s only 5km from Raheen less than 15mins drive from the city centre and it doesn’t have broadband. It’s not on the list for broadband and according to eircom it’ll get upgraded eventually but it’s not on the list for 2007 or 2008. This sort of situation is completely ridiculous. We can’t even think about 100% broadband availability if we can’t even get towns and villages within pissing distance of major urban centres online.

For a Finegael spokesperson on communications to tell someone in answer to a question “Go read the manifesto” would nearly make you want to vote for the PDs.

There is also a good chance that he may not be the minister responsible for communications – it could be another FG person or even Labour. The Village suggests Mairead McGuinness

So unless you have a problem with the manifesto, leave personal encounters out of it.

It would be nice if you could spell out a simple solution – a countrywide, government run wireless/DSL network for 9.99 a month.

The solution was already put down by the Joint Oireachtas Committee report on Broadband which Durkan apparently helped formulate but when I asked him to implement the report if he was in Government all I got in reply was to “read the FG manifesto”. A bit bloody rich that this guy won’t even endorse or implement something he was involved in.

This is a joint FG/Labour policy but you don’t seem to want to knock them, do you?

Their time will come Joe, along with all the other parties. One per day. However having personally met and talked to the FG spokesperson on communications, his input on how bad things are for 1000s of people was a comment of “shocking” two tuts and a “well see ya now” and off he went. I’d have expected more from the supposed spokesperson.