We haven’t gone away!

Many thanks to all the people who continue to send us their support and who remain committed to pushing this imperative matter. We have had a couple of queries recently with respect to how things are progressing and while we have been quiet publicly, rest assured that we are continuing to work on this pursuit in the background. The last public build-up of our activities centered about the release of the long awaited Port Report. People will have seen us in the streets of Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Clonmel and Wexford and at various GAA fixtures around the national league, handing out leaflets on the subject of a university within the South East. Then there was the relay run that we staged from Waterford to Dublin and the culmination of that effort into a march at the Dáil. We did all this to make as many people aware of the findings of the Port Report and to try to urge people to make their voices known.With the unfortunate political situation of the former Taoiseach resigning and the subsequent cabinet shuffle, we think that it is fair to say that we are in this for the longer term now. As soon as the new cabinet positions were settled, contact was made with the new minister and we hope to open up a more serious line of communication as the next political term resumes. At the moment we are playing a backroom game and are not as publicly visible as we have previously been but rest assured that we are continuing to pursue this with the same passion that we always have. So, please continue to keep your support for the university case going strong. We all need to remain united on this matter and to show the government that this facility is urgently needed to the South East of the country. 

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A New Government, A New Beginning

The campaign has been quiet on the website for the past while: A great number of changes have happened since the run to Dublin back in April that required more work to be carried out behind the scenes. With the resignation of Bertie Ahern and the subsequent cabinet reshuffle, a step back was necessary to assess the new landscape and make new contacts. Now that the cabinet has settled down and the drama of the Lisbon Treaty has passed for the time being, it is time to renew and continue your support for this campaign for a university in the South East. Remember to look to the getting involved section and the homepage of the site (points in blue on the right side of the page) to see what you can do, you  can also e-mail all the relevant cabinet ministers and regional TDs without having to copy or type their addresses. Click here (Outlook users click here) to start the e-mail and copy one of our sample letters as a starting point for your content. Once again thank you to everyone who has continued to keep the pressure on and to those who have kept contact with us. The case is still strong and has grown in strength since you started to help - let’s keep it going until we get what we deserve as a region!

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Eamon Gilmore backs South East University!

Eamon Gilmore (Labour Party leader) came to WIT on Thursday last to address an audience. During his speech he paid particular focus to the needs of the South East region and with specific emphasis on a university for the region, stated that this was an urgent and necessary catalyst to rejuvenate the economic profile of the South East. Following on from Fine Gael’s priority questions to the Minister for Education recently in the Dáil, this added support from the Labour Party is a welcomed development in the case for a university to be established in the South East. With this collective support and the continued pressure from the public, the Minister cannot put this decision off for much longer. A transcript of Eamon’s address can be read here.

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Dáil Questions - April 9th

Yesterday Fine Gael TD Brian Hayes put a priority question to Minister Hanafin in the Dáil, about the decision regarding the university for the South East. The initial response from the Minister was the same text that has been seen from other government officials in recent weeks. However, Deputy Hayes persisted with his questioning regarding the decision and the government position on this issue. The Minister suggested that something would happen in the coming weeks but appeared unsettled at the direct line of questioning from the opposition. The full test of the Dáil transcript can be read here. 

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Irish Times Editorial

“It deserves to be successful on its own merits. And it should be possible to ring fence a decision in its favour to ensure the role of the wider IoT sector is not compromised.”

Those are the words that echoed through the editorial appearing in the Irish Times on Saturday 5th April, pg 15. A hugely supportive endorsement of the case for a university in the South East that acknowledges the validity and worthiness of the proposal that has been submitted to establish such a facility. The media is now on the side of this campaign and has finally recognised that the people of the South East want and need such a resource to help their region develop and grow.

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We made it!

On Monday morning at 10:30 the runners departed the Clock Tower in Waterford City and made their way to Kilkenny. On Tuesday they passed through Carlow and along the N81, reaching Dublin late that evening. On Wednesday the baton was passed to Ken McGrath and Michael “Brick” Walsh who carried a letter of support and a petition to the steps of the Dáil where it was presented to the officials. A massive gathering of hundreds of people, street entertainers, politicians and others, packed Kildare St as the Garda escort delivered the final runners to their destination. Truly an epic journey and the message was delivered. A huge message of thanks to everyone that made it on the day and to all those who helped with the incredible amount of organisation that this event took to become a reality. The message has been sent and now we have to make sure that it is understood!

We are still gathering all the photos and video of the event but we will publish them soon to the site so make sure you check back for updates.

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FUSE Run to Dublin

Over the past number of weeks, FUSE has been extremely active in grass roots campaigning and garnering support for the establishment of a university for the South-East region. Members of FUSE have campaigned in town centres and at GAA matches across the region. Our spokesman, Dr. Mark Rowe, has made statements on radio stations and in newspapers across the South-East, informing people of the issues and the very real benefits that a university in the South-East will bring, and how the region has suffered from the absence of one.The groundswell of support for FUSE, and the campaign for a university in the South-East, has been overwhelming throughout. Pledges of support and encouragement to the website, http://www.se4u.org/, and by email (info@se4u.org), and the many signatories of the on-line petition, have shown how passionate the people of the region feel about this issue.For this reason, and in view of the impending cabinet decision on the university issue, FUSE are raising its campaign to a new level. From Monday, 31st of March till Wednesday, 2nd of April at 2pm, FUSE are organising a relay run from Waterford city to Leinster House in Dublin, via kilkenny city and Carlow town. The run, consisting of 22 stages of roughly 8km segments, will pass through the heartland of the South-East, before following the N81 to Dublin. It will pass through the south side of Dublin, ending on Kildare st., outside Leinster House. The final runner (yet to be announced) will deliver a letter and petition to senior government figures present. There will be a gathering of support outside Leinster House at this time.FUSE members will be campaigning in Kilkenny city and Carlow town on Saturday, 29th of March, publicising the event. The exact route will appear on the http://www.se4u.org/ website in the coming days. There will also be an event tracker facility on the site, that will track the progress of the runners live over the three days, and give news from the ground. We are confident that these and other initiatives highlight the strong case for a university to be delivered to the South-East region, a case which can no longer be ignored.

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South East has only legitimate claims for a new university

An article in today’s Irish Times by Ed Walsh, founding president of the University of Limerick, states unequivocally that the South East is the only region in Ireland with a legitimate claim for a new university. Ed examines the recent application by CIT and describes this as “mischievous and groundless”. He examines the case put forward by WIT and states that this “is the only gateway city-region in the country that does not have a university”. Ed’s article is hugely supportive of the case for a university in the South East and sets down in plain terms that the government should be looking at regional development above all else. You can read the article on the Irish Times site if you have a login click here

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Waterford, a university city

Published today in the Irish Times is an article by Noel Whelan surrounding the application of WIT for university status. Yet another hugely supportive article that follows on from the Jim Power article in yesterday’s Irish Examiner. In his article Noel explicitly states that “Waterford’s application should not be stalled simply because others seek similar treatment”. He also refers to the Port report on WIT’s application and states that in his reading of the report “it supports Waterford’s case”. This is a welcomed statement when so many in the media are conveying incorrect, negative statements based on their interpretation of the Port report. You can read the article on the Irish Times website if you have an account - click here.

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Case for University in South East

Published in the Irish Examiner on March 21st, is an article by Jim Power, Chief Economist with Friends First. In his article Jim states that a university for the South East region would revive the entire South East region and that a university would greatly help to reduce the disparity in growth between different areas of the country. Jim also points out that WIT is a college that is currently capable of university level performance but it is political will that is seriously lacking. You can read the article here.

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