GE 24 meet the candidates: Margaret Maguire (Ireland First)

Meet the candidates GE 24

Tell us a little about yourself

I’m a mother of two, Mullingar native and businesswoman, with a background in accounts and bookkeeping. I got more interested in politics as I saw the deep disconnect between the government and the people they are paid to protect and represent.

What would your party do to solve the housing crisis?

We would increase the housing rights of Irish citizens, by way of mandating a fixed percentage of all social housing and right-to-buy schemes. Place a complete ban on foreign investment funds bulk buying property (4 in 10 homes were purchased by bulk buyers in 2023). Allocate an extra €3 billion per year for housing, which would add a further 15,000 homes to the current build numbers. Those properties would be for sale only and the money reinvested. Extend the first-time buyers’ scheme to include second hand homes. Cap the number of work permits issued, to ease the pressure on housing demand.

What would your party do to address the economic concerns that many people face due to the rising costs of groceries, insurance, fuel…?

We would abolish the USC, which was supposed to be a temporary tax imposed during the financial crisis 15 years ago. Abolish carbon tax on home heating fuels. Seek to introduce subsidised childcare, and look to place facilities close to, or on school grounds, to reduce the costs of operators and families. Cut funding to unaccountable NGOs (currently at close to €7 billion per year) and invest in local, circular economies. Insist on government accountability and reduce state spending and expenses.

What would your party do differently to other parties if they form part of the next government?

We have had the multinational corporation (MNC) tax bonanza income for decades now, and we have little to show for it. A whopping 83% of our corporation tax is from foreign owned MNC, which is an incredibly fragile financial position to be in. The revenue generated could have been invested into developing indigenous industries, vocational training, investment in SMEs and retaining our young people.

We should have world class business, health, education, housing, farming, and infrastructure sectors in place, so that we have a self-sustainable, home-grown economy. Instead, FG and FF have engaged in massive state overspending, virtue signalling to excess, and financed pet projects, rather than prioritising tangible investments. If the MNC dries up tomorrow, what do we do?

So, we would use the funds available to us now to build more housing, more infrastructure and create a strong, circular economy, while we can. We would have a much firmer grip on immigration. A total of 233,000 net, non-EU migration into the state in three years is far too much for a country of fewer than 5 million people, as we were. The IPO needs to be relocated to Dublin airport, and people arriving without documentation refused permission to land. A 60-day maximum IP process, limited to one appeal, heard within 15 days needs to be introduced. We would also create a comprehensive list of safe countries, with automatic rejection from those countries. The creation of those policies alone would see a drastic reduction in those arriving here seeking asylum, just as Roderic O’Gorman’s tweet in multiple languages saw the quadrupling of cases in the last government. Also, the work permit scheme is about to get much laxer under FF, as retail, hospitality, care work and construction trades are to be added to the eligible roles list. That is going to exacerbate an already critical immigration situation. We would put a very firm cap on work permit numbers, with only essential trades allowed for the short term, while we work to plug the skills gaps at home.

We would also oppose the Nature Restoration Law and the cessation of the nitrate derogation. These policies are, in my view, undermining our agricultural industry under the guise of environmentalism. Ireland produces some of the most carbon-efficient meat products globally, yet we are being forced into the position of having to reduce our agricultural output. The push to decimate our farming sector in the name of a ‘green agenda’ seems counter-intuitive, especially when the evidence suggests that reducing agricultural activity in countries with higher carbon footprints would have a greater impact on global emissions.

If the agenda really is green, our output, as low carbon producers, should be increased, not decreased. We would implement changes to retain our young people through vocational skills training centres, SME start-up grants and improved employment and housing opportunities. We would seek to introduce a more direct form of democracy, where the people decide matters of national importance, such as the EU Migration Pact. A select few politicians should not be able to make these decisions in isolation, with no public participation or recourse.

If you were marking the performance of the current government out of 10 what would you give it?

It would have to be a minus, because they are actually inflicting damage to the country. So, if 0 is neutral, meaning no government at all… minus 5!

What one issue would be your top priority if you are elected to the Dáil?

Immigration, legal and illegal. As already mentioned, 233,000 non-EU net migration into the country is reckless, and it has a trickle-down effect on all the other main issues, as we are seeing now. Housing, cost of living, wage depression, and healthcare are all seeing crises that are compounded by immigration.

Do smaller parties have any real power to enact change in the Dáil?

The Green Party had 12 TDs in the 33rd Dáil, and they’ve had a huge impact on government policy, so there is always a possibility that smaller parties and independents can be ‘King Makers’ and be a force for change. One thing is for sure, the large parties, left to themselves, are not going to fix in the next five years what they have broken in the last 80.