Interview: Bill Fitzgerald, Independent Candidate for Tipp South

For the general election, I have decided to conduct a candidate interview series with the candidates seeking to represent Tipperary in the 34th Dáil. I initially hoped to arrange to do proper interviews with as many candidates as possible, but in the interest of giving the candidates equal time and opportunity to respond, I’ve emailed them each ten questions. Nine of the ten questions are the same for all candidates, with one question (#9) tailored to the candidate. All candidates of the same party were given the same tailored question. I will be publishing responses in the order I receive them.

Next up: Bill Fitzgerald, independent candidate for Tipp South.

1. For the benefit of voters who may be unfamiliar with you and your background, please introduce yourself.

I’m a self-employed father of two teenagers from a farming background and worked in construction and factory jobs both here and abroad. Following a back injury I reskilled in IT and developed Ireland’s first multilingual tourism directory (dirl.com) which though still online is not an active business. That led me to need faster internet so I set up a broadband network which provides Fixed Wireless Access in South Tipperary.  You can get an idea of my opinions/values on my website http://www.billfitz.ie

2. Why are you running?

I’m running in an attempt to address the corruption which is the source of all of the failures which are causing hardship to the Irish people.

3. What do you see as the most pressing issues facing South Tipp right now?

Systemic corruption. Addressing any other issue while ignoring corruption is addressing the symptoms and not the cause.

4. What’s an issue in South Tipp you think has been overlooked?

Not meaning to sound repetitive but corruption is not only overlooked in all of Ireland but the treatment of whistle blowers demonstrates the vilification by the State mafia of anyone who dares try to address it.

5. Tell me about a political hero of yours.

People like Mahattma Ghandi, Thomas Sankara and Terence McSweeney inspire me as measured nationalists who faced up to seemingly invincible oppressors on behalf of their people. Despite their untimely ends, they demonstrated that the oppressive empires are not invincible.

6. Much has been made about how we should spend the €13 billion windfall from the Apple tax judgement. But the current government has been running surpluses for years, so we already have a lot of money we’re not spending.

How do you think we should be spending our existing surplus?

Any existing surplus is at the expense of the Irish people. The State fought to not collect that money while at the same time taxing “Paddy the Peasant” to the hilt on everything they need to survive, even their homes. A small fraction of the “Apple Windfall” could establish a Community Banking Network based on the German Sparkassen model which, by providing credit to the productive economy would allow the Irish economy to grow organically and fund any infrastructural projects.

7. Every single municipality in Tipp was in the bottom quarter of municipalities in the country for new house builds from 2012 to 2023, with Clonmel in dead last. The number of people on the social housing list has grown to over 3500.

Why do you think Tipp suffers from such chronic undersupply?

Again corruption. In the mid-1990s there was an Urban Renewal Scheme to develop urban properties for residential use. I tried to avail of the scheme but the State failed/refused to meet to allow the project to progress.

8. If the next government calls a vote to abolish the triple lock on deploying Irish troops abroad, how will you vote?

I believe that Ireland has the potential to be a great peacemaker internationally by restoring its neutrality. Any relaxation of constraints for warpigs to send young men and women to kill and die while they sip brandy by the fire has to be rejected unequivocally. So I would vote no.

9. Independents are an important part of Irish politics, but it’s a label that can leave a lot to the imagination, and voters want clarity about who they’re voting for. If polls are to be believed, it is likely this election will return Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to power, but if their majority is slim, they may look to independents as new coalition partners.

Will you seek to support or join the government if elected?

I am fully opposed to political parties gaming the system. I don’t think it possible that either of those parties would make the concessions that I would require to support them in any way. Criminal confessions not being their forte.

10. Tell me about one thing you’ve done to support a community in South Tipp.

I’m of a helpful nature naturally. If I can help I will. What initially comes to mind is providing broadband when no one else was doing so. That’s a 24/7 job for which I pay myself less than minimum wage and which again the State is using €3,000,000,000 of tax payers money under the National Broadband Plan to compete with while developing a network which the Irish people will never own.