WATCH: Sligo-Leitrim candidate accuses east coast parties of ‘rape’ of north-west enviroment

Last night, the Aontú candidate made the comments at a political hustings in Manorhamilton about environmental issues facing Leitrim where he described himself as “not a stereotypical politician."

“There is no doubt that the east coast centric political parties simply don’t care and they don’t and won’t listen. The contradiction is that the east looks to the west because we may be rich with mineral resources and they are quite willing to give away licences to people which will eventually destroy our environment,” he said.

Adding: “What I want to say, and I am angry about this, is how dare they take us all for granted when we are the poorest region on our Island? It is easy to come and rape us like that but they won’t actually give us what we need.“  

The comments, which initially received scattered applause were called a “cheap shot,” by one member of the audience, he added that the east coast “happens to be where the departments are and it’s the suits in the departments that set up the forestry and everything else, and most of them happen to be country people.”

Mr Monaghan stated back, through a rabble of disagreement from some in the crowd, “I am not having a slur at people from the east, I am having a go at our government who don’t care about the rest of the country outside of the east coast.” 

His comments came on the back of a discussion about how to stop gold mining licences in the county, in which he felt the other candidates, including Independent TD Marian Harkin, were peddling in the same contradictions and rhetoric as the “east coast centric parties.”

In response Marian Harkin said: “I tried to give the details, I tried to give solutions, we are where we are, the prospecting licences have been granted, what we need to do is make sure that mining is not granted and that is what I am saying.” 

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