There are many people on the margins of society. I find myself feeling bad about people in difficulty, people who are homeless, foreign nationals in direct provision, sick people on trolleys, people needing care or education, not to mention farmers not making ends meet. The list could go on and on. There is a feeling of helplessness and I wish things were better for people in this beautiful country.

Yet, I believe most of us care enough to want justice and fairness for all the people who are in Ireland. At a basic level, I want to know that people are safe from harm and discrimination.

Each time I go into Cork city, the homeless crisis seems to have worsened

I have to trust the systems in place to do this. In the run up to the election we are hearing main areas of concern; the dearth of social housing and affordable homes, the homeless crisis, the health service and the need to address climate change. All are big issues.

Each time I go into Cork city, the homeless crisis seems to have worsened. It pulls everyone’s morale down. I can’t imagine what it does to the homeless people. It needs to be solved urgently.

Cartoon by Clyde Delaney.

I wish life was better for people with disabilities. Service provision for people with intellectual disabilities and autism is in crisis across the country. Ageing parents are looking for homes for their sons and daughters and families want their loved ones to live a fulfilled and happy life. They are entitled to the key to their own home, respite away from home when they need it. All sorts of families need support.

You must vote

This Saturday, we will vote in a general election. A high turnout will result in a more representative Dáil Éireann. I believe it is my duty to vote and I urge our readers to do the same. Strangely, with only days from the election I have no idea how I will vote. I find I’m not alone.

As we watched our third leaders debate, my daughter Julie admitted to being in the same predicament. When the election was called I was thrilled with the short time frame. It would mean less time to have to listen to false promises and boring interviews. The posters would only be up for a short time and life would return to normal quickly.

Three beautiful children died tragically last week. As a caring society we have to ask why?

Then, you think of the “normal” and realise that it has to change. Three beautiful children died tragically last week. As a caring society we have to ask why? In Ireland, politics is very local and people vote for someone they trust or have had dealings with in the past. Our constituency of Cork North Central has had somewhat of a metamorphosis with TDs retiring, moving jobs and so on. There are many new faces and in a sort of panic I realise that I only know one person on the ballot paper.

You might think I am being dramatic, but this is how I feel

Not only am I not acquainted with the others, I know nothing about them. There are no meetings on to facilitate this so we are reduced to radio and TV interviews that we may or may not see for information. You might think I am being dramatic, but this is how I feel. So I have to look at the leaders and see if they are ticking the boxes for me. Have they got the right ethos for me and can I trust what they are saying?

I want to know that my children can afford to build or buy homes and rear their children with affordable childcare and education. I wish that Diarmuid had more opportunities and those can only come with increased financial support from the HSE instead of the year-on-year cuts that have become the norm.

Listening to the leaders debates, one thing is certain; some are not telling the truth

We want to continue to farm and to make a decent living from it. Listening to the leaders debates, one thing is certain; some are not telling the truth because the experts are saying that the figures don’t add up. The trouble is that us ordinary folk have no way of knowing who we can trust. I still don’t know how I will vote. Maybe someone will make it up our drive to ask for my vote and have a conversation? It would make a pleasant surprise.