Louise McSharry

He knows how to grab a headline.

He knows how to say something frequently kind of crazy and controversial, but he also really knows how to win votes.

And he is so beloved in Kerry and he is kind of the epitome of what's often referred to as parish pump politics for anybody who doesn't.

I only know this stuff because I worked in current affairs for years, but like the idea that, you know, someone in a position like a national position, like as a TD is not looking at the overall picture for the country, but instead focusing on what their communities need.

And it's a great way to get votes.

It's a great way to stay elected, but it's not all, it doesn't always work out well for, you know, the country as a whole.

Like we might disagree with Michael Healy-Ray.

I might disagree with Michael Healy-Ray on lots of things, but the reality is lots of the people from where he's from and who are going to elect him do agree with him.

And so it kind of it never really made sense for me for him to be in with the government because it's hard for him to say his things and get his attention and, you know, seem like he's on on the side of, you know, anybody who's facing adversity, really, if he is in government.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking of.

Yeah.

Yeah, I actually have a quote here.

He said, we've lost an awful lot of our rural pubs.

And what has happened is that is actually wrong because these pubs were providing a great service.

They were a place in the community where people could come together, play a game of cards, have a bit of enjoyment and have a drink or two.

When they really got strict on the drink driving laws, there should have been a common sense approach in rural areas whereby people could go out, have a glass or two of beer and go away home.

There was nothing wrong with it.

So like, obviously that's controversial.

Suggesting that it's ever okay to drink and drive is controversial, but you can see where he's coming from at the same time.

Yeah, and nobody likes the idea of people in rural areas being stuck at home alone, living kind of isolated lives.