Journalist, Author and Campaigner for OlderPeople Valerie Cox will run as an independent candidate for Wicklow in the upcoming election.
Her entry to the race, just ahead of tomorrow’s deadline will shake up the hotly-contested battle in the 5-seat Wicklow constituency, where all sitting TDs will compete to return to the Dáil.
As a journalist for over 40 years, Valerie is well-known for highlighting injustices and the struggles of people across Ireland, with her outrage at the treatment of older people in Ireland leading to her becoming a high-profile voice for their rights.
Her relentless battle to expose the plight of older people, deprived of their pensions, exploded the issue onto the national agenda back in 2016, forcing it as a major election issue across all main party candidates.
Valerie is now hoping to become a voice for the voiceless in her election bid and is unafraid to go straight to the top & demand that no individual go without.
Her campaign for older people will immediately focus on tackling issues including:
· Life-long tax payers deprived of pensions, forced to sign-on
· Forced Retirement– people should have the choice to retire & receive full pension entitlements or continue to work
· Older people being trapped in hospital, awaiting care packages to go home
· Forced into Nursing Homes as no Fair Deal scheme to remain in your own home
· Hundreds of older people lying waiting on hospital trolleys
“Whilst some younger people may think the issues affecting older people aren’t a major concern for them, they should be because we are a rapidly ageing country and in the next two decades the number of over-65’s is set to double to 1.2 million people. The rights of older people affect us all.”
Basic human living conditions for all citizens top Valerie’s agenda with urgent priorities including homelessness and healthcare.
“It is unforgiveable for a first world country to have 10,000 homeless people & 1 in 5 children going hungry every day. This is a national emergency & action must be urgently accelerated. “
”Everyone must have the most basic of needs met in order to have a thriving community and economy. Delays just increase the strain on public funding, which means ‘creative’ taxation and increased pressure on all sectors of society intensifying the issues as seen with the escalating homeless crisis.”
A journalist for over 40 years, Valerie has in-depth local knowledge, reporting for many years with the Wicklow People, as News Editor for East Coast FM and for over 25 years with RTE. She is a Patron of Wicklow Hospice Foundation.
