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Find your match All Midlands-North-West Candidates
Daniel Pocock

Daniel Pocock

Independent

EU downgraded Midlands-North-West to "Transition Region" status. I'm a professional engineer bringing international experience to problems. West Rail Corridor, Defective Blocks, housing. To simultaneously get results and send a signal to the parties, put the Irish-Australian first on your ballot.

Priorities

  • Immigration

    More than 2 years since Ukrainian refugees begin. Only solutions from incumbent parties involve using hotels and tents. Vote for independent thinking.

  • Other

    Defective blocks (mica houses), if unresolved, could have a knock on effect on insurance and mortgage lending in all the country.

  • Environment

    Reopening the existing railways (e.g. Galway-Sligo) offers a quick win on climate.

These answers were provided by the candidate

EU integration
1 of 21 questions
European integration has gone too far
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Schengen zone: Germany has been able to ban critics from entering any Schengen countries, e.g. Dr Ghassan Abu-Sitta. Excesses of the EAW, e.g. Trevor Kitchen. Small countries not getting benefits of the Euro, e.g. mortgage and insurance rates remain higher in Ireland."

- Daniel Pocock
EU enlargement
2 of 21 questions
It would be good if Ukraine joins the EU in the next five years
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "There are reasons that Ukraine was not admitted to the EU before the war started. Those reasons haven't changed much. Need a consistent criteria for any country that wants to join."

- Daniel Pocock
Economic policy
3 of 21 questions
Corporation tax rates should be fully harmonised across the EU
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Economic policy
4 of 21 questions
The EU budget should be increased, even if this means wealthy countries paying more
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "It may be better to have more money controlled at a regional level, comparable to the system of state governments in the US and Australia or Cantons in Switzerland. Midlands-North-West could reduce dependence on Dublin."

- Daniel Pocock
Commission President
5 of 21 questions
Ursula von der Leyen should receive a second term as Commission President
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "It appears that she already has a lot of support but this shouldn't be taken for granted and other candidates should have the opportunity to present themselves."

- Daniel Pocock
Defence
6 of 21 questions
EU member states, including Ireland, should collaborate more on defence and security
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Ireland is clearly failing in this area, for example, with naval ships being mothballed because they have no crew. Having collaboration with our partners and agreement for Irish military to train with EU peers may be better than having nothing at all."

- Daniel Pocock
Defence
7 of 21 questions
The EU should have a common army
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "There are huge differences in culture, language and tradition."

- Daniel Pocock
Defence
8 of 21 questions
The EU should finance more weapons for Ukraine
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "The cost of Ukraine falling appears to be higher than the cost of the weapons."

- Daniel Pocock
Defence
9 of 21 questions
Ireland should retain its ‘triple lock’ rule for deploying troops
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Foreign policy
10 of 21 questions
The EU should suspend its trade agreement with Israel
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Trade has become a house of cards. Trying to remove some of the cards too quickly runs the risk of the whole house falling down. Now that Ireland recognizes Palestine, does that imply Palestine should have a trade deal on identical terms as Israel, including purchases of arms from Germany?"

- Daniel Pocock
Foreign policy
11 of 21 questions
Each member state should have a veto on EU foreign policy
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "This principle appeared to work for Ireland with Brexit"

- Daniel Pocock
Immigration
12 of 21 questions
Ireland should participate in the EU’s new migration pact
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "It looks overly bureaucratic and doesn't even begin until 2026. The €20,000 payments for transferring an asylum seeking could lead to negative side-effects."

- Daniel Pocock
Immigration
13 of 21 questions
Member states should share responsibility for asylum applications in the EU
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "A lot of the states have open borders with the Schengen system. This leads to people dissipating throughout all the EU countries in an uncontrolled manner."

- Daniel Pocock
Immigration
14 of 21 questions
The EU should operate search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "The journey to reach a search and rescue ship would be even shorter than the journey to cross the Mediterranean. The presence of such ships would encourage more people to take the risk of a crossing."

- Daniel Pocock
Immigration
15 of 21 questions
Ireland needs to do more to ensure asylum applicants have suitable accommodation
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "It looks like the current situation with people evading the Rwanda plan will stop after the British election on 4 July. This will reduce pressure on the Irish government and things will be as they were in 2023 again."

- Daniel Pocock
Immigration
16 of 21 questions
There should be checkpoints at the border with Northern Ireland to limit the number of asylum seekers coming to Ireland
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "History suggests a strong risk of conflict around the border. There would be a huge burden on ordinary trade, business travel and social travel. People in County Donegal who visit the North more regularly or traverse the North to visit Dublin would suffer more. Prices of some products would rise."

- Daniel Pocock
Environment
17 of 21 questions
The EU’s Nature Restoration Law, requiring rewetting of peatlands, should be adopted
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Environment
18 of 21 questions
The EU’s goal of a 55% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 is too ambitious
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "It is better to have a more ambitious goal and fall short by a small margin than having a low goal and not make much effort."

- Daniel Pocock
Environment
19 of 21 questions
More windfarms (including onshore windfarms) should be built in Ireland
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "There appears to be a lot of scope for at least some offshore wind."

- Daniel Pocock
Agriculture
20 of 21 questions
Ireland should continue to seek special treatment for Irish farmers on the Nitrates (water quality) directive
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "It looks like the decision has already been made and we should focus on helping farmers comply."

- Daniel Pocock
Agriculture
21 of 21 questions
The EU should reduce subsidies for high-emissions farming, such as beef and dairy
  • Agree
  • Neither agree nor disagree
  • Disagree
  • No opinion
Comment: "Need to consider the subsidies in the context of all other measures to control emissions, for example, carbon taxes and other charges passed on to the end consumer."

- Daniel Pocock