Musicians on the General Election: RuthAnne – "I don't trust any of the parties in Ireland anymore"

I don’t trust any of the parties in Ireland anymore, so I’ll definitely have to think hard about who I’m going to vote for. I don’t think of any of them are coming up with the right solution. It just feels like they promise everything coming up to an election – ‘we’re going to this and this’ – and then, nothing ever really happens. That’s why we’re in these situations right now, with hospitals and housing.

I have so many friends who can’t get houses – and they’re in their 30s. The houses aren’t even going for the asking price anymore, they’re going for 50,000 or 100,000 above, so they’re being outbid. It’s just not good enough. The Rebuilding Ireland programme isn’t working. There are too many families and children homeless, and in 21st century Ireland, that’s disgraceful. And then, there’s the hidden homeless. Some of my friends are still living with their families at 33 or 34, with good jobs, because they just can’t afford to rent and save for a deposit.

A lot of people think, ‘Where is the money going?’ Because there’s just so many areas of crisis. It’s hard to know who’s going to make a change – who’s going to step up and really do something about the hospital crisis, the crime and the housing.

It’s difficult to know who to trust in the political parties at the moment, but I really like my local TD, Tommy Broughan. I had to go to London to get my treatment for endometritis – which a lot of people I know have also had to do, because there's no centre of excellence in Ireland. There's maybe one specialist in Ireland who does the surgery that’s the best treatment for endometriosis, so there’s a huge waiting list. It's crazy. So, I reached out to Tommy Broughan about that, and he’s been really proactive in trying to help – going to the Dáil with women’s health issues, and trying to fight to get menstrual health education and a centre of excellence for endometriosis. I’m so sad that he’s retiring, because he’s been a great local TD.

I have a few friends who are nurses, and even they’ve said to me: ‘Doctors do not take women’s health seriously in Ireland’. The government don’t take it seriously either. There’s no money going into the funding for getting a centre of excellence for women’s health issues, and that’s something we need to fight for.

But there are so many other things wrong in Ireland that need to be addressed, too. There needs to be a political party in charge that will really take these issues on board, and do something about them – because what they’re doing isn’t working and it’s plain to see. People are going to the UK for their medical care, which is ridiculous, or they’re suffering in pain, without getting the help that they need.