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In this episode I sit down with Joe Flaherty, current Fianna F\\xe1il TD for Longford and Westmeath. Joe lifts a lid on what it\'s like to be the voice for his own people in the most influential room in the country. What was revealing to me was the percentage of time Joe spends dealing with local issues and everyday struggles of the individual person in comparison to the more national topics. Joe also spends time talking about how Covid has sped the movement online where hosted a "town meeting" online which garnered over 10,000 log ons. The ability for more people to attend these meetings from the comfort of their own homes seems to have been a real added benefit as normally only a few hundred at best would come in person.

Joe also gives a revealing insight into some of the personal challenges he went through and how he\'s overcome them. This experience of experiencing adversity at a young age allows Joe to empathise with the younger generation now with their own specific problems. He reminds me that all these middle aged  Fianna F\\xe1il TD\'s were young teenagers at one stage too ! He also talks about the dynamics inside the D\\xe1il and the relationships he\'d have with other TD\'s.

We also talk about what he hopes to leave behind him for the next younger generation to have when his turn is passed and the kind of Longford he would like to see his daughters grow up in. Overall this was a great podcast and one that I personally learned a great deal from. Having the chance to actually see what a TD\'s main roles are was very interesting as it\'s an area that I at least wouldn\'t understand well. His own story along with his plans for the future are very inspiring and I hope the rest of you enjoy this one too.