FF/FG power grab shows contempt for electorate – Chris MacManus MEP
Sinn Féin’s Midlands Northwest MEP Chris MacManus has said Fianna Fail and Fine Gael’s attempts to continually exclude Sinn Féin shows contempt for the democratic will of the people.
MacManus said “This joint document is an incoherent attempt at convincing the electorate that they will implement Sinn Féin style policies. Terms like ‘New Social Contract’ are smoke screens attempting to appease the majority of voters who do not support them”
“Make no mistake this is a document that lays out a deeply conservative future of severe austerity in strict compliance with European financial rules. There’s no hint of progressive taxation. Once again, the low to medium earners will be hit hardest, whilst those who can afford additional taxation measures will escape unscathed.”
The Sligo MEP stated that the document fell well short of expectations. “It’s a publication that lacks imagination and ambition. There are no clear commitments to progressive changes in health, housing, childcare and climate action. These were the major issues of the recent general election. Issues the electorate demanded change in yet we’re being forced to settle for more of the same.”
“The issue of Irish Unity is a mere footnote in this framework document. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil can’t claim to support the Good Friday Agreement and simultaneously shy away from one of its key elements; a referendum on Irish unity. We’ve witnessed the stark dangers of a divided island in the last number of weeks. two different sets of advice from our media; two different health systems; two different lockdown dates; two different compensation payments for cross-border workers, and no doubt two different dates for when restrictions are finally lifted. The border is damaging to the lives of the people on both sides of it.
MacManus concluded by saying “This was an opportunity for Fianna Fail and Fine Gael to address all of these major issues, but instead they’ve cobbled together a panicked document to try to exclude Sinn Féin from Government whilst cynically using the current crisis as a mechanism to grab power from those with the mandate for change.”ENDS
