Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald TD has tonight said that ‘sham rows’ between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on the eve of the General Election are not fooling anyone.
She also said the coming General Election presents the people of Ireland with a real choice.
Teachta McDonald made the comments this evening at a convention in Monaghan where the party selected Councillor Cathy Bennett as its third candidate in the constituency of Cavan-Monaghan. Cllr Bennett will now join sitting TDs Matt Carthy and Pauline Tully on the ticket
The Sinn Féin President said:
“In standing three candidates in Cavan-Monaghan are setting a real marker for Sinn Féin’s ambition. We want to lead the next government. A government of change.
“The ordinary people of Ireland can’t afford another five years of Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil at the helm.
“They’ve shared power for almost a decade. Now, on the eve of an election, we see their sham rows being reported in the news.
“They both need to grow-up and cop-on. The truth is Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are now the same.
They’ve wasted the last five years in government to make a lasting difference in people’s lives.
“The sharpest example of this is Micheál Martin’s claim that they’ve turned the corner on housing when they built fewer homes this year than last year.
“We are now asking voters to call time on the cosy club. To finally end the dominance of Irish politics by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.”
Teachta McDonald also outlined the real choice that the General Election presents to voters.
“The General Election presents the people with a clear-cut choice.
“You can vote to re-elect some version of yet another Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil led government.
“Or you can vote to elect a new government led by Sinn Féin.
“You can choose to back more of the same, broken promises, repeated failure, and the serial waste of your money by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
“Or you can choose to back Sinn Féin to deliver a government of hope, determination and delivery on the things that really matter.
“That means make housing affordable and bringing homeownership back into the reach of working people, transforming the health service so you get care and treatment when you need it, adorable childcare for families at €10 a day, scrapping the USC for average workers, abolishing the means test for carer allowance and investing with ambition in our communities.
“We’ve had over a century of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael running the place for the vested interests, the well-connected and those at the top.
“Now, finally, it’s time for something we’ve never had before – A government for working people, for families, for communities. That’s the government Sinn Féin will deliver if given the chance.”
