Sinn Féin spokesperson has said today’s draft is nothing more than a copy and paste job from five years ago.
He accused Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Michael Lowry-led independents of lacking the ambition and the big ideas required to address the crises in health, housing and the cost of living.
Teachta Doherty said:
“Today’s draft Programme for Government is nothing more than a copy and paste job from five years ago.
“It does nothing other than reinforce our view that this government made up of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Michael Lowry-led independents is the worst possible outcome for this country.
“This is a tired and stale document that is completely devoid of the ambition and big ideas our people need and deserve.
“It will not lay a glove on dealing with the crises we see in housing, health and the cost of living.
“This document is full of vague aspirations, the only standout certainty it contains is the commitment to put up the price of petrol and diesel every single year for the next five years.
“But on the big issues, there is nothing new. It is short on specific commitments, and full of aspirations, platitudes and proposed reviews.
“The commitments made are devoid of realistic or serious timelines for delivery. For example, we still don’t know when the National Children’s Hospital will be open.
“Under this government, we will still have investment funds snapping up homes under the noses of first-time buyers.
“We will still have electricity companies, banks and insurance companies ripping off consumers, and we will still have a government that squanders taxpayers’ money.
“A Sinn Féin Programme for Government would have lowered taxes through cutting the USC, it would have made prescription medicines free for all, it would have cut the price of fuel and halted any other petrol and diesel increases.
“There will be hundreds of thousands of voters out there angry and disheartened at this document in the knowledge that this government, rather than addressing the societal challenges we face, is only concerned about self-interest that will abandon communities right across the state.
“Sinn Féin will fight them tooth and nail. We will provide a voice for the people, their frustrations, and their hopes.
“This Programme for Government is further proof that this country sorely needs a dramatic change in direction, and in the new Dáil term we will keep working towards making that a reality.”
