SF won’t prop up FF, FG or Labour

2 6 March 2016

herecentGeneralElectionwasaverygood

oneforSinnFéin.Weincreasedournumber

ofTDsfrom14to23.That'sa65%increase-a

successbyanystandards.

Importantly, Sinn Féin also further

increasedthegeographicalspreadoftheparty.There

arenowveryfewregionsintheStateinwhichthereisn't

SinnFéinDáilrepresentation.

Thereisalsoinplace,anotherwholeraftofSinnFéin

representativeswho,althoughnotreturnedatthiselec-

tionareverylikelytobeelectednexttimearoundifthey

continuewiththevaluableworktheyaredoing.

So,SinnFéinreturnstotheDáil,notjustwithasig-

nicantly larger team but also with a team of very

high-calibre TDs, including more women and more

youngerrepresentatives.

SinnFéinhadtwoclearobjectivesgoingintotheelec-

tion.Therst was toget rid of a FineGael/Labour

governmentthathasbroughtchaostohousingand

health,imposedunfairtaxesandpromotedmassemi-

gration.Wesucceededinthat.

Intheearlydaysoftheelectioncampaignweholed

thecoalition'sstrategybelowthewaterlinebyproving

thattheirgureswerewrongandthattheypresented

€2billionwhichtheydidnothave.

Ithinkwewerealsosuccessfulindemonstratingthat

youcannothaveUS-styletaxesandatthesametime

investindecentpublicservices.

Ourotherobjectivewastoprovetopeoplethatthere

isarealistic,crediblepoliticalalternativeofwhichwe

are a signicant part. That is very much a work in

progress.

Wemaynothavesucceeded,atthispoint,ingetting

enoughseatstoformaprogressiveGovernmentbut

thatwillimproveaswegoon.

ButtherealignmentofpoliticsinthisStatetookan

importantstepforwardinthiselectionandthenext

electionwillseethattrendintensify.

ThepoliticaldominationofFineGaelandFiannaFáil

isnished.Whatwenowneedtodoisincreasethe

cohesionamongthosewhoadvocateanalternative

view of how the economy and society should be

organised.

Overthepastveyears,SinnFéinhasbeenthegenu-

inevoiceofoppositioninLeinsterHouse,offeringan

alternativetothedreadfulausteritypoliciesofFine

Gael,LabourandFiannaFáil.

AllofSinnFéin’spre-Budgetsubmissionsdemon-

stratedawayofensuringeconomicgrowthwhilealso

being socially equitable and protecting the

vulnerable.

WerepeatedlywarnedtheGovernmentoftheesca-

latinghomelessnesscrisis.TheGovernmentrefusedto

listenanditbecameanemergency.

Wealsoconsistentlyraisedtheissueofall-Ireland

integrationandthepolitical,economicandsocialcase

foraunitedIreland.

SinnFéinhasnowreceivedanenhancedmandateto

continuewiththatwork.

Thepost-electionshamghtbetweenFineGaeland

FiannaFáilisnothingtodowiththerealissuesaffect-

ingcitizens.

ThepeoplewhowerehomelesslastFridaywillremain

homelessunderFineGaelandFiannaFáil.

Patientswillstilllanguishontrolleysinourhospitals

underFineGaelandFiannaFáilbecausethoseparties

arenotseriousaboutresolvingtheseissues.

GoingintothiselectionFiannaFáilpickedupona

sensethatvotersweremovingtotheleft,sotheybegan

tostealthephrasesSinnFéinwasusingaboutfairness

andarecoveryforall.

Thatstrategyresultedinapartialrecoveryofthe

FiannaFáilvoteitselfbutstillleftitfar,farshort,inhis-

toricalterms,ofwhereitoncestood.

Throughouttheelectioncampaign,SinnFéinmade

itclearthatwewouldnotpropupthosepartiesthatcre-

ated and sustained the economic and social crisis

facingourpeople.Thatisthemandatewereceivedand

wewillnotbreakourcommitments.

SinnFéinwillcontinuetoconsultwithothers,includ-

ingthosealignedtotheRight2Changeplatform,onthe

wayforward.

Ifnotintheimmediateperiodahead,theobjectiveof

a genuinely progressive alternative Government in

whichSinnFéinplaysaleadroleisalivepossibility.

Over400,000peoplevotedforcandidatesalignedto

theRight2Changeplatformtoendwatercharges.The

FineGael/LabourGovernmenthasbeendefeatedand

waterchargesshouldleavethestagewiththem.

Whatisnowclearfromtheelectionisthatpeople

votedforrealchangeandamoreequalsociety.

SinnFéiniscommittedtoachievingthatandtopur-

suingandpreparingforthepeacefulreunicationof

Irelandandthereconciliationofallourpeople.

WhetherinGovernmentorinopposition,SinnFéin

willstickbythemandatewehavebeengiven.

Gerry Adams TD is President of Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin will

consult with

others, including

Right2Change

platform. A pro-

gressive alterna-

tive Government

involving Sinn

Féin is a live,

though not

immediate,

possibility

SF won’t prop up

FF, FG or Labour

Plan was a) get rid of austerity parties

and b) work in progress of showing there is

an alternative, of which we are a part

by Gerry Adams

POST-ELECTION