Sinn Féin’s Jobs Plan – Enterprise Policy for the 21st Century

Sinn Féin this morning launched its ‘Jobs Plan – Enterprise Policy for the 21st century’.

The document is a detailed 60 page job stimulus package which sets out a comprehensive plan for making youth employment a national priority; assisting businesses and manufacturing; developing the agri-food sector; reforming the existing enterprise agencies; promoting co-operatives and much more.

The launch was attended by Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams TD; Mary Lou McDonald TD (Public Expenditure and Reform); Peadar Toibin TD (Jobs, Innovation, Enterprise and Gaeltacht Affairs) and Pearse Doherty TD (Finance spokesperson).

Speaking at the launch Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams TD said:

“Like our alternative budget proposals, which we will bring forward next month, this plan has been fully costed and provides a socially responsible way to reduce the deficit and create and retain jobs.

“There are a number of sectors not covered in this, for example, Tourism and the Arts.

“Sinn Féin has already produced a detailed proposal on this and we are currently preparing a paper on creating jobs through the arts.

“It has taken six months to produce this proposal.

“In that time we have discussed this issue with others, including business and community leaders, and economists. Politics is about political choices.

“Sinn Féin believes that this government is making the wrong choices and disproportionately placing the burden of paying for the debts of the golden circles on those who can least afford it.

“Unemployment hurts citizens, drives families into poverty and despair, leads to increased suicide numbers, the loss of the family home, and social problems for communities.

“It drives many of our brightest and best young people to flee to Australia and other parts of the globe. Emigration is not a solution.

“In recent years Sinn Féin has produced a series of alternative budget proposals that contain practical, effective and innovative proposals to reduce the deficit, create growth in the economy, get people back to work and target youth unemployment.

“These are socially responsible and realisable proposals.

“Today, in this Jobs Plan, Sinn Féin presents a real, detailed jobs stimulus strategy that will invest €13 billion into job creation and retention, and create an average of 156,000 short and long term jobs.

“It has been a mantra of Sinn Féin that you cannot cut your way out of recession.

“The money is there; in the National Pension Reserve Fund, the European Investment Bank, the private pension sector, and in the money the government plans to cut from its capital budget spend.

“This is not rocket science.

“The scandal is that this government will continue to fritter away the money in the NPRF; put money into toxic banks, and pay off unguaranteed bondholders, while older citizens lose home care supports, and there is one reduction after another in wages; support for lone parents; carers; citizens with disabilities; the blind and the unemployed.

“Fine Gael and Labour have no strategic vision of how to invest the money in the National

“Pension Reserve Fund in a way that can help the economy in the long term.
Sinn Féin has a strategy.

“It is a thoughtful, rational, well developed and costed plan that will use the available resources in an intelligent – smart way.

“There will be those who disagree with our proposals. That’s fine. Let them do so constructively and provide their alternative.”

ENDS