Sinn Féin Launch Manifesto
April 28, 2010
Speaking this morning at the Sinn Féin Westminster 2010 Manifesto Launch in Belfast party President Gerry Adams said:
“Tá fáilte mhór roimh gach duine go dtí an lainseáil seo um tráthnóna.
Tá Sinn Féin ag taispeáint ceannasaíocht sa toghchán seo. Tá muid ag taispeáint, leis an taithí atá againn, an méid ar féidir linn baint amach má thoghtar foireann láidir Shinn Féin.
Agus bígí cinnte go bhfuil an toghchán seo faoin cheannasaíocht; Tá imní ar dhaoine go bhfuil roinnt iarrachtaí ag dul ar aghaidh chun próiseas na síochána a chur ó mhaith.
Tá siad buartha nach bhfuil cuid de na páirtithe agus ceannairí polaitiúla eile ábalta éirí os cionn leas a pháirtí féin - agus an dúshlán a chomhlíonadh le tógáil don todhchaí.
This election is about leadership. Sinn Féin delivers that. We delivered on peace, on power sharing institutions, and on the transfer of policing and justice powers. We are the party which is fighting for equality, peace and jobs. And we are building for Irish unity.
Sinn Féin has brought equality to the heart of government – from tackling fuel poverty to scrapping the 11-plus; from keeping water in public hands to delivering for rural communities. The Executive has brought about an end to prescription charges and the freezing of the regional rate.
Good work has been done. Sinn Féin have made jobs retention and jobs creation central to the Executive. We have used public procurement contracts to ensure the hiring of long-term unemployed and apprentices.
The construction of the new A5 and A8 is evidence of the merits of all Ireland infrastructural development. Investments by the NY Stock Exchange, HSBO, Citi Bank and All State are bringing well paid jobs here.
David Cameron last week laid bare the real agenda behind Tory policy in the North - cuts in public services and in our standard of living. The Labour Party has a similar agenda.
Sinn Féin is committed to maintaining frontline services and protecting jobs.
Slashing public services, allowing unemployment to soar and increasing poverty is not an option.
The unionists the SDLP and the smaller parties need to unite with us against the cuts.
Martin McGuinness and Peter Robinson, working together, secured an additional £800 million for policing and justice. The next British government should be faced with a united opposition by all of the local parties.
What is required is a major negotiation with the British on funding. In the immediate term this is about an increase in the block grant. But we need to transfer fiscal powers back to Ireland. We also need to build an all island economy.
In this manifesto Sinn Féin is committed to;
- the transfer of fiscal powers from London to the Assembly.
- a Jobs Task Force established by the Executive, to co-ordinate work across departments like DEL and DETI.
- the harmonization of corporation tax at 12.5% across the island.
- increased support for small and medium sized enterprises, particularly from the banks who are still not lending to small businesses.
- a greater emphasis on the green economy to provide new jobs in the future.
- investment to ensure high level broadband coverage across the north especially rural areas.
- reform of Invest NI to ensure targeted work in areas of highest deprivation.
- investment in technology, infrastructure, education and training.
- building a single island economy
The cost of doing business here is prohibitive – fuel costs, electricity and currency fluctuations are damaging the local economy. So is the cost of partition. Hundreds of millions in revenue are lost every year through the duplication of services and the absence of joined up infrastructure and differentials in currency and VAT rates.
The key to making progress, to making positive change irreversible, is political leadership.
Tá an cheannaireacht ag Sinn Féin, tá na smaointe cearta againn, na polasaithe cearta agus an straitéis pholaitiúil ceart againn don todhchaí.
Agus tá foireann ag Sinn Féin nach bhfuil a leithid ag aon pháirtí eile.
We want to bring the vision, the focus and the determination which created and sustained the peace process, to deal with the economy. In this election the electorate has the opportunity to endorse Sinn Féins strategy for positive change; to build a better future for all our people but especially our young people. And to advance the goal of Irish re-unification.
Ba chóir daoibh ár manifesto a léamh agus bígí linn ar an turas seo. Tá Sinn Féin ag déanamh an difir. Bí Linn