SF CAMPAIGN:THE ELECTIONS on June 5th offer the possibility of a "defining moment" for creating an alliance of the left, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said at the launch in Dublin yesterday of the party's EU campaign.
The party’s Dublin MEP, Mary Lou McDonald, was sharply critical of the Greens, who were “responsible for decisions of Government and any last minute effort by them to try and distance themselves from this bad Government is not convincing to anybody”.
But Mr Adams, who said “this Government couldn’t run a bath”, still held out the prospect for an alliance of the left including the Green Party, a member of the Coalition Government.
This was instead of “tweedledum and tweedledee” of Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael as the main party of Government.
When it was put to him that he was criticising the Greens whom he still wanted to include in an alliance of the left, he said: “They’re in the Government. All of us have to be responsible for decisions. But I’ve made the point in all the parties there are people who are egalitarian, who are decent, who want to see citizens’ rights defended and actively promoted.”
He stressed that “there could be a defining moment in terms of the beginning of a realignment in Irish politics.
“There is the possibility to commence that left alliance for change.”
Asked if he was saying people should give their other preferences to Labour and the Greens, he said “we think that people should vote if they wish for those parties which are closest to the positive and progressive policies” of Sinn Féin.
“Some of those parties might want to talk to us about those matters before polling day. If they do then we’re open to discussion.”
He said that “those who want change should not waste their votes voting for Fine Gael.
“The ideological sameness between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael is clear for anyone who wants to look at it.”
“What we are hearing is that people are angry but what we’re saying to them is that it isn’t enough to be angry.
“It is of key importance that people use their votes. There has been a redefinition of our economics. There needs to be a redefinition of our politics.”
Sinn Féin is the only party with candidates on both sides of the Border and Mr Adams said that “people like the idea that you can vote for Sinn Féin in Ballymena as well as in Ballycotton, that you can vote for Sinn Féin right across the island”.
The party’s sitting MEP in the North, Bairbre de Brún, is running again for election and there are five candidates in the Republic.
Along with Ms McDonald in Dublin, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn is running in North West; Toiréasa Ferris in South; Tomás Sharkey and Kathleen Funchion in East.
Mr Mac Lochlainn said the big battle in the North West would be for the third seat, between himself and Pat “The Cope” Gallagher, he believed.
Mr Adams said that “the essence of Sinn Féin’s position is about representing Ireland in Brussels as opposed to these other conservative parties which represent Brussels in Ireland”.
He said: “Why anyone would accept a rerun of the Lisbon Treaty by this Government is beyond me. It would be an insult to the electorate if that is the case.”
The party also pointed out that they had published their expenses on their website and said every party should do so.
Ms McDonald said there was “clearly a resistance by Irish MEPs to publish expenses”.
