SINN FÉIN has called for the introduction of a “GI Bill” along US lines whereby redundant workers would have education fees waived and retain their social welfare benefits while taking a course of study.
Introduced by president Franklin D Roosevelt in 1944, the legislation provided college or vocational education for veterans (known as GIs or General Infantry) returning from the second World War as well as a year of unemployment benefit.
The proposal was part of a 10-point May Day manifesto launched outside Leinster House yesterday by Dublin MEP Mary Lou McDonald, party president Gerry Adams and Sinn Féin’s European candidate in Ireland North-West, Padraig Mac Lochlainn.
“The idea is that you open up the capacity for people to go back into training and education,” Ms McDonald said. Existing training initiatives were “extremely piecemeal”.
She said the Government had no national skills strategy: “The truth is that when workers who have lost their jobs now seek re-entry into places of training and education, they’re finding it incredibly difficult. So this Bill is aimed to give maximum access to redundant workers to new or upgraded skill sets.” She added that the plan was entitled “Stand Up for Yourself – Stand Up for Each Other”, because Sinn Féin believed “that’s what working people need to do now”.
Mr Adams said he would be campaigning on behalf of Sinn Féin candidates on both sides of the Border in the European elections, as well as in the local elections and the two Dublin byelections.
Ms McDonald, who is campaigning to retain her European seat, confirmed she would not be standing for the Dáil in the Dublin Central byelection. Mr Adams said: “There will be a convention in the area, it’s a local decision.” Asked about his views on the controversy in the North-West constituency over abortion and euthanasia, Mr Mac Lochlainn said: “The mudslinging has to stop.” On abortion, Sinn Féin believed that, “The right to life has to be protected, except where rape has taken place or the mother’s life is threatened.” As for euthanasia, “I don’t think we have a defined position on it to be quite honest.”
Meanwhile, Fine Gael MEP for Ireland South, Colm Burke, has accused Fianna Fáil candidate Ned O’Keeffe of making an “outrageous” attempt to blame the Progressive Democrats for the economic crisis, “when in fact it was Fianna Fáil-led policies which led to the disastrous situation we are in now”.
“He complains about narrowing the tax base. Well it was Fianna Fáil who set in motion this narrowing as far back as 1977. We have never had sustainable public finances since, and we are now paying a heavy price for those huge errors of judgment. These are serious times and we need serious politicians with a sense of responsibility.
“Deputy O’Keeffe should know at this stage that you can’t be in Government and Opposition at the same time,” Mr Burke said.
