LOUTH Sinn Féin TD Arthur Morgan has publicly announced his intention not to seek re-election.

Arthur made it clear that he will continue to be an active member of the party and will work to ensure that a Sinn Féin TD is returned for the Louth constituency at the next general election.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Arthur said:

I have served two terms now as a Sinn Féin TD... Free article

SINN FÉIN Senator Pearse Doherty lodged his nomination papers for the Donegal South-West by-election. Pearse was accompanied by well-known musician and current ‘Donegal Person of the Year’ Mairéad Ní Mhaonaih.

Commenting on her endorsement of Pearse, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh said:

I have signed nomination papers endorsing Pearse Doherty as a candidate in the by-election for... Free article

THANKS to the Cedar Lounge Revolution and The Workers United/Red Pepper blogs for this piece about football strikers' solidarity with BBC picket-line strikers and FC United eschewing prime-time publicity during their FA Cup glory in favour of trade union principles.

(Cedar Lounge is featuring an interesting debate on sports stars' political leanings, particularly those on the... Free article

SLIGO Sinn Féin activists braved the weekend's stormy conditions to campaign on the streets of Sligo town on the need to tackle youth unemployment.

This is part of Sligo Sinn Féin’s ongoing campaign for job creation that has seen them over the last number of months engage with local statutory agencies, trade unions and community groups as well as distribute over 10,000 pieces of... Free article

MARY LOU McDONALD, Sinn Féin Vice-President, and her Dáil colleagues met with EU Commissioner Olli Rehn this morning to rule out signing up to the Government/Fine Gael/Labour "cosy budgetary consensus of cuts that target the low-paid, unemployed and frontline services such as education and health".

Speaking after the meeting, Mary Lou said:

The message Sinn Féin delivered to Olli... Free article

SPEAKING this morning after meeting with EU Commissioner Ollie Rehn, Sinn Féin Dáil Leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said he had told the Commissioner that Sinn Féin will not be part of a consensus to cut €6billion from the economy next year.

Deputy Ó Caoláin told Commissioner Rehn that the 2014 target for cutting the Budget deficit to 3% of GDP is completely unrealistic and that he... Free article

EAMON GILMORE and the Labour Party have been challenged by Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin to say if Labour will go along with the plan by Fine Gael in government to slash the number of workers in the public service by 30,000.

The Sinn Féin Dáil leader described the Fine Gael policy as “a plan to lengthen the dole queues”. He said:

There is room for huge... Free article

GREEN PARTY Minister Mary White has been challenged by Sinn Féin to state clearly that she will vote against the Budget if it cuts the pensions she says she supports.

Sinn Féin Social Protection spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD said:

Minister White’s statement ruling out pension cuts can’t be trusted without a commitment to vote against the Budget if pension cuts are included... Free article

BY EOIN Ó BROIN

AS WE collectively brace ourselves for four years of austerity, it is worth remembering that Ireland is not a poor country.

Yes, we have high levels of unemployment and poverty. Yes, we have high levels of private and public debt. But the money that flowed into the country at the height of the boom has not all disappeared.

In June of this year, Merrill Lynch,... Free article

A GOVERNMENT which uses emigration as a cornerstone of its economic policy is one which is "little short of committing treason by sacrificing children’s futures and betraying the nation", according to the UNITE trade union.

UNITE Regional Secretary Jimmy Kelly said at the weekend:

The current Government budget policy is based on hoping and planning for mass emigration unseen... Free article