Sinn Féin ready for government after election

Sinn Féin announced the party’s 41 candidates for the 26 County General Election at an event in Dublin on Monday, 7 May. Speaking at the press conference in Dublin’s Clarion Hotel, party President Gerry Adams said Sinn Féin was ready for government after the election.
Gerry Adams said: “Sinn Féin is ready for government after this election. There is huge goodwill for the return of the power-sharing institutions in the North and growing support for our proposals to build an Ireland of equals.
“There is growing cynicism at the type of auction politics being adopted by the other parties, who are making unrealisable promises to slash taxes and somehow deliver on their public service commitments at the same time. Sinn Féin will not engage in auction politics. Our priority is to deliver strong public services and we believe that this can be achieved if the current tax take is maintained.
“We believe in the right to universal access to decent healthcare, education and childcare. We believe in public monies being used to provide public services. We are for the constitutional right to a home, we believe in building the economy and using the wealth created for the public good. We believe in Irish re-unification. Sinn Féin has been successful in building and advancing the peace process. These are our priorities for government.
“Republicans have demonstrated our consistent willingness to take difficult decisions in the national interest.
“Tomorrow Sinn Féin and the DUP will head up the power-sharing government in the north. In the coming weeks Sinn Féin and DUP ministers will be sitting down with ministers in the new government in the south taking government decisions on the All-Ireland Ministerial Council. This is a hugely important development which will fundamentally change politics on this island.
“Sinn Féin is ready for government, North and South. If we receive the mandate from the people, we are prepared to go into government in the south if we can agree a programme that will prioritise and deliver on the equality agenda, strong public services and Irish re-unification. Sinn Féin is the only party with the commitment and a strategy to achieve this.”