Be positive – Vote NO

‘Austerity simply doesn’t work’ – Gerry Adams TD

SINN FÉIN President Gerry Adams TD has urged a NO vote in the referendum on 31 May. He has accused Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fáil of joining forces to try and “bully and blackmail citizens into voting Yes” even though austerity has clearly failed in Ireland and across Europe. “It simply doesn’t work.”

Gerry Adams said:

“The dire social consequences of austerity are to be found in every household struggling to pay mortgages and household bills; on every main street where businesses are shutting down; and in every hospital and school where reduced resources are hurting the sick and the young.”

One hundred thousand households are currently in mortgage distress and they are being joined by 91 more families every day, he said.

Austerity doesn’t work and it hands financial power over Irish people’s lives and futures to unelected EU officials who cannot be removed by us, even if their decisions plunge us into more misery now and for generations to come.

Gerry Adams said:

“Whatever people think of this or any other Irish government, at least they can vote to get rid of them at election time. We cannot do this with EU officials who are not elected by Irish citizens and cannot be held accountable by them.”

During last month’s (April 19) Dáil debate on the EU Austerity Treaty - officially the 30th Amendment of the Constitution (Treaty on Stability, Co-ordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union) Bill 2012 - the Sinn Féin leader appealed to Labour TDs, councillors and rank-and-file members of the Labour Party who hold true to the politics of James Connolly and Jim Larkin

“Not that long ago, Labour MEPs voted against measures in the European Parliament that are now part of this treaty. One Labour MEP described austerity as ‘a recipe for the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer’. Another said these measures ‘will kill growth, destroy jobs and derail recovery’. They are right.

“In this the centenary of its foundation by Connolly and others, and mindful of next year’s centenary of the Dublin Lock-Out and that great ideological battle between Left and Right, Labour today should be standing with the working people and against austerity and against the William Martin Murphy-like conservatism of the 21st century.

Gerry Adams said the Austerity Treaty must be opposed. He appealed to the people who have opposed the household charge, water charge, stealth taxes and cuts “to make a stand against the Government’s austerity policies” by voting ‘NO’ in the referendum.

Five reasons to say ‘NO’ – Cúig Réasún le ‘NÍL’ a rá leis an Chonradh Déine

1. It won’t work . . . It won’t deal with the debt or banking crisis. It will deepen the recession and destabilise the currency. | Ní oibreoidh sé. Ní rachaidh sé i ngleic leis an ghéarchéim fiachais ná baincéireachta in éirinn ná sa eurozón. 
2.  It means at least €6billion more in cuts and taxes from 2015 on top of the cuts in the next three Budgets . . . New debt and deficit rules mean more taxes, more cuts to health and education and higher unemployment and emigration. | Ciallaíonn sé ar a laghad €6 bhilliún eile de chiorruithe agus cánacha ó 2015 ar aghaidh le cois na gciorruithe a bheidh sna trí bhuiséad seo romhainn.
3.  It hands even more economic power over to unelected officials in the European Commission . . . If the European Commission decides Ireland is breaking their rules they can force future Irish government into an ‘economic partnership programme’ and dictate policy on tax and budgetary matters. | Tugann sé ar shiúl níos mó arís cumhachtaí eacnamaíochta do oifigigh neamhthofa i gcoimisiún na heorpa.
4.  It allows the European Court of justice to impose fines of €160million . . . If it decides we’re not obeying the debt and deficit rules. | Tugann sé cumhacht don chúirt breithiúnais eorpach fíneálacha de €160milliún a ghearradh.
5.  The treaty is binding and permanent . . . It can only be changed by a future referendum — and with the agreement of the other EU states who signed up to it. | Téann an conradh thar fóir — tá sé ceangailteach agus buan.