General Election 2016 – 'Citizens face stark choice on polling day'

“THIS election hangs in the balance and the choice people face is very clear: more of the same from Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, or a new progressive government led by Sinn Féin and based on the principles of the Right2Change movement.”

That is the frank assessment Sinn Féin Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty gives as the General Election campaign moves into its final days.

“It is up to the people to decide whether they want to continue with instability created by Fine Gael and Labour in vital services, or vote for a party that will invest in those services and tackle the crises in health and housing and other public services,” the Donegal TD told reporters at a press conference at the Sinn Féin head office in Dublin.

Doherty said citizens have to decide whether they want tax cuts that will disproportionately benefit the wealthiest in society, or invest money in taking patients off trolleys, dealing with the homelessness crisis and ensuring people enjoy world class health services:

“Everybody knows you can’t do both. The other parties know this. That’s why they lied about their figures in week one and have been scrambling ever since,” he said.

Doherty said the decision by Fine Gael to scrap the USC completely is not only unfair, but is reckless:

“It will bring us back to the boom-and-bust politics of the past. Society wants to see investment in public services. They want to know that when their child reaches third-level education age that they won't be crucified with €3,000 fees every year they're in college. They want to know that if they get sick they will not be one of the thousands spending nights on trolleys in A&E wards and being charged €75 per-night for the 'pleasure' of that. They want to ensure we have enough consultants to treat them so they are not stuck on a waiting list for 18 months,” he said.

“Citizens have a decency in them and want to ensure people with disabilities are supported. That's why we have proposals, for example, investing €187million to make sure every public transport system in this country is wheelchair accessible. Now, it may not get you as many votes as abolishing the USC, it may not be as headline grabbing, but it is the right thing to do. This is about building a fair and decent society and making sure that everybody can reach their full potential.

“It's about building a society that we can all be proud of in this centenary year of the 1916 Rising.”