17 December 1998 Edition
New publicity offensive launched in Dublin
By Mary Maguire
Sinn Fein kick-started a new publicity initiative on Tuesday during a press conference in advance of next year's local and European elections. Party President Gerry Adams launched a free quarterly publication which will be distributed to over 100,000 households in the capital. Dublin News, will target areas including Tallaght, Ballymun, Finglas, Ballyfermot and the inner city. The party hopes that this initiative will help Sinn Fein further consolidate gains in the run up to the June 1999 elections.
Seán Crowe, European election candidate for Dublin and representative for Dublin South-west said, ``the newspaper reflects the fact that the organisation in Dublin has grown and is a mirror of the type of society we would like to see come about. It is a clear statement of our intent to build our party and give a real voice to Dublin people.''
Gerry Adams said the launch of the paper ``marks an important stage in the development of Sinn Féin. The paper is indicative of the strong network of local activists that we have in communities throughout this city. For far too long, Sinn Féin has been portrayed as a northern-based party solely concerned with the national question and the peace process. As much as the peace process is the biggest and most urgent task facing any party, Sinn Féin has never been a party only concerned with these two issues. We are all aware of the record of hard work of the party's activists working in the community on issues such as housing, unemployment, the environment or the drugs scourge which affect the daily lives of the people of Dublin. It is our responsibility to convert the hard work of our activists into political strength in electoral terms.''
The first edition of Dublin News opens with an editorial on the merger of Democratic Left and Labour. Adams considers that ``it has to be asserted that the whole national question and partition are central questions. If Labour, in this new coalition which can only move towards a coalition with more conservative elements, tries to ignore the issue of partition, then it will repeat the mistakes of the past. We will never make that mistake. We are in the Connolly tradition which sees the national and social question as the two sides of the one coin''.
He added that people had not only to ask the questions, but actively seek answers. ``Why is it for example that with the biggest budget surplus in the history of the State, we have massive hospital waiting lists, a housing crisis and rising levels of homelessness? The distance between ordinary citizens and the politics of local government is massive and we as a party aim to bridge that gulf by campaigning for increased powers for local government and real community participation. We believe that our representatives, firmly rooted as they are in the community, are best placed to achieve this fundamental change.''
The candidates for the local Dublin elections are Seán Marlow for Ballymun/Whitehall, Paul Donnelly for Mulhuddart, Christy Burke for the North Inner City, Seán Crowe for Tallaght South, Michael Nolan for Ballybrack, Dessie Ellis for Finglas, Larry O'Toole for Artane, Nicky Kehoe for Cabra/Glasnevin Brian Kenna for Crumlin/Kimmage and Diathi Doolan for the South-East Inner City.
Sinn Fein kick-started a new publicity initiative on Tuesday during a press conference in advance of next year's local and European elections. Party President Gerry Adams launched a free quarterly publication which will be distributed to over 100,000 households in the capital. Dublin News, will target areas including Tallaght, Ballymun, Finglas, Ballyfermot and the inner city. The party hopes that this initiative will help Sinn Fein further consolidate gains in the run up to the June 1999 elections.
Seán Crowe, European election candidate for Dublin and representative for Dublin South-west said, ``the newspaper reflects the fact that the organisation in Dublin has grown and is a mirror of the type of society we would like to see come about. It is a clear statement of our intent to build our party and give a real voice to Dublin people.''
Gerry Adams said the launch of the paper ``marks an important stage in the development of Sinn Féin. The paper is indicative of the strong network of local activists that we have in communities throughout this city. For far too long, Sinn Féin has been portrayed as a northern-based party solely concerned with the national question and the peace process. As much as the peace process is the biggest and most urgent task facing any party, Sinn Féin has never been a party only concerned with these two issues. We are all aware of the record of hard work of the party's activists working in the community on issues such as housing, unemployment, the environment or the drugs scourge which affect the daily lives of the people of Dublin. It is our responsibility to convert the hard work of our activists into political strength in electoral terms.''
The first edition of Dublin News opens with an editorial on the merger of Democratic Left and Labour. Adams considers that ``it has to be asserted that the whole national question and partition are central questions. If Labour, in this new coalition which can only move towards a coalition with more conservative elements, tries to ignore the issue of partition, then it will repeat the mistakes of the past. We will never make that mistake. We are in the Connolly tradition which sees the national and social question as the two sides of the one coin''.
He added that people had not only to ask the questions, but actively seek answers. ``Why is it for example that with the biggest budget surplus in the history of the State, we have massive hospital waiting lists, a housing crisis and rising levels of homelessness? The distance between ordinary citizens and the politics of local government is massive and we as a party aim to bridge that gulf by campaigning for increased powers for local government and real community participation. We believe that our representatives, firmly rooted as they are in the community, are best placed to achieve this fundamental change.''
The candidates for the local Dublin elections are Seán Marlow for Ballymun/Whitehall, Paul Donnelly for Mulhuddart, Christy Burke for the North Inner City, Seán Crowe for Tallaght South, Michael Nolan for Ballybrack, Dessie Ellis for Finglas, Larry O'Toole for Artane, Nicky Kehoe for Cabra/Glasnevin Brian Kenna for Crumlin/Kimmage and Diathi Doolan for the South-East Inner City.