Limerick Seán Sabhat Commemoration: 'Stand up for a real Republic'

The Seán Sabhat Commemoration makes its way through Limerick City

REPUBLICANS TODAY have been urged by Martin Ferris and Maurice Quinlivan at the Seán Sabhat Commemoration in Limerick on Sunday 2nd January to “stand up for Ireland".

Martin Ferris TD

Pádraig Malone chaired the event which heard Limerick City Councillor Maurice Quinlivan thank local republicans for the increasing level of activity and commitment. This included support for Maurice during his court case that resulted in toppling Fianna Fáil Defence Minister Willie O’Dea from Brian Cowen’s Cabinet.

2011 will be a very important year for Sinn Féin too as we build an alternative to the right-wing policies of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael which have brought so much misery and hardship to many people here in Limerick.

Sinn Féin TD for the redrawn constituency of Kerry North/West Limerick, Martin Ferris, said:

The shame this state and its people experienced in November when the IMF/ECB came in to bail out out the banks at a cost of billions to ordinary people is compounded by the very real hurt to ordinary working families.

We see a government which has failed this city…

A government with no strategy around job creation or retention…

A government which is happy to see thousands once again emigrate…

A government which is happy to use the Pension Reserve Fund to bail out the banks but not to create jobs.

There is a better way and we intend to build support for our analysis.

We show that we can protect those on lower and middle incomes those on social welfare and OAPs.

We can make those who can genuinely afford to pay more do so and we say to the international money speculators – sorry, but we can’t afford to pay for your lost gamble. And we will burn those bondholders.

Maurice Quinlivan, Pádraig Malone and Martin Ferris at the Seán Sabhat Commemoration in Limerick City

Declaring that Sinn Féin is “proud to stand up for Ireland”, Maurice Quinlivan urged people sick of this government – “probably the most ineffective and disastrous government ever to rule in this state” – and this system that has so clearly failed.

The Fine Gael/Labour government being promoted by the media will mean no real difference as the same policies will be pursued and little more than a personnel change will result.

Fine Gael and Labour in government will inevitably pursue the same right-wing, neo-liberal agenda which has gotten Ireland into the economic mess we now find ourselves in.

We really need to build a new alliance, one that will work for Irish unity that will strive to build a society built on decency, one where you treat your neighbour as you’d wish to be treated yourself...

A society where community is strengthened and where we look out for each other. A genuine Republic which replaces the greed of individualism with the notion of community...

A Republic which truly cherishes all the children of the nation equally regardless of whether they are from Ballynanty or Ballymun, Moyross or Moyvane.