Ireland

Sinn Féin spending plan would destroy jobs, says Micheál Martin

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said his party will not go into government with Sinn Féin. Picture by Aine McMahon/PA
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said his party will not go into government with Sinn Féin. Picture by Aine McMahon/PA Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said his party will not go into government with Sinn Féin. Picture by Aine McMahon/PA

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has said Sinn Féin's €22 billion spending plan would "destroy jobs" and again ruled out going into coalition with them in the next government.

Sinn Féin proposes that, if elected, it would increase public spending to spend an additional €22 billion by 2025.

It also pledged to give away €2.4 billion in tax reductions every year, and raise €3.8 billion in tax increases every year.

Launching the manifesto in Dublin yesterday, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, said the manifesto is "uplifting and fair".

Micheál Martin criticised the spending plan and said, if implemented, it would threaten the Irish economy.

"Have you seen their general election manifesto? They would destroy jobs in this country," he told RTÉ radio today.

"I belong to that school of Fianna Fáil, the party that gave people homes, the party that gave people a free education, the party that opened up this country to the world.

"Now we have to do it again, in terms of small to medium-sized enterprises, the bread and butter of this economy.

"People who set up companies who employ 15 people, 20 people, 50 people. That's who I want to represent."

"Just look at the Sinn Féin manifesto, it will destroy jobs in this country with that manifesto.

"You can not raise taxes by €4 billion without it having an impact on ordinary people."

Mr Martin added the economy can not afford to narrow the tax base any further as it needs to guard against potential shocks such as Brexit.

He again ruled out going into government with Sinn Féin and said he "would stick to his word" on the issue.

"What you underestimate is the depth and the strength of opposition to Sinn Féin within the Fianna Fáil party and among the grassroots and among people who still remember what happened.

"People within Fianna Fáil resent the legacy of Sinn Féin in terms of the gardaí that were attacked and killed and the army.

"People come up to me and they say that," he said.

"What's worse is Sinn Féin has never fully apologised for that.

"They endorse it and they want to change the narrative, and they want to shove it down everybody's throat that it was a just war and so on.

"There are people in my party that tell me unequivocally they would never accept going into government with them and then you add to their record in Northern Ireland where they collapsed the institution for three years."

Mr Martin said Fianna Fáil would "do business" with other centrist parties such as Labour and the Green Party.

Asked if he was ruling out another confidence and supply deal with Fine Gael he said "we should respect the electorate" and wait for the outcome of the election.