Sinn Féin is only party serious about ending emigration

The Sinn Féin candidate in County Wexford has condemned comments from Fine Gael Finance spokesperson Michael Noonan, which claimed that Sinn Féins economic proposals would force young Irish people to emigrate. Cllr Anthony Kelly has said it is "outrageous" that a spoke person from a party which lacks any real job creation policy, would condemn Sinn Féins plan for economic recovery.

"Michael Noonan is out of touch with reality," Cllr Kelly said, "Does he not realise that over one hundred thousand young Irish people have already been forced out their country by the recklessly incompetent economic policies of Fianna Fail and the Greens, policies which were in most cases supported by Noonans own party. Was it not Michael Noonan who said that he would cut €18 off social welfare if in power? Does he think more cuts to social welfare and the minimum wage would stop emigration? Does he have any idea of the situation on the ground?"

Cllr Kelly went on to remind Mr Noonan that he was a minister during the infamous Fine Gael/Labour coalition of the 1980s, a coalition that was happy to cut the vulnerable, that offered no job creation policy, and that oversaw the emigration of 150,000 young people, of whom half were third level grads. "Is this the government of change that the Irish people want or need now? A government that wants to cut €18 off the most vulnerable in our society? A government that sneers at Sinn Féins realistic job creation policy? Vote for Change, Vote for Sinn Féin."

70% of young unemployed to emigrate

Cllr Anthony Kelly has expressed shock at the release of new figures from the National Youth Council of Ireland today which indicated that 70% of our unemployed young people plan on emigrating before the end of this year. Cllr Kelly has held the Coalition for Cuts directly responsible for the fate of this lost Generation and has once again appealed for immediate, emergency action to combat emigration.

"This morning Leo Varadkar spouted the same tired old rhetoric of cuts on national radio," Cllr Kelly said, "Its become so familiar to us all at this stage that I'm sure I wasn't the only one wondering if this was Brian Lenihan blaming the Irish people for his mistakes again. It wasn't. Instead we had the golden boy of the 'opposition' telling us that his party in power with Labour will continue on Fianna Fails deadly legacy. He even had the nerve to snigger about it. That's the opposition that they offer, laughter at the expense of the Irish people. Laughter at the expense of half a million unemployed, thousands of emigrants, hundreds of thousands of people who are suffering due to the failed policies of people like Leo Varadkar."

Cllr Kelly said that only Sinn Féin is offering a way out of this mess. "Sinn Féin knows the importance of job creation. We are the only people talking about it. That's an incredible thing considering the situation we're in, and a damning description of the other political parties. We need to get Ireland back to work. We need to stop our young people leaving by offering them what they want; jobs, a chance to earn a living, a chance to live. We have the plan and I promise that when the people of county Wexford elect me as their representative to the Dail, I will stop the modern day coffin ships leaving our shores. My party will get this country back to work."

Mass exodus while Dail "Muppet Show" continues

Cllr Anthony kelly has supported todays statement on the latest emigration figures by Sinn Féin's Spokesperson on Enterprise Arthur Morgan.
Cllr Kelly agreed fully with deputy Morgan when he said that emigration figures were certain to escalate even further with no Government recovery plan in place.
Deputy Morgan said:
“This Government are driving people onto the dole queues and out of the State.This year is set to surpass the peak levels of emigration in the 1980s."
“The ESRI have been forced to reduce their growth projections as a result of the deflationary effects of the Budget. No longer can the Government hide behind the fable that people are leaving the State for recreational purposes – they are leaving because the Government are choking economic growth, facilitating business closures and forcing people onto dole queues."
“With 100,000 people leaving the State by April next year and another 25,000 set to lose their jobs this year, what are the Government doing? They are imploding. There is no recovery plan. Their plans have brought us to this point and their successive budgets have crippled the economy.
“People, families and communities will be scarred by this- the greatest exodus of people from the State. We have surpassed the harsh economic realities of the 1980s. This Government has repeatedly failed to create jobs."
Yesterday Ryan Tubrity played the theme tune from the Muppet Show to signify Brian Cowens interparty victory. That tune seems to sum up this governments reign.

Kelly says, “Let them vote”

Sinn Féin's General Election candidate in County Wexford, Cllr Anthony Kelly, has called for an introduction of new legislation so that Irish emigrants may retain their voting rights.  On current Irish law, a citizen may not vote in a general election unless resident in Ireland on September the first of the previous year.

“Is it not bad enough that our people are being driven out of their country due to the mistakes of a blundering government, that they must bear the added burden of not being recognised when an opportunity for electorate change does come about?” Cllr Kelly asked.  “It is an utter insult to those unfortunate enough to have to leave that the law fails to give them the opportunity to cast their vote from whatever far flung land they end up in.”

A 2006 study undertaken by Global Irish, a website dedicated to Diaspora issues, concluded that 115 countries, including all of Ireland’s EU partners, allow their overseas citizens to vote in state elections.  Cllr Kelly is campaigning for the introduction of a postal vote for Irish citizens abroad.