Sinn Fein
The Week in Review
26 September – 02 October 2014
Open agenda and political will needed to reach agreement – Adams
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams TD, speaking this week, has said political will was needed to reach agreement on the outstanding issues of the Good Friday and other agreements.
Gerry Adams said he welcomed the fact that the Irish and British governments are convening all-party talks, who were `coequal guarantors of the agreements which was mandated by the people’.
He said the history of the peace process `whether the Good Friday, St Andrew’s or Hillsborough agreements, tells us there can be no preconditions, threats or preconceived outcomes to the negotiations’, and said the agenda must be `open’ and with `the political will to reach agreement’.
Sinn Féin was `up for these talks’, Mr Adams added, saying the party was `seeking to resolve the outstanding issues of previous agreements, the issues of additional powers and protecting frontline services, and the working of the institutions north and south’.
He said there was `an immediate need for the governments to move ahead to time-limited all-party talks’ and concluded `Unionist parties need to join those talks free from preconditions and the British government should suspend immediately the threat of financial penalties.’
Earlier, on 28 September the Sinn Féin President welcomed Irish Minister Charlie Flanagan’s statement about the all-party talks involving the two governments.
Mr Adams also said that, alongside the two governments, `the American administration can play a constructive and meaningful role in shaping and supporting the talks’ process’.
He said he remained `concerned that the British Government has assumed an explicitly partisan and pro-unionist party stance’ and that it was `clear that the GFA, as endorsed by the people, is the framework for resolving these matters.’
British government must become part of the solution – Murphy
On 30 September, Sinn Féin MP Conor Murphy also urged the British government to become `part of the resolution of problems in the political process’ in the North of Ireland.
Mr Murphy joined a fringe breakfast panel, hosted by the pro-peace process group CHAMP at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham. The event also heard from British Secretary of State Theresa Villiers.
Mr Murphy said the British government had been `part of the problem in the political process in the North’. They had, he said, `refused to back the compromise Haass/O’Sullivan proposals on the issues of flags, parading and the legacy of the past. It has frustrated investigations into state killings and the state’s collusion with loyalist death squads and emboldened negative unionism by its increasing partisan pro-unionist stance’.
He said it was `time therefore for the British government to become part of the solution’, which it could do `by honouring commitments it made in the Good Friday and other agreements on Acht na Gaeilge, a Bill of Rights and an independent inquiry into the murder of human rights lawyer Pat Finucane.’
He also welcomed the plans for convening of the all-party talks and echoed calls for there to be `no preconditions, threats or preconceived outcomes to the negotiations and as such the British government should suspend immediately its threat to impose £87m in financial penalties.’
On the future of the Assembly, Mr Murphy also urged the British government to transfer fiscal powers to the Executive in the wake of promises made to Scotland after the referendum. He said `we need the transfer of a full suite of fiscal powers which includes tax varying powers needed to increase investment and therefore grow our economy.’
Maskey joins trade union event on `devastating impact’ of welfare cuts
On 1 October Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey joined a panel at a packed event which heard evidence of the effects of the proposed welfare `reform’ cuts. The conference, in Belfast, was organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
Speaking ahead of the event, Mr Maskey said `the devastating impact Tory welfare cuts would have on people here is becoming clearer every day’.
He said the proposals announced by Tory chancellor George Osborne this week included `fresh attacks on families and those on benefits’.
He said this was `further proof that this agenda has nothing to do with reform and is simply an attack on the poor and an attempt to dismantle the welfare state’.
He reiterated Sinn Fein’s opposition to this and concluded: `Sinn Féin is calling on all parties and organisations interested in defending the most vulnerable in our society to join together in a united front against welfare cuts.’
Earlier, on 29 September Alex Maskey had condemned Tory plans to freeze benefit payments which would `create further hardship and misery’.
Elsewhere, Sinn Féin MP Conor Murphy also said British government plans to reduce the benefit cap `would drive thousands further into poverty’.
He said reducing the benefit cap to £23,000 would `create increased hardship and drive more and more people deeper into poverty’.
He added `it is yet another attack on the poor by a cabinet of millionaires with no concept of what it is like to try to survive on benefits’, adding `people are not on benefits because they want to be, but because they have no other option. Life on benefits is subsistence living; it is not a lifestyle choice’.
He also reiterated that Sinn Fein were `totally opposed to these proposed welfare cuts and will continue to stand up for most vulnerable in our society.’
Rallies will heighten tensions – Kelly
On 1 October Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly hit out Orange Order and political unionism plans to bring people on to the streets `as part of the so-called graduated response’.
Speaking after the announcement of rallies in protest at the Parades Commission decision on a section of an Orange Order parade in North Belfast, Mr Kelly said `we need less parades in the North, not more’.
He said the move would `only heighten tensions and is part of a unionist effort to undermine the Parades Commission and put pressure on the British Secretary of State to reward intransigence’.
He said `he DUP, Orange Order and their allies in negative unionism, which includes loyalist paramilitary groups, are more concerned about one parade than entering into genuine negotiations to resolve the outstanding issues around parades, flags and the past.’
He added, `in the past when unionist leaders have called people out on to the streets we have seen a descent into street violence’ and concluded: `There is a responsibility on the organisers to ensure that any rallies or public demonstrations are peaceful.’
`Sinn Féin blocked water charges in the Assembly, we will do the same in the Dail’
Last week Sinn Fein’s Conor Murphy said that his party colleagues in the Dail would outline plans to scrap water charges in the 26 counties when in government.
He said the party’s approach was `consistent with Sinn Féin policy across the island’.
He said that as Regional Development Minister he had blocked the introduction of water charges in the North of Ireland and had `ruled out privatisation and made it clear that these public services will operate within full public ownership now and in the future’.
Sinn Féin promised to block the introduction of water charges for households` and that is exactly what we did’, he added, arguing `water charging is a regressive form of taxation that would have placed many households in the North under additional pressures.’
He said `Unfortunately the tired and unimaginative policies of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour see fit to place those pressures on people in the South.’ And concluded `Sinn Féin will reverse the charges in government in the twenty-six counties.’
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