A vote for the Social Democrats is a vote for Fine Gael - Brady

Speaking in response to the announcement by the newly formed Social Democrats that the party would be willing to go into coalition as a minor partner with Fine Gael; Sinn Fein candidate for the upcoming election Councillor John Brady has said that the last thing the people of Wicklow/East Carlow need is another Fine Gael TD in the form of Stephen Donnelly:

“The social democrats allegedly came into being as a left leaning party claiming to offer the electorate an alternative to the current coalition. However, when they had the opportunity to align themselves with similar minded parties through the Right2Change initiative they refused. Now they are saying they will support Fine Gael in a future coalition arrangement”.

“It is absolutely clear now that Stephen Donnelly and his crew are willing to break their word before the election even takes place. Donnelly wants to support a government party who have given tax breaks to the rich, refused to invest in public services, overseen a surge in rural crime and refused to address a spiralling housing and homeless crises. In 2011 three Fine Gael TD’s were elected to this constituency, all three of them along with the Labour party TD and Stephen Donnelly himself supported the decision to reduce services at St Colmcille’s Loughlinstown; the consequences of which are now being played out in the corridors of St Vincents.”

Councillor Brady went on to suggest that Stephen Donnelly and the Social Democrats need to look up the definition of Social Democracy:
“Fine Gael have made it clear that their priority if returned to office would be to abolish the Universal Social Charge to benefit the rich; effectively reducing tax revenue by an astonishing four and a half billion euro, monies that could be used to invest in the very public services which have been battered by Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Labour. Policies like these are the antitheses of social democracy yet Stephen Donnelly is obviously prepared to support Fine Gael on this and other issues including the continuance of Irish Water; which Donnelly has previously said should be abolished”.

“A vote for Stephen Donnelly and the Social Democrats is quite clearly now a vote for Fine Gael which threatens a return to the failed unfair and destructive policies of the last five years. The Wicklow/East Carlow constituency deserve to benefit from a fairer recovery, the last thing we need is another Fine Gael TD in the form of Stephen Donnelly.”