Sinn Féin to Protest against March handover of €3.1Billion to Anglo Irish Bank

County Monaghan Sinn Féin this week outlined details of a series of protests and demonstrations against the government’s intention to hand over a further €3.1 Billion to Anglo Irish Bank on the 31st March next.

The party will be holding information stalls and accompanying protests in Carrickmacross from 11am to 12noon and in Castleblayney from 1-2pm this coming Saturday to which members of the public are invited to attend. Further events will take place in Ballybay and Clones and the party’s activities will culminate in a county-wide mobilisation in Monaghan Town on March 10th.

Speaking in advance of this weekends protests the chairperson of County Monaghan Sinn Féin, Matt Carthy, said:

“Fine Gael and Labour promised the electorate that there would not be ‘another red cent’ handed over to Anglo Irish Bank by way of paying bondholders or promissory notes. They reneged and have simply taking over from where Fianna Fáil left off by crippling local economies and targeting struggling families while paying Billions upon Billions over to un-guaranteed, unsecured bondholders.

“On the 31st March Fine Gael and Labour intend to hand over a further €3.1 Billion to Anglo Irish Bank. This is money that is being cut from the health services, from schools and from local services including Garda stations and rural transport. It is money that is being taken from struggling families by measures including the VAT hike and the new household charge.

“This Saturday’s protests in Carrickmacross and Castleblayney are an opportunity for the people of Monaghan to shout “Stop!”. I am asking all of you who want to see a better, fairer approach to our economic crisis to come along and voice your demand. It is time the government parties heard the concerns of the people they are supposed to represent.”

Protest: Carrickmacross (Assemble- Market Square) 11am – 12noon
Castleblayney (Assemble- Main Street) 1-2pm

Ireland’s Interests Best Served by No Vote – Crowe

Speaking at a Sinn Féin meeting in Castleblayney this week local councillor, Jackie Crowe said that Ireland’s interests were best served by voting No to the Lisbon Treaty on October 2nd.
Cllr. Crowe said: “Sinn Féin believes that Irelands place is at the heart of Europe. Our approach to the EU is to support those proposals that are in Ireland’s interests and to oppose and campaign to change those that are not.
“Our European agenda is positive and progressive. We are active participants in a European wide movement of parties and people whose aim is to create a more democratic and people centered European Union that promotes workers rights and public services, supports rural communities and plays a constructive role on the International stage consistent with this state’s neutral status.
“In June last year the people, including the majority of Monaghan voters, rejected the Lisbon Treaty. They did so because they believed that is was a bad Treaty and because they wanted for a better deal for Ireland and Europe.
“The result presented the Dublin government with a strong mandate to negotiate a better Treaty.
“At the time Sinn Féin presented Brian Cowen with very detailed proposals as to how we felt the electorate’s concerns could be dealt with.
“What did the government do? Just like their mismanagement of the economy, they prevaricated, sat on their hands and did nothing.
“As a result they have not secured a single change to the text of the Lisbon Treaty. On October 2nd we will be voting on exactly the same treaty as we did last year.
“The Governments claims of having addressed the concerns of the electorate are entirely false.
“We will still lose our Commissioner, only now in 2014 instead of 2009. Our neutrality will still be undermined. Workers rights and public services will still come under attack. And tax harmonisation will still be made easier.

“There are three weeks left in the campaign. For our part the fact that exactly the same Treaty is being placed before the people means that we should give the same answer.
“A better deal is still possible, but only if we reject the Lisbon Treaty on October 2.”