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WITH ONE DAY until we go to the polls in the local and European elections, here’s a handy look at how the three largest parties at local government level have set out their stalls.
Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin have all published manifestos laying out their promises, vision and ambitions for local authorities.
Each of the three is similar in length at approximately 30 pages each, with half of Sinn Fein’s one being in Irish.
The leaders of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil opted for similar slogans in their leader’s message in the manifestos.
Taoiseach Simon Harris went for: “Working with you. Working for you.”
While Tánaiste Micheál Martin chose: “Delivering for Ireland, Delivering for You.”
Sinn Féin passed on including a message from party leader Mary Lou McDonald.
Between promises to return waste collection to public ownership (Sinn Féin), make Culture Night a quarterly event (Fianna Fáil) and place bees on the roofs of local authority-owned buildings where practical (Fine Gael), there’s a variety of different focuses from each of the parties.
Fianna Fáil has been the most specific with its promises in a lot of areas – with a number of smaller pledges included. One eye-catching example was the plan to introduce a “lifelong love of reading” by starting ‘take one leave one’ libraries at all train stations and bus stops.
Fine Gael’s manifesto has put a strong focus on supports for small businesses, and promises to “ensure every decision taken by Government is assessed for its impact on small and medium enterprises”.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin’s manifesto is the only one of the three with a specific section on delivering a United Ireland. Neither Fianna Fáil nor Fine Gael’s make mention of a United Ireland.
At a very topline level here’s a look at what each party has highlighted as its priorities (in their own words).
Fine Gael
Fine Gael’s manifesto sets out seven priorities for the next five years.
These are:
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil sets its objectives out under six key areas.
We think they are into communities.
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin has differed slightly in its approach. Much of its manifesto is used to highlight issues that it argues have been created or worsened by the government parties.
Sinn Féin says its priorities include:
So let’s get into the specific promises.
Sinn Féin claims it is the only party with a plan to deliver the “biggest house building programme in the history of the State”.
It says it will do this by delivering homes through local Councils and Approved Housing Bodies “at prices people can genuinely afford” through the use of public land.
However, it doesn’t include a figure for the amount of homes it would build.
By comparison, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil both pledge to build 250,000 homes over the next five years.
Both parties also promise to retain and expand the Help to Buy and the First Home scheme while also increasing the rent tax credit.
Fianna Fáil commits that it will not oppose social and affordable housing projects.
It also promises that it will keep development levy exemptions and water charge rebate to reduce construction costs until December 2024 and will review them annually.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin claims it will put one month’s rent back into every private renters pocket if in Government and ban rent increases for three years.
It says it will prioritise stopping vulture funds buying up family homes and student housing. Fine Gael also states that it will “seek to prevent the bulk purchase of homes”.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s manifestos both have specific sections with commitments on agriculture and farming. Sinn Féin’s does not.
Fine Gael maintains that “agriculture is a vital part of our economy and farmers’ work must be rewarded and valued.”
It states that it wants farmers to be central to the changes being made as a result of climate change.
Fianna Fáil says it wants farmers to be “assured about the future of their industry”.
Fine Gael’s manifesto commits to having councillors help in efforts for Ireland to retain its nitrates derogation after 2025.
Fianna Fáil’s manifesto does not mention the nitrates derogation specifically, but Tánaiste Micheál Martin this week reaffirmed that his party is committed to retaining it.
Likewise, Sinn Féin’s manifesto does not mention the derogation, but the party has previously said it supports keeping it in areas where it can be shown that water quality can be maintained and improved.
Fine Gael claims that in local government it will lead by helping and supporting people to make the changes needed to reduce emissions in a fair and equitable way.
Among its pledges are to:
Fianna Fáil’s manifesto states that climate change is “the foremost challenge for our generation and those to come”.
Among its pledges are to:
Sinn Féin says in its manifesto that reducing our carbon footprint and preventing the further destruction of our planet must be a key consideration in local government.
Among its pledges are to prioritise:
Sinn Féin’s manifesto states that it will reduce the local property tax to the lowest possible amount in annual council budgets, until such time as it is abolished by a Sinn Féin government.
Fine Gael’s states that it believes that all money collected locally through the Local Property Tax should be retained within the county.
It also states that it wants more transparency on how the tax revenue is being spent.
Fianna Fáil’s manifesto makes no mention of the local property tax.
Fine Gael sets out in its manifest that it wants to maintain a migration system that is “firm, fair and enforced”.
It states that it will move away from the emergency use of hotels for housing asylum seekers and that it will work with Government and State agencies to ensure local communities are provided with an “appropriate level” of extra services if asylum seekers are accommodated in their locality.
Fianna Fáil states in its manifesto that in order to encourage greater inclusivity in communities it will “recognise the positive contribution that immigration has on providing good public services and being the backbone of many sectors across Ireland”.
It states that it will work to decrease the number of hotels that are being utilised for temporary accommodation overall.
Sinn Féin’s manifesto makes no mention of the migration system.
Here are some other standout promises from each of the manifestos:
Fianna Fáil
Fine Gael
Sinn Féin
The smaller parties have all also published local election manifestos.
You can read the Green’s here, Labour’s here, the Social Democrats here, People Before Profit-Solidarity’s here, and Aontú’s here. Independent Ireland has not published a manifesto but have details on its policies here.
This election also has a huge amount of Independent candidates running, who do not set out their policy priorities in the form of manifestos. However, you can find out who is running in your local election here.
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Meaningless Manifestos. Meaningless Slogans. Meaningless Promsises.
@David Field: True, but in terms of the wording, SF are making the most sense
@Thesaltyurchin: @Thesaltyurchin: ”Sinn Féin’s manifesto makes no mention of the migration system.”
They’re not making much sense on the issue of immigration, which affects nearly every other issue people worry about.
Immigration is the biggest issue for most people according to a recent Irish Independent poll.
@Dave Callaghan: it’s all false promises. Why would you vote for any major party, they promises the stars, but yet it’s cloudy 99% of the time. We need a change, but who do you pick. As a person in the 50s I’ve seen frist hand what FFG has turned this country into. I’m not voting SF either,they talked the talk, but aren’t willing to walk the walk.
Fianna fails could not be more vague or even half hearted. Looks like somebody literally phoned that in or wrote it on a post-it note
Ireland is the only country in Europe that allows asylum seekers to vote in local and European elections. An asylum seeker can register to vote without a passport or ID.
Department of Justice figures from last year confirm that 85% of asylum seekers entered Ireland last year without passport or ID. They can now vote in our elections.
Establishment parties are relying on the vote of asylum seekers as they know the majority of Irish people have turned against them. Asylum seekers and economic migrants have been granted the power to shape the future of the Irish political system.
This is an extremely sinister move by our government and is an attack on our democracy.
@JagTune: Great little rant about sinster moves by the government to attack our democracy.
The problem is that we actually had a referendum in 1999 on this, where the people of Ireland had the democratic right to decide on this issue, and 77.83% of us voted in favour of it.
Of course, this predated the rise of right-wing hysteria, it was back when we all had hope for the future, could make ends meet and didn’t look for an easy target to blame all the problems of the country on and instead held politicians to account, to actually sort out the problems themselves, rather than just looking for a scapegoat to blame them on..
@JagTune: Asylum seekers can not vote in European elections in Ireland. Further, asylum seekers can not apply for asylum without proving their identity, so there are no asylum seekers who’s identity has not been established voting in local elections in Ireland. Your post stinks of mis-truths and prejudice
Problem is they rarely deliver, they often knowingly lie, they are primarily driven by retaining their income and claiming as many expenses as possible and finally the guy in all councils with the most power is not elected so what’s the point.
FG are promising to fix all the things they broke, like some thug telling his beaten up wife that he won’t do it again, that it’ll be different from now on and that he really loves and cares deeply for. her.
Time to stop feeding the hand that bites us.
@Fidgenti: they cannot be smacking up the women now
What Fianna Fáil really meant to say was – underdelivering for Fine Gael in the past, underdelivering for Fine Gael in the future. Fine Gael really meant to say working with Fianna Fáil, working for Fianna Fáil. FG and FF should officially join forces and become one party. There is zero difference between them now, and they have been great bedfellows in government in destroying the country. A vote for FG is a vote for FF and vice versa.
Should all these things not have been done years ago, what have they all been doing for years gone bye
Who will get rid of the usc? They will get my vote
@Sean Money:
None of them so, and if any candidate in a local election tells you they can, you have found the biggest liar of them all
@P. J.: it makes me sad
@P. J.: What about any of the nazi people and far rights, surely they would?
There’s actual people out there that believe that waffle
Just make sure you do vote. Don’t take anything for granted.
Same old, same old … roll in 10 years, rinse, repeat.
Only party getting my Vote is the ones going to stop our country getting invaded .
Hooray everything will be fixed finally!!!!
When Palestine becomes more important than Portlaise – you know parties have no real agenda except jumping on trends. SF’s biggest revelation this time around has been them cosying up and bending over backwards with the Islamists.
@DCQ: Yeah, that’s why they don’t get my vote this time. Independents it will be.
@Kush OMeara: Is that you Mattie?
There’s no need for The Journal to read it to us and there’s no need for anyone else to read it either because all we’ll read is spoof.
So FF are going to mandate gender targets for board appointments in local authorities. Well they have just lost one vote with that silly proposal and hopefully will lose more if they continue down the road of gender (and other) quotas.
Manifiestos are spoofery. That said, despite polls making a lot of presumptions on the alleged fall in support for Sinn Fein, I think a lot of younger voters 18-34 will probably vote for them in the impending elections and a future general election.
Simply because they have no historic baggage about them, attacks on Sinn Fein from FFFG about being the past political wing of the IRA, means as much to them as someone talking about FFFG actions during the civil war, because they didn’t live through any of it, to them its all just boring history.
I personally doubt that Sinn Fein in government will deliver on any of the things they promise in opposition, and suspect that they will claim they need at least two terms to fix the mess left to them, but I would be delighted to be proven wrong.
@Dvsespaña: It’s not the past IRA history that is causing the drop in support for SF. It’s their constant flip flopping on all major issues so no one knows where they stand on anything.
@Nodon: Congratulations on arguing against a point and claim that I didn’t make..
@Ulysses 31:
Thankfully there is so many candidates of the hard right variety that their support will be spread thin, very few, if any will be elected and the majority of people will be able to ignore them.
@Ulysses 31: Nonsense.
@Ulysses 31: It begins with we need to stop and repatriate international protection applicants, then all of a sudden it’s we need to stop unlimited economic migrants because they are the problem, then before you know it, it’s ordinary citizens being stopped in the street by psychopathic bureaucrats and told their papers are not in order, and them sending anyone that disagrees to re-education camps…
Then eventually, people begin to wonder as they have at various points throughout history, how and when exactly did we allow these vicious lunatics to take control?
@P. J.: if people use their transfers properly their vote will consolidate. Hopefully they will do and the results will be a better reflection of public opinion.
@Ulysses 31: There lies the problem, because there isn’t a right-wing lite, or a limited form of fascism. It is like every other ideology, a self perpetuating bureaucracy that compounds itself.
In Germany in the 1930′s, Hitler was saying to voters that they needed to help him rebuild Germany for Germans.
The Germany that was destroyed physically and financially by losing WW1 and being forced to pay reparations, he told them that with their support in voting for his national socialist party he would take back control of Germany and regain its former glory…
On the surface, this appealed to a lot of ordinary German people that were struggling to make ends meet, categorise people by race or ethnicity, expel from Germany everyone not aryan German, and seize the assets and businesses of foreigners
Hitler kept the crazy talk about genocide, slaughtering the Jews, the disabled, homosexuals, gypsies and anyone not aryan German, to his inner circle with whom he had tried to overthrow the German government through an earlier insurrection in 1923, at least he did until they finally held the reins of power, by then it was too late and the die was cast and the rest is history…
Fine Gael are going to place bees on the roof of local authority buildings where practical.
Do they mean hives? And presumably that’s only possible on flat roofs. And they’d need trained Bee keepers. And a risk assessment cos people might get stung.
Don’t think it’s practical.
But I could be wrong.
We read the manifestos so you dont.
Not one mention of crime or antisocial behaviour. HOW on earth are local councillors more concerned about Palestine, a country over which a local councillor will have absolutely ZERO power to help or influence outside of virtue signalling by waving a flag around outside city hall, than the absolute state of our inner cities when it comes to open drug dealing, antisocial behaviour and general crime. This is an absolute circus.
can we have our country back please ..that’s all
Not easy to predict results on this occasion .
Seems that they are all striving to do these things nothing concrete so basically bs
Which party should I vote for to control migration into our country.
SF don’t care.
Ff and FG want us to take migrants that arrived illegally from other countries.
Which party to vote for in the EU elections..
The Coalition parties have done massive damage to Democracy in Ireland, they have failed the Irish people who have lost all trust in all arms of the State & no longer swallow the lies & false promises. They brand those who question their actions as Far Right, deflecting from their failures, as they know that things are about to change drastically in Ireland. They must solely take responsibility for this & why people are seeking extremes. The Opposition are no better, in fact nobody sees anybody in Dail Eirinn as leaders or providing leadership. The fact is, it’s now too late for the Coalition parties, the days of people giving them another chance is gone. The Referendums were a warning & the vote went unheeded by our Political Classes, too late now.
Ireland’s maritime climate is one topic among many within the umbrella of the Earth science of climate, just as geology and biology cover many topics within their respective research areas.
The idea of making climate one thing, in this case, long-term weather to suit computer modelling, reflects poorly on society, from politicians to the electorate.
An element of social politics would be to curtail the influence of scientific method modelling. Because that subculture cannot be inspirational, of necessity, it must be hysterical and dire, so a creative and productive society does not need it.
@Gerald Kelleher: Doesn’t really matter if one believes or not. There are ways to heat your house, some of them make sense and some don’t. The path of reason should be the journey we’re on, but people are terrified of change (the only certainty apart from death) and so are incapable moving past almost any societal road block. In Ireland its evident throughout our society, with nearly all of our infrastructures suffering generational neglect.
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