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PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT has pledged free childcare, public transport and healthcare as part of its pitch to voters ahead of the general election on 29 November.
Unveiling its manifesto in Dublin this afternoon, the party urged voters to “end 100 years of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil rule”.
The party is fielding 42 candidates in this election, one in every constituency except for Tipperary South.
After a delayed start to the press conference, caused by a loud, continuous white noise blaring from the venue’s sound system, party leader Richard Boyd Barrett said his party is committed to entering a left-wing progressive government.
He once again ruled out any possible coalition with Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil.
Boyd Barrett outlined a long list of red line issues for People Before Profit in any possible coalition.
These included “getting vulture funds out of the Irish housing sector”; establishing a state construction company; at least doubling the output of social and affordable homes; introducing rent controls; a wealth tax; legal equality for people with disabilities; “separation of church and state”; imposing sanctions on Israel and “getting the US military out of Shannon.
“I could go on,” Boyd Barrett said.
When asked if People Before Profit is serious about going into government, Boyd Barrett said:
“We’re serious about transforming Irish society and we believe it is possible”.
“A lot of the things that we’re talking about actually match with the aspirations of people.
“Nobody in this country can understand how in one of the wealthiest countries of the world with an unprecedented budget surplus, that we’ve a housing crisis, crisis in health service and many of our public services, and that we have deep levels of poverty.
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“We believe it’s possible to change that, and we want to be part of a government that are willing to transform that situation,” Boyd Barrett said.
‘Borrowing our clothes’
Also speaking at the launch, TD Paul Murphy accused a number of other political parties of robbing People Before Profit policies.
“Joe Higgins famously said that Bernie Ahern had stolen his clothes. In this election, it is interesting to see that a number of the parties are borrowing People Before Profit’s clothes.
“I say borrowing because it’s only for a three week period after which it will be quickly forgotten,” Murphy said.
He then accused the Labour Party of copying People Before Profit’s calls for a state construction company, Fine Gael of copying its pledge to scrap the means test on the carers allowance and its pledge to cut student fees, and the Greens of copying its proposals around introducing a four-day work week.
Rough start to People Before Profit’s manifesto launch this afternoon.
The party has also placed a significant focus on funding and supporting the arts.
Speaking today, the party’s candidate for Dublin Rathdown Siomha Ní Aonghusa outlined how People Before Profit view the arts as a “fundamental part of humanity”.
Ní Aonghusa, a stand up comedian and artist, said she might be the first stand up comedian to seek a Dáil seat.
“The only one who knows they are,” Ní Aonghusa joked.
Put on the spot by a reporter, Ní Aonghusa was asked to share her best Irish political joke.
“Oh jesus… The best Irish political joke is the last one hundred years,” she responded to cheers from the party.
Some of the other pledges in People Before Profit’s manifesto were:
Introducing a minimum wage of at least €15
Increasing statutory holidays to 30 days and introducing two extra bank holidays
Introducing a four day week without loss of pay
Pay student nurses
Immediately increase pensions to €300
Abolish the three day mandatory wait period for abortions
Increase the 12-week limit to allow for abortion on request
Provide period products for free
Cap dairy heards at 200 cows and introduce a Dairy Herd Reduction scheme for farmers
End the nitrates derogation
Expel the Israeli Ambassador and withdraw our diplomatic mission from Israel
Pass the Occupied Territories Bill immediately
Give asylum seekers the right to work
Stopping all deportations from the country
Immediately legalise cannabis
Move towards a strategy of de-criminalisation of drugs
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@Michael Cooney: I believe when you say Communism you mean Leninism i.e. a dictatorship of the proletarian hence meaning that they unequivocally are not for a dictatorship. At least attack them on something that makes sense, not your opinion.
@Brian D’Arcy: But lads like Cooney just throw out overused words and cliches. You shouldn’t confuse them with people who know what they’re talking about.
@Jack Hayes: These people basically want state ownership of everything. They would destroy the country in a month. They are lunatics, thankfully on about 2% support.
We need a Sinn Fein — People Before Profit coalition to get this country back on track. Rotating taoiseach arrangement between Mary Lou / Richard Boyd Barrett / Paul Murphy. Add in Clare Daly and Mick Wallace if short on numbers
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: And Sf proposals that EU citizens ” register ” that proposal is even unconditional and really desperate……they are quite literally trying to destroy our country. And don’t forget it took from 1970 to 1997 to have a SF TD take a seat in Dail Eireann under the SF banner, even during the hunger strikes they remained Absolutionist as they are now with there MPs …….
@Alan: That’s under a different legislation ie the Good Friday Agreement and the terms of Brexit, of course there’s another piece of legislation on the ” common travel ” between the UK and us.
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: they could have done that at the last election, but the reality of responsibility set in. Their dictators on what to do rather than leading on how to do.
Why can’t the other parties also steal their proposal to establish a state construction company so we don’t solely rely on the private market, banning foreign funds, and their pro worker policies
@F1rYnpWc: How is a state construction company going to solve anything? It’ll just steal workers from private companies and have a much lower output. They should be focusing on policies to attract construction workers here
@Mick Duvanny: LOL.. maybe.. they get stuff built though ! Probably best sticking to the likes of BAM though and pay them 2.5 billion for a hospital.. it’s working out well for us tbf. We should go to BAM with the apple money and ask them ..what can I get for that.. a la D’Unbelievables sketch of the boy in the shop.. how much for wan of them and two of those..
@Brian: The country that now have demolitions over €2 trn every year of property and evicted the owners. And then pumped half of trillion $ equivalent into a company that had a valuation of 500bn and went to the HK stock market with the plan and then brought that market down by 16% in 15mins ….great model.
@Paul O’Mahoney: Thanks for that Paul.. your insight, with the economics degree you got off Santa two years ago, is invaluable as always. Your conflating a number of things there..but rather than getting into it with you.. over a comment that was largely intended as a bit of craic.. I’d rather watch the match.
@Brian: The irony that these are all the same people bemoaning BAMs children’s hospital, its a good example of why we get nothing done. imo it’s a great idea and maybe the only way we get any infrastructure. Should have been done 30 years ago unfortunately, but then so should everything else.
Good God …..48bn in extra spending per their budget proposals add this on top probably 60bn , and with our tax income at 100bn there proposals would add 300bn to the already 230bn national debt….or half a trillion national debt.
Average interest now is 1.5 % or about 3.5 bn pa, if they enter Government at any level even the tax increases won’t cover the gap in fact it would plunge us into a deeper hole that was created during the 2008 crash….our interest rates on international bond market would soar to Greek levels or Afghanistan…..
What a surprise, PBP’s manifesto is full of Marxist codswallop. They want to bankrupt our pension system further. They want to further expand Fine Gael’s rent control which caused the housing shortage in the first place. They want abortion up until birth including partial-birth abortions where the baby’s brain is sucked out via a tube. They want to pass the Occupied Territories Bill, which is nothing more than a farcical piece of legislation which rewards acts of terror committed by Hamas. They want to hike up taxes of those who produce the wealth in our society. They want to expand and throw more money at the HSE instead of privatising it and they want to see Ukraine lose the war against their buddies in the Kremlin. The only place this manifesto belongs is in the bin.
Another Political Establishment attacking Rural Ireland. I don’t see them reducing the amount of flights that are coming into or going out of Dublin Airport . Shannon and Cork are there too but they don’t matter….
They have so many issues including Cows , what cows did we’ll never know,, it reminds of a Joke Billy Connolly had about inner city Glasgow going into the country for the day and a description of Heifers… good times
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