Adams urges voters to reject treaty

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams in his keynote address to the party ardfheis called on delegates and voters generally to reject the “austerity treaty” on Thursday.

Over 1,000 Sinn Féin delegates gathered in the INEC centre in Killarney, Co Kerry this evening to hear Mr Adams declare, "austerity isn't working and won't start working on June 1st," he said.

"Right now if you do not like the policies of the government you can sack them or re-elect them. You won't be able to do that with unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats in Frankfurt and Brussels," added Mr Adams

"That is undemocratic. Don't give up your power. Don't give your democratic rights away. And don't write austerity into the constitution," he said.

Mr Adams, whose speech was carried live on RTÉ, dedicated some 3 minutes 54 seconds minutes to urging a No vote which means that Taoiseach Enda Kenny will be permitted similar time on RTÉ tomorrow to call for a Yes vote.

The Sinn Féin leader said voters must be wise and reject the treaty. "It is a good and patriotic and positive action to say No to a treaty that is bad for you, bad for your family and community, bad for society and entirely without any social or economic merit."

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Mr Adams, proposing a €13 billion three-year stimulus programme, called on the Government to implement a job creation strategy. This would create 130,000 jobs directly, he said.

"There are funds available – in the National Pension Reserve Fund, in the European Investment Bank, in the private pension sector and in Nama," he added.

Mr Adams said 70,000 people were emigrating each year and this was "forced emigration, not a lifestyle choice". Rural Ireland, particularly the west, was being devastated.

"It is an indictment of the two men from the west who lead this bad Government. Shame on you Taoiseach. Shame on you Tánaiste," he said.

Mr Adams said Sinn Féin wanted to demonstrate to unionists that a united Ireland was also in their interests. "A United Ireland makes sense. A single Island economy makes sense," he said.

"It does not make sense on an island this size and with a population of six million, to have two states, two bureaucracies, two sets of government departments, and two sets of agencies competing for inward investment," he said.