Republican News · Thursday 16 May 2002

Change is in Your Hands

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams says that a vote for Sinn Féin is a vote for change.

Sinn Féin leaders and candidates go large as they unveil an election banner at An Phoblacht's Dublin offices on Tuesday.

"I have been canvassing widely through many of the 34 constituencies in which Sinn Féin are standing candidates and the response has been very positive," he reports.

"People are very conscious of the issues facing them. What they want to know is how the wealth which is being created will be used to address their concerns.

"There have been many positive changes in the last five years, but there have also been many missed opportunities. It is a scandal that although we are now the third richest state in the EU we have a health system which is among the worst. People are concerned that 30% of elderly people here live below the poverty line.

"People are concerned that we have:

• the lowest life expectancy in the EU
• the lowest number of acute hospital beds per capita in the EU
• the highest rate of child poverty in the EU
• four times more golf courses than children's playgrounds
• seen a doubling in the number of homeless people in the past five years
• 20% of our population living in relative poverty.

"It is clear that people over the last two weeks that a lot of these people have made up their mind to vote Sinn Féin.

"They know that we are delivering on the Peace Process. They share our view on Irish unity. This morning I want to address that substantial section of the electorate who may have decided that this election is not relevant for them.

"These people are not apathetic. They are concerned with the revelations of corruption. They are concerned about the arrogant, dismissive attitude of all the establishment parities to the Nice referendum result and they are deeply concerned at the lack of fairness in social and economic policy.

"Next Friday the voters have the opportunity to bring about political change. If they really want change it is in their hands. Not voting guarantees the status quo. A vote for Sinn Féin is a vote for a real alternative."

Joe Cahill joins candidates Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Deirdre Whelan and Mary Lou McDonald at one of the party's final cavasses in the city at St Stephens' Green on Wednesday