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Gerry Adams blames 'a west of Ireland man' for emigration

Can you guess who he means?

16/7/2015. National Economic Forums Enda Kenny and Gerry Adams in happier times Sam Boal Sam Boal

GERRY ADAMS HAS said Sinn Féin is “not going away” as he outlined the party’s priorities if in government.

Sinn Féin would introduce a third rate of tax at 48% on incomes over €100,000, increase capital gains tax, capital acquisitions tax and introduce a charge on second homes if in government, Adams told RTÉ this morning.

The property tax and water charges would be scrapped under a Sinn Féin government, the party leader said, claiming this would deliver a fairer recovery that benefits people on low incomes.

“The recovery, which the government claims is underway, is not felt by most people. It favours the elites, it’s a two tier recovery, we want a fair recovery, we want low and middle income families to benefit from this,” Adams told Morning Ireland.

He said that money generated from the introduction of new taxes would be used to deal with homelessness, create sustainable jobs and to regenerate rural Ireland.

Adams also slammed Taoiseach Enda Kenny, blaming him for the “awful scourge of emigration” which he said had forced half a million people to leave the country in recent years.

Recalling a recent conversation with a man in Donegal, Adams told RTÉ:

One man said to me: ‘There are no young people about here.’ That’s a disgrace, that’s a shame, that’s Enda Kenny, a west of Ireland man’s fault.

The Louth TD said he had no personal desire to be Taoiseach insisting he wanted to be “the best activist and the best teachta dála that I can be”.

He defiantly added:

Let all of those at this time who are ganging up on Sinn Féin in a totally contrived way understand Sinn Féin is here, Sinn Féin is not going away.

“Sinn Féin, if we get the support of the people, will stand by all of our commitments and that’s what we did during the peace process.”

Analysis: Can Sinn Féin lead the next government?

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133 Comments
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    Mute Ben Gunn
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    Feb 26th 2015, 12:17 PM

    Did they not check on the demand for these houses before they spent £8 million doing them up?

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    Mute That's a paddlin'
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    Feb 26th 2015, 12:28 PM

    I only have £1.03 to spare, f**k!

    91
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    Mute Vannin
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    Feb 26th 2015, 2:36 PM

    It’s ok, Leo has €3 so he’ll have them snapped up…twice.

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    Mute Tony Skillington
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    Feb 26th 2015, 12:18 PM

    Imagine in 25 years time this place became the most sought after addresses in that part of the country….you bought a big lump of it for under £2.

    83
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    Mute Derek
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    Feb 26th 2015, 12:30 PM

    The idea sounds good but that could mean 25 yrs of rates and house tax for 136 houses! That’s a rather large sum to commit to on a bet

    45
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    Mute Ewan Scott-Douglas
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    Feb 26th 2015, 12:28 PM

    This is what thatcherite policies did the North, rip out its biggest industry

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    Mute Emily Elephant
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    Feb 26th 2015, 12:43 PM

    And yet Durham has a lower unemployment rate than Ireland.

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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    Feb 26th 2015, 12:44 PM

    A heavily subsidised industry that was losing a lot of money. It would be closed by now even if Thatcher hadn’t done it.
    Never liked her but it doesn’t mean everything she did was wrong. The unions were at least partially to blame for the problems.

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    Mute Peter King
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    Feb 26th 2015, 12:55 PM

    Long term the mines made no sense but you can’t remove the one think that lets a town exist and not replace it. The closing down should have happened gradually with training for new jobs and attracting new business to the area occurring at the same time

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    Mute Ewan Scott-Douglas
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    Feb 26th 2015, 1:21 PM

    Yes because Co Durham includes town like well Durham which have the university etc. which reduces the unemployment rate, but go outside of that area and it gets pretty grim

    9
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    Mute Colin C
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    Feb 26th 2015, 1:30 PM

    “Grim” is how the (English) north markets itself. If tweren’t grim, twould be some soft-as-shite southern place.

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    Mute Phil Ellison
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    Feb 26th 2015, 12:34 PM

    I’d be up for changing it to an Itchy and Scratchy Land. Nothing can possiblay go wrong.

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    Mute Cian O Donoghue
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    Feb 26th 2015, 1:19 PM

    Will it have a monorail?

    46
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    Mute Harry the Cat
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    Feb 26th 2015, 2:31 PM

    I hear those things are awfully loud!

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    Mute Blue Blazer
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    Feb 26th 2015, 9:39 PM

    It glides as softly as a cloud

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    Mute Anthony Reals
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    Feb 26th 2015, 3:06 PM

    Feck it. I’m buying it for a £1..!

    Im gonna fence it off and rent it to movie companies as set for disaster/zombie movies…

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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Feb 26th 2015, 12:57 PM

    I’v gotta leave old Durham Town.

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    Mute John Purdue
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    Feb 26th 2015, 2:11 PM

    Beirut is a beautiful city, very unfair to compare areas of England with it. If anyone is offering places in Beirut for £1, I’ll take them all.

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    Mute Al Ca
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    Feb 26th 2015, 2:30 PM

    I bet they weren’t expecting this when the brought in that ‘bedroom tax’.
    It’s crazy to penalise someone because they have a spare bedroom…..http://www.bromford.co.uk/customer/changes-to-benefits/bedroom-tax/

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    Mute Dan The Man
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    Feb 26th 2015, 4:06 PM

    Looks like Aleppo what a kip

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