Sinn Féin voters should not be treated as 'second class citizens', says McDonald
SinnFéin spokesperson on housing Eoin O Broin and leader Mary Lou McDonald in Clondalkin, Dublin, launch their party's proposals to bring home ownership back into reach for working people. Picture: Niall Carson/PA
The Sinn Féin leader has told the Government not to treat her supporters like "second class citizens".
Mary Lou McDonald was speaking at an event launching her party's housing campaign in Clondalkin. She said she wants to lead the next government without Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, but that regardless of whether the outgoing coalition parties would go into government with her, voters for Sinn Féin deserve to be respected.
Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil leaders Simon Harris and Micheál Martin have ruled out a coalition with Sinn Féin following the election, but Ms McDonald said that people who do vote for her party deserve to be heard.
"They can't pass a microphone without stating how appalled they are and how they will never, ever, ever speak to Sinn Féin. They were at that in the last election as well.
"Let me just make this point. You know, a lot of people vote for Sinn Féin, rely on us to represent them. I would ask Fianna Fàil and Fine Gael to try and muster at least a little bit of respect for the communities and the voters that vote for us.
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Ms McDonald said that her party would deliver over 60,000 new homes a year in government and that housing policy would be a red line for her in formation talks.
She added, however, that the party will not have a cliff edge on the Help To Buy scheme.
"We want to acknowledge that people who are now, in real time, looking to purchase a home, have baked in that money into their calculations.
"So of course, we're not going to upend that, and that's why we're saying that we will phase out the scheme.
The party's housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said the scheme would be phased out by 2029, offset by more affordable housing being built.
"If Micheál Martin and Simon Harris get back into government and introduce these reckless inflationary policies, those people will not be able to buy. They're going to make it harder for working people to own their own home. And therefore, the sensible and prudent thing, as Mary Lou has said, is to phase it out gradually as we're ramping up the delivery of our €250,000-plus affordable purchase homes and working with the private residential sector for them to deliver more homes at more moderated prices.
"That's the right policy approach, and that's why, when you talk to economists and housing policy experts, they agree with us as well."
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