Adams: Enda, it’s time to go
Sinn Féin leader, Gerry Adams was scathing of the Government tonight bluntly telling the Taoiseach in his hometown, Castlebar: “Enda, it’s time to go.”
On a visit to the Euro count centre in the town’s Royal T.F. Hotel, Adams dismissed claims by the Government that the local election and Euro contest results were "a protest vote".
Addressing Mr Kenny via reporters’ microphones, the Sinn Féin President said: “You were elected on an entirely different mandate, one that you and the Labour Party have implemented.”
Mr Adams harked back to a statement Mr Kenny had made when he became Taoiseach that his election represented “a democratic revolution”.
He claimed: “This (election result) is no less a democratic revolution.
"It isn’t a protest vote. I listened to some Government spokesman trying to dismiss this as a mid-term election blipwhere the electorate are giving the electorate a scolding or a rap on the knuckles. It is no such thing.
“This is deep rooted. It is a seismic shift in the political landscape, which has been dominated in this State by the two big parties, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael and occasionally Labour being appended to that.
“Now Sinn Féin's here and Sinn Féin's here to stay across the island. We’ll work at building peace and we’ll work at trying to bring about a citizens’ centred, rights based society.
“We didn’t make a heap of big promises. We were measured in what we said and we’ll keep our word. We won’t let people down.”
Mr Adams laughed when asked about reports of a possible Coalition between Sinn Féin and Fine Gael after the next general election.
“That would be a most unlikely alliance”, he said, "Fine Gael is a party of conservatism, a party of austerity.
“Sinn Féin do want to be in Government. Of course we do. We’re in Government in the north.
“But we need a mandate in the first instance. Then we have to negotiate a programme for Government. I can’t see any real common ground between us and the Fine Gael government on any issue except maybe Mayo for the All-Ireland."
