Sinn Féin has made 'all the wrong calls' on major issues, says Varadkar
Party leader and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe during a Fine Gael special conference at the Glenroyal Hotel, Maynooth, Co Kildare. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire
A Sinn Féin government would alienate Ireland from America, the Taoiseach has told a Fine Gael conference.
The Taoiseach made his comments at a Q&A with party members at a special conference in Maynooth, Co Kildare.
Answering a question from James O'Neill from Young Fine Gael on why he believed that Sinn Féin was not fit for office, Mr Varadkar said that he believes the opposition party has "got it wrong" on a number of big issues.
"Having had the privilege of serving in Government for more than 10 years through some very difficult periods, the economic crash, Brexit, the pandemic, and an inflation crisis and so many other things that we've had to deal with," he said.
"I think fundamentally politics, particularly being in government, is about judgment and making the big calls and getting them right.
"When I look back over Sinn Féin for the past 30 years, they've made all the wrong calls on all the big questions, and I believe they would do so again."
Mr Varadkar said that "up until not that long ago" Sinn Féin believed a United Ireland could be achieved "by physical force".
He continued his criticism saying the party has voted against every European treaty ever while he has campaigned for yes votes for the Eurozone, European citizenship, the single market and "for all the things that make us Europeans".
Recalling the financial crisis, Mr Varadkar said the Government was forced to make really tough decisions.
Do you remember what Sinn Féin wanted to do? he asked.
"They wanted to burn the bondholders they wanted to send the IMF and ECB packing they wanted us to default on our debt.
"Think where we would be now as a country if we had done all that. Certainly not 2.6 million people at work, not a budget surplus or anything remotely like that."
The Taoiseach accused Sinn Féin of opposing Fine Gael's pro-enterprise, low-tax policies which he said has helped bring investment to Ireland.
He also took aim at Sinn Féin's call for a 'zero covid' response to the recent pandemic.
"We know how that policy worked out in countries that tried it. So always making the populist calls, always making the wrong calls. And I think they would do it again."
Mr Varadkar said that Sinn Féin would turn America against Ireland because of its foreign policies and would leave Ireland less influential in Europe.
"To box above your weight, you have to box clever. And I see some of the things that they are coming out with now that are just knee-jerk and emotional responses of policies.
"And they think in their minds that they would get the United States behind a united Ireland. They wouldn't. They would actually turn our friends and enemies."
He claimed that Sinn Féin would fall out with the US "because of their support for dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela".
"Because they're more critical of Israel than they are of Hamas, they would fall out with America.
"They would fall out with European countries because they support separatist movements in those countries, even though the majority of people in those regions don't support separation, and also and also we would become less influential at the European level."
The Fine Gael leader said Sinn Féin would constantly criticise European institutions, individuals and policies adding that it was "not the way for a small country to play its cards".
He concluded: "That again will be less influence for us. That would leave us poorer and less safe."
Closing the party's special conference in Maynooth, Mr Varadkar said that the party had worked to bring up the threshold for higher earners and that this had meant that middle-income couples would be better off by €6,000 compared to policies from other parties.
Mr Varadkar said that those tax cuts made in the last two years were a key reason that Fine Gael should win a fourth term in government.
He said that when Fine Gael entered Government, people earning above €33,000 paid the highest tax rate which was well below the average salary.
"We’re now up to €42,000 for next year. We want to keep going. And just that difference we’ve made," he said.
"I think it’s worth about €3,000 a year to somebody earning €40,000 or more, €6,000 to a couple both earning €40,000 or more.
"The average salary by the way in Ireland for somebody working full time is €45,000. So these are not wealthy people."
He said the move was fought tooth and nail, not only by Sinn Féin, but by the Social Democrats, Labour and many Independents.
"So if you’re an average couple on the average salary, the price of a left-wing Government is €6,000-a-year at least.
"We can make sure that that gap gets wider if we can get a fourth term in Government. One of the very good reasons why we should – money in your pocket."
The conference opened with Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney hinting at a 2024 election, saying that next year would be a "watershed" for Irish politics, but Mr Varadkar played down this idea.
He said that 2024 "is an election year" but that his focus was on the local, European and Limerick mayoral elections.
He said that Fine Gael was preparing for those elections and a general election before the presidential election in 2025.
Mr Varadkar said that the decision to call an election would be his as Taoiseach, but that he would discuss it with Tánaiste Micheál Martin and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan.
"Sometimes elections happen on you, and sometimes you get to call them and it is, of course, the prerogative of the Taoiseach to seek a dissolution of the Dáil.
"But it's something that I haven't had any detailed discussions with the Tánaiste or Minister Ryan about at this stage."
He said that while they would will call for an election at some point, it is not the party's main focus at the moment.
Mr Varadkar claimed Fine Gael is focused on reducing inflation, helping people with the cost of living, building new homes and keeping the economy strong.
"It's keeping our community safe and making sure that Ireland has influence in Europe and the world and that's what we're spending 99% of our time on at the moment."
