People Before Profit claims election could see people 'break free from the shackles of FF and FG'
People Before Profit launched its election manifesto in Dublin by calling for the electorate to “break the cycle of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil".
Richard Boyd Barrett, the party’s TD for Dun Laoghaire, said its belief is that a “fairer, better, more just Ireland is actually possible”.
He said the party’s plan would deliver an affordable home, childcare that is affordable, and a cost of living that is affordable for working-class families.
We could be facing an historic moment, the political equivalent of the Repeal movement in terms of the Irish political landscape, an earthquake where people break free from the shackles of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
“In the week since we put out that central message, that it was possible to break the cycle of Fianna Fáil domination, it has clearly resonated.
"Within a short week that has become a reality, with the opinion polls showing that less than 50% of people want to vote for those parties,” he said.
Flanked by PBP TDs Gino Kenny and Brid Smith, together with Paul Murphy who is now running under the Rise umbrella, Mr Boyd Barrett outlined the manifesto, which would make housing a human right by introducing legislation for proper rent controls and security of tenure, while pledging to put an end to Ireland’s current two-tier health system.
It has placed action on climate change to the forefront of its election pitch, pledging to fight for free public transport, stop the importation of fracked gas, and place a carbon levy “on the big polluters, not ordinary people”.
Families want a fair deal, says @RBoydBarrett saying ordinary workers are being hit while corporations and billionaires escape paying pic.twitter.com/kX1HKxhVLo
— Christina Finn (@christinafinn8) January 22, 2020
As part of its push for “a 32-county socialist republic” the party promised to restore the pension age to 65 while increasing the weekly package to €260 per week, while guaranteeing 33 hours of free childcare per week with fees capped at 3% of income and an end to third-level fees.
“All of this can be paid for if some of those who have reaped the benefits of extraordinary economic growth were made to pay their fair share of taxes,” Mr Boyd Barrett said.
