Christmas and New Year message from Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams
Nollaig shona do gach duine agus bliain úr faoi mhaise daoibh go léir.
I want to wish everyone a very happy and peaceful Christmas and a good New Year.
This time of the year is an opportunity to relax, to spend time with family and friends and to enjoy the pleasure Christmas gifts bring, especially to children.
But it is also important that we remember all of those for whom this Christmas will be difficult and tough — victims of the recent conflict as well as all of those who are in dire straits as a result of the recession.
Ireland today, North and South, is at a crossroads.
The economic policies being pursued by two conservative governments in London and Dublin have imposed significant hardship on citizens.
Seasann muid leis na daoine atá ag fulaingt sa ghéarchéim eacnamaíochta seo. Tá an dá rialtas coimeádacha i mBaile Atha Cliath agus i Londain ag iarraidh an t-ualach ar fad a chur ar na gnáthdaoine. Níl sé sin ceart ná cothrom agus leanfaidh Sinn Féin ag moladh bealach níos fearr.
The adverse impact on public services, the economy, and society in both parts of this island is evident. Hundreds of thousands of citizens are unemployed and emigration is again on the increase.
Sinn Féin is an Irish republican party. We are a ‘United Ireland’ party.
We believe unity makes economic and political sense.
Sinn Féin is for the sovereignty, independence and freedom of the Irish people and the right of our people to build our own society.
Sinn Fein is committed to delivering for citizens.
In pursuit of this we have agreed in the North a budget which aims to protect public services while seeking to grow the economy.
Despite all of the difficulties, the Peace Process is delivering and next May the Executive and Assembly will complete their first full term. This would have been thought impossible only a few years ago.
In the South, Sinn Féin offers the only real alternative to the conservative consensus. We are putting forward practical policies to regenerate the economy; root and branch political reform aimed at producing a genuinely open and accountable form of Government which ends the notion of political elites and empowers Irish citizens; the proper use of Ireland’s natural resources for the common good; the protection and creation of jobs; ending the two-tier health and education systems; and continued support for the Peace Process, the Good Friday Agreement and further outreach to the unionist community.
Tá Sinn Féin ag súil go mór leis an bhliain 2011. Mar páirtí uile-Éireann beimid ag seasamh san Olltoghchán agus i dToghchán an Tionóil. Beimid ag rá leis an pobal Thuaidh agus Theas go bhfuil rogha acu chun todhchaí nios fearr a chruthú leis an fís agus leis na polasaithe atá á chur chun cinn ag Sinn Féin.
2011 will present significant challenges. Sinn Féin is up to the task of meeting and overcoming them.
But for now and for the next 10 days I wish everyone a happy, peaceful and enjoyable Christmas and New Year
Ádh mór agus dea-ghuí do chách.
