Sinn Féin’s attempts to play up to US multinationals, as reported in the Business Post, can only come at the expense of working people, according to Garrett Greene, Workers’ Party representative for Cabra-Glasnevin.

Greene said: “Sinn Féin’s renewed attempts to cosy up to foreign investors should be of concern to anybody who expects them to make substantial changes for the better should they get into government. Their commitment to maintaining the current corporate tax rate of 12.5% is a signal to the multinationals dominating our economy that it will be business as usual under a SF government”

“It has long been clear that the current economic set-up in Ireland first and foremost benefits multinational capital. Our government and ruling class have no vision for the development of a sustainable domestic economy, and are instead content to skim off a small percentage of multinational profits to keep our state afloat. This directly affects the state’s ability to meet the needs of working people. By acting as a tax haven and allowing the multinationals to dictate economic policy, the state is limited to measures which aren’t threatening to the interests of foreign capital. This leads directly to crises in housing, healthcare and education, as the state is unwilling and unable to take the lead on providing essential services, which might threaten the profits of the property funds and other speculators.”

“Ireland’s total dependence on multinationals means that no government can make sweeping changes overnight, without the risk of being “disciplined” by foreign capital. To move towards a more equal society we must begin by developing our locally owned industrial and technical economy, and move away from the model of charging fees on multinational tech and finance companies to facilitate tax avoidance. Sinn Fein’s position on maintaining the corporate tax regime show’s they have no intention of following this path, but instead intend to prop up the current failing economic model.”

“This is clearly a strange move for any party that claims they will change things for the better in Ireland, but it is particularly odd for one that tries to claim the legacy of men like James Connolly and Wolfe Tone. What sort of socialist republicans are happy to swap sovereignty and the well-being of the Irish working class for subservience to US multinationals?”

“Although they won’t admit it, this is another shift by Sinn Féin towards the political centre and away from policies that would improve the lives of Irish workers. They would not receive praise from IDA Ireland, the foreign investment agency, and Ibec, the lobbying body for businesses, if they were going to shake things up in a way that benefits working people. Working class voters should be cautious of this before casting their vote for Sinn Féin.”