'Government taking shirts off our backs!' Sinn Féin NUIG

On November 4th, Cumann D’Arcy/Mellows NUIG held a ‘Shirt off my back’ protest at Fine Gael’s Galway West constituency office to highlight the issues effecting students due to the austerity measures taken by the Fine Gael/Labour coalition, this included their refusal to reverse the hike in the registration fee and grant cuts in the last budget implemented by Fianna Fáil and the lack of opportunity for Ireland’s youth in which we face the prospect of the dole or emigration and little else.


In doing so, members of Ógra Shinn Féin went to the office in which we presented Brian Walsh TD’s parliamentary assistant with the shirt off our backs to signify what the current government is doing and what they will proceed to do in the upcoming budget. In doing so, we were handed with an article stating that Brian Walsh TD (FG) and Derek Nolan TD (Lab) are against the reintroduction of third level fees. When ÓSF members asked them about these statements both reiterated this, said they’d try to influence their respective parties to not bring in third level fees yet said they were lowly backbenchers, cannot influence much and will vote for the upcoming budget regardless of what it will do to students.

Also, Derek Nolan TD admitted the Labour party had broken promises made pre-election pledging to reverse the registration fee hike and grant cuts made in the last budget.

We believe they, as public representatives, need to put their constituents before their party and protect those that at the brunt of their vicious austerity measures and not mindlessly vote for what their parties put forward but vote for what is right for society. We also believe that the Government TDs should be held accountable for promises they made pre-election, and to directly promise something the refuse to deliver is an insult to democracy and the Irish people.

Ógra Shinn Féin PRO Sean MacDonnacha said “If the Government feels the need to further deny students access to education and promote the economic brain drain that was left by the previous Government, they will in effect break the back of Irish society by leaving us without an educated workforce through copper-fastening the lack of opportunity which will see Irish youth emigrate and/or not be able to further their education to be qualified for many jobs”

“Sinn Féin believes education is a right and not a privilege and before the budget, Sinn Féin will submit a pre-budget submission is which we will outline our proposals and we hope that the Government take our proposals on board that will show there is a fairer and more equal way of doing things.”



Outgoing chairperson of the cumann, Conor Stitt is calling on Ógra Shinn Féin activists and Irish youth to join them in the USI march in Dublin on the 16th of November