Johnny Mythen will hope that history repeats itself
THE forthcoming General Election will create its own bit of history regardless of the overall outcome.
It will be the first election held on a Saturday since the foundation of the state - with the last Saturday election taking place in 1918.
However, Sinn Féin will be hoping that the historic nature of the election day will also ensure history repeats itself because that Saturday in 1918, it was the Sinn Féin party that topped the poll.
In County Wexford, party veteran, Johnny Mythen, will again be standing in the hope of securing a Sinn Féin seat in Dáil Eireann - something he came within 30 votes of doing in the last General Election.
Following his selection at a party convention in the Courtyard in Ferns, Mr Mythen said he was ‘delighted and proud’ to stand for his party.
Commenting to this newspaper Mr Mythen said the priority of this election has to be in putting the electorate first.
‘ This election must be about a caring Government that puts people first,’ he said.
‘Fine Gael have had nine years in consecutive power with the last four years being in a proxy coalition with Fianna Fail,’ he added.
‘[ That’s] almost a decade of power sharing resulting in the worst crises this country has even seen in housing and health for a generation.’ Mr Mythen said his party wants to change that. ‘We reject the idea that this election is the Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin show,’ he said.
‘ That they can dismiss Sinn Féin and our voters as not good enough for Government but the people will decide and they will not be dictated too,’ he added.
Mr Mythen said that in Government Sinn Féin would deliver the biggest council housing building programme in the history of the state.
He also said his party would ‘ bring about real change in the health service and give families and workers a break’.
‘No family should have to pay a second mortgage in childcare fees or for providing their children with an education,’ he said.
‘Sinn Féin have the alternative and real solutions,’ he added.
Describing his party as the one that stands up for workers and their families he said Sinn Féin ‘champions fairness and equality, and works every day in communities to build a better environment to work and rare children in.’
‘As an all Ireland party we are committed and determined to make politics work on a fair and equal standing for every citizen,’ said Mr Mythen.
‘If given the chance things can really change,’ he added.