Sinn Fein rep’s get immigration grilling by voters as housing remains key topic

WARRING gangs, a lack of housing and immigrants “getting stuff for nothing” are the grievances in one part of the capital as the nation votes on Friday.

Crime, housing and immigration are the key areas that dominate the discussion on the doors in Quarryvale, Clondalkin, as the Irish Sun takes to the campaign trail with Sinn Fein at a time when the party are slipping in opinion polls.

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Sinn Fein shocked the country with enormous support in the last general election.

But despite climbing to 34 per cent last year, Mary Lou McDonald’s party have now slumped to 22 per cent.

Some believe the drop is due to the party’s stance on immigration, which hasn’t always been clear despite the issue dominating headlines for the last six months.

And the people are letting the party know all about it.

One voter who feels that refugees are getting too much for free while others struggle raises this with Ward as he canvasses for local council candidate Daniel Loftus: “Why isn’t Sinn Fein pushing this?”

“If people want to come here to work fine. That’s what the Irish people did everywhere they went around the whole world – they went and they worked and that’s why nobody has a problem with them.

“People are coming here and they’re getting stuff for nothing and it’s pissing everybody off. I don’t get nothing. I can’t even get a GP card. I haven’t even got a doctor.”

Ward fights for the vote and highlights that the problems in health and housing were here before the immigration issue.

Later, in an interview with The Irish Sun from the campaign trail, Ward tells us that he believes Sinn Fein’s position is being misrepresented and the party hasn’t been loud enough on it.

He said: “A lot of stuff about our position has been misrepresented. Donnachadh O’Laoghaire came out very strongly on it and gave our position on immigration.

“If you have a right to be here, you should be afforded what the State can offer you.

“And if you haven’t got a right to be here then you should be processed very quickly and returned safely to your country or origin that you came from.

“People are saying that they are not hearing us say that enough in the Dail or on social media or wherever and that is coming up as a bit of criticism that we’re getting.”

It is also clear that housing and crime are other concerns for voters in Clondalkin.

Housing hell

Jamie Kearney, a young software engineer living with his mam, is considering moving to the UK because he can’t find a home of his own here.

After telling the canvassers he hasn’t decided who to vote for yet, he tells The Irish Sun that whoever comes up with a plan to fix housing will land his vote forever.

Jamie said: “It’s enough to make me want to leave the country. I’m looking at the UK – Scotland would be interesting for me instead of here at the moment.

“I’m a software engineer. For a job like mine, it is so hard because the companies want you in Dublin. But how can you afford that?

“You’re looking at €2,000 to live out someone’s back garden. If someone could come up with a good solution to that they’d have all my votes from here on out.”

Whats affordable?

Ward sees the opportunity and jumps on it – boasting about his party’s housing spokesman Eoin O’Broin and his plans to fix the crisis by focusing on building affordable housing on public land.

Jamie claps back: “Yeah, but what’s affordable?”

Homes under the government’s affordable housing scheme have recently sold for north of €400,000 in nearby Clonburris.

But Ward promises: “We have a real plan for affordable homes that will bring them in under €300,000.”

That plan? According to the party website they will speed up planning, cut red tape to enable quicker building on public owned land, introduce tax code changes to incentivise building and accelerate the use of new technologies.

‘Hard to become an adult’

Housing is the reason why the party’s local council candidate Loftus decided to get into politics. The 26-year-old tells us: “I’m still living in my parents’ house.

“I want to be able to afford a home and move out. It is just so hard for anyone to make a life for themselves. It’s hard to become an adult, like.

“My partner is living with her parents and I’m living with mine and we want to be able to move out.

“But if you want to move out it’s €2,000 to €2,500 in rent which I do not want to pay to a landlord and if I’m trying to buy a house it’s €450,000 to €500,000 in Dublin.”

Crime is also a key issue for many voters in the area who want to see more gardai on the streets, increased use of CCTV and more facilities for young people.

Deputy Ward, who grew up in the area, says feuding gangs have been causing fear for residents, with several houses recently targeted in attacks, including two that were set on fire.

Resident Derek McCormack tells The Irish Sun: “More security in the area. Especially for the young kids in the area – more activities for them.

“Crime is an issue that needs to be addressed. I’d like to see more gardai on the streets too.”

And a father who asked not to be named tells the Sinn Fein TD that he’s afraid to let his children out on the street to play.

Anti-social behaviour

He said: “They’re all going around with the knives and their guns and everything else. I’m just afraid that the wrong person is going to be walking by and they’re targeted because they wear the same jacket as one of them lads.”

Long-time resident Ann Hawkins, tells The Irish Sun that anti-social behaviour wasn’t always a problem but it has been growing recently.

She said: “This road used to be a lovely road. It’s far from it now.

“There should be something done about the motorbikes going up and down the roads and the dumping around the corner. People coming here that don’t live here and dumping stuff on the side of the road.”

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