As Sinn Féin prepare for the next general election, its enterprise spokesperson said the party is ready to “talk to everybody”.

The main opposition party’s Ard Fheis takes place this weekend in Athlone and plans for the general election are no doubt a central topic. 

Speaking on The Anton Savage Show today, Workers’ Rights, Trade and Enterprise Spokesperson Louise O’Reilly said Sinn Féin are not “arrogant” or assuming it will win the next general election. 

“Of course, the polls are very encouraging,” she said. “But there’s only one poll that matters and that’s the one on election day. 

“There's no presumption on our part... we're getting their head down, we're doing our work, we're going to give an offering to people at the next election.” 

'We will talk to any parties'

Deputy O’Reilly said Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has been “really clear” on what the party will do if they’re in the position to form a Government after the next election. 

“We will talk to everybody because that's what grown ups do,” she said. 

“Sinn Féin will talk to any parties – what we’re interested in doing is putting forward a platform, putting forward a set of policies that will make a real and lasting difference in housing, healthcare, the cost of living. 

“We will negotiate a very ambitious Programme for Government, and we will deliver that, and we will stand or fall on the basis of how we deliver for people, as all political parties have to do.” 

Foreign investment

As the spokesperson for enterprise, Deputy O’Reilly said she doesn’t have problem speaking to the “Pfizers, the Apples and the Metas of the world”. 

“They’re interested in talking to us about stability and about ensuring we can work together,” she said. 

“Sinn Féin is not foolish – we recognise the importance of FDI to this State. 

"I have a very open door policy.

“I was in San Francisco in April, and I met with the IDA, I met business groups over there, and I did the same in Vancouver. 

“I also met a lot of very young, talented, educated Irish people who are abroad and don't want to be and who will come home when the housing crisis is fixed.” 

Research and development

Deputy O’Reilly noted Sinn Féin has been a “long-time advocate” for increases to the research and development tax credit in Ireland to boost the “enterprise ecosystem”. 

“We have an awful lot of companies in this state - they get to a certain point, and they sell up instead of scaling up,” she said. 

“What we want to do is we want to introduce a third leg to the enterprise strategy, so that we encourage those companies to scale up and stay here. 

“That's good jobs, that's high-paying jobs, that's decent jobs that are staying here in Ireland.” 

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