Ivana Bacik has insisted the Labour Party will not be “lovebombed” into coalition and will talk to other left-wing parties to form a government before Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
In an exclusive interview with the Irish Mirror, the Dublin Bay South candidate stated that her party would also not talk to Sinn Féin in its initial bid to enter government.
Last week, reports suggested that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil were eyeing up the Labour Party as a coalition partner. It was also reported that Fine Gael believes it and Labour hold similar values.
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Ms Bacik denied this, telling the Irish Mirror while there are areas they have supported the government on, they differ on “the role of the state and workers rights”.
The party will look to build a “left platform” without Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil or Sinn Féin.
She said: “After the election, I'll go to the leaders of parties that share our vision; The Greens, the Soc Dems and centre-left independents to seek to forge a common platform where we can try to deliver on our values and our vision of the active state in the most effective way.
“With bigger numbers, with a critical mass of numbers, that's when we go to the three bigger parties.
“No matter how much they lovebomb us in the interim, the differences are clearly there. “Certainly, we've had significant differences with [Sinn Féin] on a range of issues, particularly on the environment.”
Ms Bacik was also deeply critical of Fine Gael’s new “Acorn scheme” which will see €1,000, or €1,500 for a child in a disadvantaged area, put into a savings account for newborns. Parents can deposit up to €2,000 per year in the account, meaning it could mature to over €53,000 with interest.
Ms Bacik branded the idea “bizarre” and said it shows “Fine Gael flailing around for new glitterball ideas.”
“The more money you have, the more you get out of it,” Ms Bacik said.
“That's great for wealthier families. It fosters inequality.
“You're gonna have in 20 years time, kids beginning to drive to school on the basis of the money their parents have put into the Acorn account and other kids won't be able to afford to go to college at all.”
Labour’s manifesto pledged to build affordable housing between €250,000 and €400,000. The price would be determined by income, with those earning between €70,000 to €80,000 able to buy cheaper homes. Unlike the Sinn Féin plan, she said, people will own the land the home is built on.
Labour would also phase out the Help to Buy scheme and replace it with a “Help to Rent” scheme, where people are given “a portion of the money they're paying in rent, up to €30,000.” The scheme would initially be for cost rental and then examined for the private sector.
Ms Bacik said the Labour Party offers a “constructive difference” and a different “programme to the government parties”.
She said she wants to build a “public State” that is “interventionist” and will “devote public expenditure to addressing the housing crisis, the healthcare crisis, and the crisis in education.” Labour is also calling for a “publicly provided childcare space’” for every child.
She stated that people on the doors are looking at one-off payments offered by the government with “scepticism”.
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