Chai Brady
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín TD has welcomed Fine Gael’s ‘baby box’ initiative but says that a cute video on social media does little for struggling families.
Deputy Tóibín said: “It’s all well and good for a Fine Gael senator to put up a cute, well-choreographed video of himself talking about the struggles of parenthood, but that video, with its catchy background music and cringey humour, did little to help struggling families caught up in a cycle of homelessness.”
Mr Tóibín accused Fine Gael senator Neale Richmond of electioneering. “In the video, Senator Richmond actually said ‘here’s the plan…Fine Gael in Government’ will deliver this idea. Does the senator not realise that Fine Gael is in Government? The video was uploaded on Fine Gael’s social media accounts, not Government ones. Let’s call it what it is – a campaign ad. And how much did it cost? How much did Fine Gael spend on the production, editing and promoting of the video?,” Mr Tóibín asked.
Buggies
“At the time of this video’s publication, homeless deaths are at record-breaking highs. There are still queues of women with buggies outside the Capuchin Day Centre seeking nappies and baby formula. The ‘baby box’ idea is a good idea, one which was also discussed at length by ministers under previous Fine Gael governments but never introduced.
“Every year in Ireland mothers give birth homeless. This is a shocking indictment of the policies of the FG government for the last 10 years,” he said.