[caption id="attachment_71736" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Pearse Doherty."]
SINN Féin have called for a huge financial boost to the Republic's economy as an alternative to accepting the EU fiscal treaty.
Voters in the 26 counties will soon be going to the polls on the issue, but Sinn Féin TDs have suggested Ireland has the ability to help itself out of its financial mess rather than accept the treaty, which they warn would mean further austerity.
The party's anti-austerity stance has struck a chord with voters fed up of tightening their belts, and as a result, support for Sinn Féin in the South has soared in recent months.
Pearse Doherty, the TD for Donegal South West said this week: "We cannot get out of the mess that this country's in, we need to invest in jobs. We don't have to wait for a magic solution from Europe, we can do this here and now."
The TDs have suggested that a boost of up to €13 billion could save hundreds of millions in social welfare, along with helping create a job retention fund, saving the careers of up to 96,000 people.
Meath West TD, Peadar Tóibín, added that the choice for Irish voters was now "austerity or investment in jobs", and said the cash needed for a boost of up to €13 billion could be sourced from the National Pension Reserve Fund, the European Investment Bank, or by an investment from the private pension sector.
Meanwhile, following calls for the upcoming referendum to be postponed, a High Court Judge has ruled that the only way the poll could be delayed was in the unlikely case of a general election being held.
The clarification comes after six independent TDs had demanded the poll be held back until later this year. In an additional development, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has ruled out a debate with Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams in advance of the treaty vote on May 31.
