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“Sinn Fein Minister Catriona Ruane has made it plain she intends to cut jobs in front-line services. She told the Assembly’s education committee on January 14th that, ‘Action needs to be taken during the 2010/11 financial year to secure significant budget savings and this will involve pain...It will simply not be possible to avoid some reduction in funding direct to the classroom...There may inevitably have to be staff reductions.’

“That means sacking class-room staff to meet Treasury edicts based on bailing out the bankers. At the same time, her party leader Gerry Adams is suggesting that all Executive parties cooperate to oppose the cuts!

“Sinn Fein is for the cuts at Stormont - against the cuts when there are votes to be won. I wouldn’t rule out party members standing outside the schools hit by Ms. Ruane’s ‘reductions’ with placards denouncing what's happening inside!

“What’s Ms. Anderson’s position? Does she support Minister Ruane’s ‘inevitable’ cuts or not? Meanwhile, Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy has quietly announced plans to privatise parts of our public transport system.

“Private firms are to be invited to tender against Translink for bus routes, for example. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein proclaims opposition to privatisation.

“When it comes to economics, you name it, Sinn Fein is for it. And also against it. I reckon the main reason Mr. Adams wants all the mainstream parties to form an alliance on cuts is so that none of them can be singled out for blame when the cuts come.

“More and more former Sinn Fein voters are becoming tired of to this facing-two-ways tactic. We appeal to them to come over to People Before Profit - the only party which can be counted on to organise resistance to the cuts.

“Sinn Fein is full verbal radicalism. But when it comes to the practicalities, they bend with the wind from Westminster. People Before Profit is up for the fight that Sinn Fein won’t take on.”