McGuinness says North should benefit if Scotland gets ‘devo max’

Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has said he hopes the North will benefit if Scotland gets more autonomy in the event of a vote against independence.

Speaking on the fringes of the Sinn Féin party think-in in Termonfeckin, Co Louth, yesterday, Mr McGuinness said “Westminster politicians” had indicated they were prepared to offer maximum devolution to the Scottish people.

“If Scotland gets, in the context of there being a No vote, power over social welfare and the ability to decide their own social welfare payment rates, then that has big implications for us and I think that I would hope that we can benefit from the outcome of that.”

Sinn Féin spokespeople have to date declined to comment publicly on the upcoming Scottish referendum. Mr McGuinness said the Scottish people should be allowed to make their own decision free from outside interference.

“Whatever way it goes I think it will have a profound impact on the situation in Ireland, and specifically in the North of Ireland, particularly in relation to the battle that we’re having with the British Government at this time over the swingeing cuts they have brought in.”

Earlier Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams called Tánaiste and Labour leader Joan Burton an "architect of austerity" in his keynote address in An Grianán.

Emigration

Mr Adams accused both Ms Burton and Taoiseach Enda Kenny of implementing the type of policies favoured by the British Conservative Party. “Sinn Féin is opposed to Toryism north and south. We are as against austerity by David Cameron as much as we’re against austerity from Enda Kenny and Joan Burton,” he said.

Mr Adams said the upcoming Budget would be a “big test” for Ms Burton. Labour had bought into Fine Gael policies “in direct breach of the mandate they were given”, he said.

“The Labour leader cannot distance herself from the disastrous policies of this Government and nor should she be allowed to. She is one of the architects of austerity.”

Struggling families would not accept talk of economic recovery until they saw evidence of it in their own lives. He said half a million people had been forced to leave Ireland. “This Government sees, as Fianna Fáil used to, emigration as a policy option.”

Mr Adams also accused the Taoiseach of having expended political capital “fruitlessly defending” former minister for justice Alan Shatter and repeating the mistake with the nomination of Phil Hogan as EU Commissioner.

Mr Adams was also critical of Fianna Fáil. He said that party could not provide a “credible alternative” to the current administration, “because Fine Gael and Labour are implementing Fianna Fáil policy”.