Tesco is one of the largest foreign companies in Ireland, employing some 10,000 people. So you might be surprised to read some astonishing comments by FF South candidate Ned O'Keeffe TD in one of the local Cork newspapers this week. He also makes an incredible statement about the causes of the banking crisis.
There online format of "The Avondhu" doesn't allow you to give a link, but here is a verbatim selection of the best bits of the article:
Deputy O'Keeffe believes that the UK supermarket chain has been very negative for Ireland since buying out Quinnsworth and Crazy Prices in 1997.
"What has Tesco offered us since they came over to Ireland?" said Deputy O'Keeffe.
"We were far better off as when we had Quinnsworth or Crazy Prices in operation in this country and since they were purchased by Tesco it's had a very negative impact on the retail sector and food suppliers in every part of Ireland.
"I think we would be better off if Tesco were to leave Ireland altogether. Their absence from the Irish market would be taken up by other supermarkets who would fill the gap and hopefully it would lead to less exploitation of Irish food suppliers.
"They've done enough damage to the sector and I really wish they would leave Ireland before they cause more Irish food suppliers to go under, resulting in more job losses.
We’ve already seem the damage that foreign banks have done to Ireland and how the Irish banks were forced to make up for their mistakes. Well the same could happen in the retailing sector with the foreign retailers such as Tesco ruining the Irish supermarket industry and putting thousands of people out of work around the country", Deputy O'Keeffe concluded.
In another article in the same newspaper, it emerged that FF posters (of Brian Crowley and O'Keeffe) had been erected throughout the town of Fermoy, Co. Cork - in spite of a local Town Council ban on postering. Instead of admitting to the mistake of FF HQ in doing so, O'Keeffe instead chose to tell a complete pack of lies, blaming the postering on a "dirty tricks campaign" - ie. He somehow thinks that FG, Lab, SF decided to spend a night putting up hundreds of FF posters (which presumably they conjured up by magic) all over the town
1) Is Ned speaking for FF when he demands the withdrawal of Tesco, and the 10,000 job losses which it would bring about?
2) Is Ned speaking for FF when he claims that Irish banks are blame-free, and are simply victims of the sins of foreign banks?



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