Despite issuing numerous statements opposing the £4 billion in cuts to the NI block grant from Westminster, all the SF Executive ministers have drawn up departmental budgets that implement the cuts.

While SF blames the Tories for cutting the NI budget, SF was making cutbacks long before the Tories came to power. When it came to drawing up a budget for the North in 2008, Sinn Féin thought it a good idea for government departments – including health and education - to make 3% “efficiency savings” each year. This amounted to £1.7 billion in cuts to the public sector. The trade union NIPSA said the SF supported budget was “predicated on cuts to public services and privatisation”.

Sinn Fein and its DUP partners brought forward policy proposals to severely restrict trade union activity and the right to protest – the Public Assemblies, Parades and Protest Bill. Had it been implemented it would have required protest organisers to give 37 days notice of a protest and subjected unauthorized protesters to arrest and up to 6 months in prison and a large fine. Fortunately this Bill was defeated by a trade union and civil rights campaign.

SF minister for education Caitríona Ruane has inflicted incredible pain on the education sector - by closing schools, sacking workers and forcing children to travel longer distances to school. Ruane’s school closure programme - called Policy for Sustainable Schools – means schools must close unless they can prove they are “financially viable”. On average, Ruane is closing one school per month.

SF supports a policy of corporate welfare for big business. Last September New York Stock Exchange Technologies got a Stormont subsidy of £10 million.

While criticising the banks in the South, in the North Sinn Fein has gave backing to subsidising global bank Citigroup - a major culprit in the banking scandals – it got a handout of £8 million from the NI Executive.

While SF has called for a policy of boycotting Coca Cola for its anti-trade union policies, the SF/DUP led Executive handed over almost £7 million to Coca Cola to open a new bottling plant in Lisburn. Martin McGuinness even posed with a can of Coke at the official opening.

SF has long called for a boycott and sanctions against Israel, but in 2009 SF Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness met with Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor, and agreed to send a trade delegation to Israel.

When Martin McGuinness was minister for education he was an enthusiastic backer of privatisation in education and announced several PFI contracts for build-lease back of school buildings. McGuinness said: "The award of these PFI contracts highlights the opportunities for partnership with the private sector in the pursuit of good value for money and the effective use of resources.”

In the south SF try to sound radical, but in the North the party talks about the need to make cuts. Announcing cuts of £10 million in her department, SF agriculture minister Michelle Gildernew, said: “These savings are necessary to allow the Executive to balance its books and enter the next financial year ready to address in-year pressures constructively.” She added: “There will be some impact on the frontline and job numbers.”

Last March SF voted to bring in a new law in the North that will help privatise much of local government services - the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act. It is one of the most significant actions undertaken by the Assembly and will have a massive impact on the North's public sector. The Act grants wide-ranging powers to local councils to enter into PFI type agreements with private businesses and allows councils to contract out services to the private sector and opens up a new area of profits for big business. In supporting the new law Sinn Féin environment spokesman Daithí McKay described it as "an important piece of legislation that gives councils a number of new powers".

Last January when Sammy Wilson stood up in the Assembly and announced £367 million in cuts there was no sign of any Sinn Fein radicalism. Instead the SF economy spokesman Mitchel McLaughlin made excuses. Speaking about the cuts announcement, McLaughlin told the Assembly: “It would be churlish not to acknowledge that the minister had a difficult job. When the global economy goes into decline, that has an effect here.”

Policy proposals brought forward by Sinn Féin minister Conor Murphy will pave the way for the privatisation of public transport in the North. Ulsterbus, Metro, and Northern Ireland Railways are run by parent group Translink and are all part of the public sector. According to the Murphy plan Translink will become just another operator which will bid for contracts in competition with privately owned companies to provide transport on network routes. Murphy’s policy document states: “It is proposed to move towards a performance based contracting regime with Translink and other operators.” According to his plan there will be “opportunities for private operators to identify potential gaps in the market and to apply for a permit to deliver services on those routes”.

Sinn Fein minister for Regional Development, Conor Murphy, who is in charge of water supply, released his draft budget which contained cuts of 25% in planned spending on water infrastructure. While Stormont was in suspension SF opposed the use of Private Finance Initiative contracts signed with consortium Dalriada Water Ltd worth £110 million, which will see the private sector take over 50% of water supply in the North. But when SF got back in government in 2007 the party suddenly found merit in the PFI arrangements and Conor Murphy presided over the transfer of large parts of the water network to the private sector.