micheailin o'cinnsealach (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} fenian32) wrote,@ 2008-08-12 05:51:00 |
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Is Sinn Féin still Adams's family?
Conor McMorrow
Tribune.ie
**Via Newshound
August 10, 2008
One year after the general election, the PDs and Sinn Féin are coping with the fallout from poor performances
Gerry Adams: 'There has been a major momentum towards examining the leadership after last year's general election'
Just over a year after its poor general election performance, Sinn Féin has turned its attention to life after Gerry Adams. The party president's terrible performance in a pre-election TV debate with Labour's Pat Rabbitte, the Greens' Trevor Sargent, and the PDs' Michael McDowell not only damaged the party's credibility in the days ahead of polling day, it also showed the problems Adams has in understanding the South.
Speaking to Sinn Féin and other nationalist sources over the last few weeks, the Sunday Tribune found mixed opinion on when Adams might be replaced. But one overriding message coming from all those contacted is "there will never be a heave against Gerry."
In the wake of last year's election, in which Sinn Féin lost a seat, the party set up an internal working group to focus on future electoral gains. Senior sources now claim that the party will not have one leader in the south such as Mary Lou McDonald. Instead it will be a "broad based leadership."
A senior Sinn Féin member and strategist said: "It was decided, even before last year's general election, that we needed a broader based leadership. In the north there are a number of leaders and in the south there are a number of very bright people and we are trying to bring those people on. As the north is such a political hothouse, bright people have developed into leaders quicker and these leaders are emerging.
"The party did not read the election properly. By looking at each of the constituencies properly ahead of the election they would have seen problems. If you look at Tallaght, it was no surprise that Seán Crowe lost his seat as there were huge organisational failures there and the work was not being done on the ground.
"Sinn Féin needs to develop their southern leadership and they are doing that by putting people like young councillor Tomas Sharkey, a teacher from Louth, forward. People like him are being given more responsibilities within the organisation. Adams would like to be in a position to take a back seat but he can't as the broad new leadership base needs to be developed."
Lofty ambitions
When asked if Sinn Féin had lofty ambitions of winning 10 Dáil seats last year and using that success as a platform to launch Gerry Adams as a possible presidential candidate in future, the same source said: "There was never the slightest chance of that happening. You can't talk about the presidency until you have a solid base in the south."
Donegal Sinn Féin councillor Padraig MacLochlainn will most likely run for the party in Connaught-Ulster for a seat in Brussels next year. Seen as one of the up and coming new faces in the party, he said: "Unfortunately, from a republican perspective, there are two different jurisdictions and two different economies and two different realities on the island.
"It is clearly important that we should have capable and effective leaders and spokespeople in the south and in the six counties. Next year's local and European elections are going to give us a chance to project a new layer of young leadership through people like Mary Lou McDonald and Pearse Doherty.
"The general view among my generation is that we would like people like Gerry Adams and Pat Doherty to remain on as the wisdom and experience they have from negotiations is priceless.
"Whenever Adams, Doherty, and Mitchel McLaughlin came through as leaders in the 1980s they were all in their 30s. The existing leadership in the 1980s resisted them taking over yet those men are welcoming new ideas and people now.
"There are a lot of creative and talented people being given a free voice in the party and a lot of young councillors and members were at the forefront in the Lisbon campaign. We have a collective group of about a dozen talented and dynamic young people to the fore in the party. Sinn Féin's weakness in having no obvious new leader in the south has been turned into its strength. We have councillors taking up national profile and responsibility.
"It is too early to get into speculation about the next leader. The view within the party is that the new generation can rely on the experience of people like Gerry Adams and Pat Doherty which will be crucial in times ahead."
Discussions about the succession in the Sinn Féin leadership have been largely muted and few Sinn Féin insiders are willing to put their name to their views on the subject. A senior republican, who is no longer a member of Sinn Féin, said: "The question of who might take over after Adams is looming very much in the not too distant future. In fairness to Adams, the leadership is a very stressful job and he probably needs to retire soon.
"If you are looking at Sinn Féin's leadership, the big question is the division between north and south. There has been a major momentum towards examining the leadership after the outcome of last year's general election.
"Adams was not 'au fait' with the southern situation during that TV debate and it was telling that during the Lisbon campaign that Adams's face did not appear on posters. Mary Lou's face did appear on the posters in Dublin and while she performed well in referendum debates, she remains problematic and she is not the darling of the grassroots. The republican constituency in Dublin are not entirely happy with her compared with more traditional republicans."
A leading nationalist commentator who did not wish to be named said: "The prevailing view is pointing towards Conor Murphy as Adams's successor. He is personable and has a good record as a minister. He is competent and clean-cut. He is also from South Armagh, he was in the IRA and he has done his time which is still seen as important among northern republicans.
"If you look at Mitchll McLaughlin you can see that this is true. McLaughlin has never even chaired a committee in the Assembly even though he was chairman of Sinn Féin and the reason for that was that 'he hadn't served time in jail for the IRA'. In the north it counts if you are army and in the south you need to have a clean bib and no IRA record.
"There is nobody coming forward as a possible leadership candidate from Belfast and this could pose problems for Sinn Féin. One of the problems with the SDLP was the domination of Derry for their leadership. There will be no heave against Adams. He is still the man in the party. When the DUP were presenting difficulties in June, it was Adams that stood up to them and said we will call a halt to the Stormont Executive. There has not been an Executive meeting since then."
Tomas Sharkey, one of the party's young starlets, said: "There is no question of who is the leader. Gerry Adams is president, has been our president and will be our president into the future. He is 100% respected."
Conor McMorrow
Tribune.ie
**Via Newshound
August 10, 2008
One year after the general election, the PDs and Sinn Féin are coping with the fallout from poor performances
Gerry Adams: 'There has been a major momentum towards examining the leadership after last year's general election'
Just over a year after its poor general election performance, Sinn Féin has turned its attention to life after Gerry Adams. The party president's terrible performance in a pre-election TV debate with Labour's Pat Rabbitte, the Greens' Trevor Sargent, and the PDs' Michael McDowell not only damaged the party's credibility in the days ahead of polling day, it also showed the problems Adams has in understanding the South.
Speaking to Sinn Féin and other nationalist sources over the last few weeks, the Sunday Tribune found mixed opinion on when Adams might be replaced. But one overriding message coming from all those contacted is "there will never be a heave against Gerry."
In the wake of last year's election, in which Sinn Féin lost a seat, the party set up an internal working group to focus on future electoral gains. Senior sources now claim that the party will not have one leader in the south such as Mary Lou McDonald. Instead it will be a "broad based leadership."
A senior Sinn Féin member and strategist said: "It was decided, even before last year's general election, that we needed a broader based leadership. In the north there are a number of leaders and in the south there are a number of very bright people and we are trying to bring those people on. As the north is such a political hothouse, bright people have developed into leaders quicker and these leaders are emerging.
"The party did not read the election properly. By looking at each of the constituencies properly ahead of the election they would have seen problems. If you look at Tallaght, it was no surprise that Seán Crowe lost his seat as there were huge organisational failures there and the work was not being done on the ground.
"Sinn Féin needs to develop their southern leadership and they are doing that by putting people like young councillor Tomas Sharkey, a teacher from Louth, forward. People like him are being given more responsibilities within the organisation. Adams would like to be in a position to take a back seat but he can't as the broad new leadership base needs to be developed."
Lofty ambitions
When asked if Sinn Féin had lofty ambitions of winning 10 Dáil seats last year and using that success as a platform to launch Gerry Adams as a possible presidential candidate in future, the same source said: "There was never the slightest chance of that happening. You can't talk about the presidency until you have a solid base in the south."
Donegal Sinn Féin councillor Padraig MacLochlainn will most likely run for the party in Connaught-Ulster for a seat in Brussels next year. Seen as one of the up and coming new faces in the party, he said: "Unfortunately, from a republican perspective, there are two different jurisdictions and two different economies and two different realities on the island.
"It is clearly important that we should have capable and effective leaders and spokespeople in the south and in the six counties. Next year's local and European elections are going to give us a chance to project a new layer of young leadership through people like Mary Lou McDonald and Pearse Doherty.
"The general view among my generation is that we would like people like Gerry Adams and Pat Doherty to remain on as the wisdom and experience they have from negotiations is priceless.
"Whenever Adams, Doherty, and Mitchel McLaughlin came through as leaders in the 1980s they were all in their 30s. The existing leadership in the 1980s resisted them taking over yet those men are welcoming new ideas and people now.
"There are a lot of creative and talented people being given a free voice in the party and a lot of young councillors and members were at the forefront in the Lisbon campaign. We have a collective group of about a dozen talented and dynamic young people to the fore in the party. Sinn Féin's weakness in having no obvious new leader in the south has been turned into its strength. We have councillors taking up national profile and responsibility.
"It is too early to get into speculation about the next leader. The view within the party is that the new generation can rely on the experience of people like Gerry Adams and Pat Doherty which will be crucial in times ahead."
Discussions about the succession in the Sinn Féin leadership have been largely muted and few Sinn Féin insiders are willing to put their name to their views on the subject. A senior republican, who is no longer a member of Sinn Féin, said: "The question of who might take over after Adams is looming very much in the not too distant future. In fairness to Adams, the leadership is a very stressful job and he probably needs to retire soon.
"If you are looking at Sinn Féin's leadership, the big question is the division between north and south. There has been a major momentum towards examining the leadership after the outcome of last year's general election.
"Adams was not 'au fait' with the southern situation during that TV debate and it was telling that during the Lisbon campaign that Adams's face did not appear on posters. Mary Lou's face did appear on the posters in Dublin and while she performed well in referendum debates, she remains problematic and she is not the darling of the grassroots. The republican constituency in Dublin are not entirely happy with her compared with more traditional republicans."
A leading nationalist commentator who did not wish to be named said: "The prevailing view is pointing towards Conor Murphy as Adams's successor. He is personable and has a good record as a minister. He is competent and clean-cut. He is also from South Armagh, he was in the IRA and he has done his time which is still seen as important among northern republicans.
"If you look at Mitchll McLaughlin you can see that this is true. McLaughlin has never even chaired a committee in the Assembly even though he was chairman of Sinn Féin and the reason for that was that 'he hadn't served time in jail for the IRA'. In the north it counts if you are army and in the south you need to have a clean bib and no IRA record.
"There is nobody coming forward as a possible leadership candidate from Belfast and this could pose problems for Sinn Féin. One of the problems with the SDLP was the domination of Derry for their leadership. There will be no heave against Adams. He is still the man in the party. When the DUP were presenting difficulties in June, it was Adams that stood up to them and said we will call a halt to the Stormont Executive. There has not been an Executive meeting since then."
Tomas Sharkey, one of the party's young starlets, said: "There is no question of who is the leader. Gerry Adams is president, has been our president and will be our president into the future. He is 100% respected."
