SINN FÉIN is aiming to increase its number of Dáil seats by at least three in the next general election as part of its campaign to regain lost electoral ground in the Republic, party leaders made clear in Navan, Co Meath, yesterday.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams rejected suggestions that the party was in difficulties in the South due to Mary Lou McDonald losing her European seat in June and Seán Crowe losing his Dáil seat in the 2007 general election.
Some 100 ardchomhairle members and senior activists from all over Ireland joined leaders Mr Adams, Martin McGuinness, party vice-president Ms McDonald and Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin primarily to plan how to correct the electoral reverses of the last two years.
Described as an “ardchomhairle plus” meeting, it was held in the Ardboyne Hotel in the wake of a critical article in the Sinn Féin newspaper An Phoblacht by Toireasa Ferris, who failed to win a European seat in Munster.
She wrote how “too many voters unfortunately see us as a Northern-based party” – remarks that were interpreted as criticism of the Adams-McGuinness leadership, and led to remarks by some commentators that it was time for Mr Adams to resign – suggestions Mr Adams emphatically rejected at the weekend.
Mr Adams said the party was not in trouble in the Republic. “Clearly as a political party we encourage creative, honest direct debate,” he told reporters.
“The party is united about what we want and where we want to go. Obviously there are different opinions on how we should get there and that’s a very, very healthy thing for a political party,” he added.
Ms Ferris said she had been “shocked and disgusted” that in some quarters her article was “totally misinterpreted” as a broadside against the leadership.
Her intention was not to criticise the Northern leadership but to highlight that Sinn Féin also had a Southern leadership and to make that leadership relevant to people in the Republic.
“The perception is there that we are a Northern-based party. But look at the leadership we have in the South – Mary Lou McDonald and Pearse Doherty, for example,” she said yesterday.
“Unfortunately we have not managed to get that across to the people. They are not aware that we actually have equal representation between North and South in the leadership. We are no way partitionist when we come to leadership.”
Cavan-Monaghan TD Mr Ó Caoláin said the aim was to try to increase Dáil representation from four to at least seven in the next general election.
Seats that Sinn Féin is targeting, said Mr Ó Caoláin, include Donegal South West and Donegal North East where its respective candidates are Mr Doherty and Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, and Dublin Central with Ms McDonald viewed as the likely candidate. The party is also hoping to regain the seat that Seán Crowe lost in Dublin South West, he said.
Mr Ó Caoláin said it was important to have at least seven Dáil seats as this gave Sinn Féin “technical group” status where it would have extra powers in Leinster House such as the ability to ask leader’s questions and put priority questions to Ministers.
“We clearly need to achieve the required number of seats in Leinster House to have proper recognition as a fully fledged political party within that institution, and the magical number is seven or more so that we can have a level playing pitch, competing equally with Fine Gael and Labour,” he said.
Mr McGuinness, referring to recent resignations by high-profile members such as Christy Burke and Louise Minihan, said “the resignations came from people who put themselves before the party”.
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