Sinn Fein angered by McDowell's 'deplorable' speech

Sinn Féin has called for the attorney general Mr Michael McDowell to withdraw his scathing attack on the party last night.

Speaking at the Progressive Democrats selection convention in Dublin South East, Mr McDowell condemned Sinn Féin for what he described as its policy of ambivalence to murder, drug dealing and punishment beatings.

Michael McDowell's statement...goes further than the most rabid comments from members of the DUP or anti-agreement unionists Mr Gerry Adams

"Any person or party who owes a loyalty to the IRA, to its Army Council, to its 'court martials', to its claimed right to inflict murder and torture as a system of discipline or punishment ... simply has no business in the Dáil or the Seanad," he said.

The Sinn Féin president Mr Gerry Adams tonight described the comments as "deplorable and outrageous" and demanded that Mr McDowell withdraw his remarks.

"Michael McDowell's statement is the most worrying statement I have heard in recent times and goes further than the most rabid comments from members of the DUP or anti-agreement unionists," he said. "All politicians say things that they may later regret."

Today, Fine Gael’s Mr Charlie Flanagan called for Mr McDowell to resign, claiming he had compromised the independence of the office of attorney general through his "partisan" comments. Mr Flanagan said he should have resigned from the post as soon as he declared his candidacy for the PDs.

"There is a precedent that Michael McDowell is now establishing which is a dangerous one - that of using the office of attorney general to advance his political career and to improve the public profile of the Progressive Democrats," Mr Flanagan said.

The Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern, dismissed the calls for Mr McDowell’s resignation, saying he was within his rights to make a political statement at his party convention.