THE SINN Féin leadership has good cause to be worried by a succession of disappointing election results and loss of political momentum in the South. Although support for the party has held up relatively well, prominent members have failed to be elected, have lost hard-won seats or resigned for disparate reasons. This, in turn, has generated a considerable amount of heart-searching. More recently, the leadership of Gerry Adams has been called into question.
Tensions have always existed between Northern and Southern elements. They became submerged during the IRA’s bloody campaign and the subsequent peace process. After Sinn Féin overwhelmed the SDLP and entered government in Northern Ireland with the DUP in 2007, an ambitious Northern leadership also campaigned to share power with Fianna Fáil in this State. It did not work. A presidential-style election campaign between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael squeezed smaller parties. And Mr Adams’s knowledge of economics on this side of the Border was cruelly exposed. The sniping began.
Subsequently, Sinn Féin made a deliberate attempt to appeal to the electorate of the Republic and concentrated on local issues. Success, in the form of a rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, helped to restore morale. And the party anticipated gains in the local and European elections. Instead, it failed to tap into anger over the Government’s mishandling of the economy. Its support base in Dublin was seriously diminished and Mary Lou McDonald lost her seat to Joe Higgins.
Changed economic circumstances have led Mr Adams to support “the European project” while continuing to oppose the Lisbon Treaty as a dilution of democracy. That stance will certainly raise its profile and – following the departure of Libertas – offers it an opportunity to dominate centre stage on an issue of national importance. Mr Adams has acknowledged that Sinn Féin’s policies will have to become more relevant in this jurisdiction. There was, however, no evidence of a radical shift following deliberations by party members at Navan, Co Meath yesterday. Instead, a short-term political programme will concentrate heavily on advocating a “No” vote on Lisbon while incremental policy changes are considered. It represents the “long haul” approach favoured by Mr Adams and he remains in control of the party. Political focus has become a Sinn Féin strength. If it is to become more than a niche party in the Republic, however, it will have to secure a breakthrough in Dublin.