What is your opinion of Sinn Fein?

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sarge

as an ex soldier who served in ireland late 60s and early 70s i agree with your first responder and also believe that adams and mcguiness should be behind bars

Soul Jacker

I never think it's as cut and dry to ever describe political entities as either 'good' or 'bad.' Regardless of my opinion or anyone elses on SF there will always be those who hold a different and no less valid (to them) opinion of SF.

On one hand we can (as I do) see SF as (at best) apologisers of acts of murder, violence and torture of the worst kind, which is true and undeniable.
It has sickened me to see countless SF members refuse to condemn the murders of great people like Detective Garda Jerry McCabe or mother of 10 Jean McConville as crimes.

But and it's a big but the PIRA did not exist in the north for the sole purpose of fame and money. It was supported by such a significant proportion of nationalists in the North because there was huge discrimination against Catholics in the state. People were denied the vote, housing, jobs and in far too many cases the right to life, not only by groups like the UDA but also by many elements of the State. The RUC was not an impartial force and gerrymandering meant unionist politicians were able to control places like South Down and Derry city even though a minority of unionists lived there.

The PIRA was one reaction to this injustice, the civil rights movement was another.

Now while I can understand why people might support SF on that basis I most certainly do not. They are apologists for the PIRA who have used a real injustice to control and terrorise my country and in particular their own communities who they claimed to protect.

The PIRA have racketeered protection money out of Catholic business owners, driven out nationalists of areas of NI for not agreeing with them, made, covered up crimes their volunteers have committed like rape and murder and destroyed countless lives with smears campaigns on many decent individuals.

If you don't think PIRA members have not profited from the troubles look at the amount of mansions and SUVs that exist in South Armagh.
And while this has all been happening (regardless of whether you think SF and the IRA are the same or not) the best we can say about SF is that they sat back and refused to condemn anything the Provos did.

What good have SF done? They eventually called off the IRA's campaign in the North and that's about it. The SDLP and John Hume were the architects of the Good Friday Agreement, not Tony Blair, not Clinton and not Bertie Ahern (although all have had an in-put their biggest contribution has been support for the good Friday Agreement).

At the minute in the North Sinn Fein are doing no good. A strong DUP suits SF and visa versa, ( the thinking being one extreme balances out the other) but neither party has the wherewithal to make any significant changes or do anything that direct rule ministers from the UK wouldn't have done.

Look at the inability of either SF or the DUP to take responsibility for the post of security minister in the North. Both parties know they cannot take the role with out having to take the flack for contentious issues in the PSNI such as positive discrimination in favour of Catholic recruits or the remanence of the old guard RUC which still exists in the PSNI. But neither want's to be seen to concede power to the other.

The other big issues are water charges and the replacement of the archaic 11+ test.
Martin McGuinness removed the 11+ (which I think is a great thing) but SF and the DUP been unable to decide what to replace it with for 5 years!
The current education minister SF's CaitrÃona Ruane is leaving the Education system in a state of chaos because no one knows what is going to happen to the elitist grammar schools who have until now been able to cherry pick their students (based on an out of date IQ test which tells 80% of 11 year olds in the north they are failures regardless of how well they do).

SF and the DUP will not bring down Stormont like has happened in the past but ever since both parties have grown to be the largest parties in their respective communities not one important decision has been made in Stormont and I really hope they suffer for it in the next election.

In the South SF have two grand plans, 1. to get Gerry Adams elected President of Ireland and 2. to make up a coalition government with the only party which would have them, Fianna FÃ¡il.
In the last election despite the huge amounts of money that was pumped into SF's election campaign they lost a seat in the DÃ¡il and with it their right to call themselves a party (A party can only be described as such when it has 5 or more members, SF now only has 4, they were expecting to have 11).
The double blow for SF was the inability for them to elect Mary-Lou McDonald who was SF's poster woman for the New SF, far removed from the Provo SF of the past.
In the South SF have marginal support, their unfortunate connection to the Provos does them no service in a country which is far so far removed from the Imperial oppression SF is still living off in the North.

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Sorry for the essay I got a little carried away and I should really be doing something else instead of bringing procrastination to a new level.

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Edit: Thank you Priscilla! To be honest I wasn't sure anyone was going to read that after I finished, I hardly wanted to read through it again myself!
Gone to the darkside? when did I leave? :) No I just discovered the wonders of the 360 profile.

Just spell checked (more or less).

One life.

Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness are just two hoods that used murder to make money and fame, Sinn Fein cannot go forward until they unload the murderers in their midst. The problem is that for families who have lost loved ones when they see the faces of either of these two it is always a reminder. The same could probably be said of the man who posed as a man of God, Ian Richard Kyle Paisley who used to spit flames at people and stir up hatred among the people of Ireland. Violence begets violence, always has and always will. That said the English Government also has a lot to answer for. I dont think anyone comes out of the past situation smelling of roses.

Diana B

The past should be left in the past just like these two dinosaurs, they are guilty of at least murder and people like that are not fit to hold office.

Podge and Rodge Tribute Band

Wolves in sheep's clothing

Priscilla Duck

I distrust them completely.

They proclaim themselves to be the fifth-largest political party in the Republic of Ireland, which is true, but a bit misleading seeing as they have only 4 seats out of 166 in Dail Ã‰ireann, and only one seat out of sixty in Seanad Ã‰ireann. Support for them is minimal in most parts of the country, and there was outrage when it was suggested that Fianna Fail might form a coalition government with them during the last general election. I hope they become irrelevant.

I don't believe enough time has passed for them to be a legitimate political party. Too many of the party's members have been involved in terrorism, violence and crime. McGuinness and Adams have done well to carry the party with them this far, and deserve recognition for their efforts, but I don't feel their political aims are compatible with peace in the long-term.

EDIT ----------------------------------------...
Interesting to read Soul Jacker's critique of SF activities in Northern Ireland. Some people in the Republic may proport to support SF, but you can bet your last Rolo they haven't a clue about their policies or their poor performance on a day-to-day level in Northern Ireland.
[Scary new avatar too, SJ, have you gone over to the dark side?].

Shea

They give Socialism a bad name

Louise M

I can't trust Sinn Fein.
And in the same way I do not trust the DUP.
I grew up in Belfast but claim neither Protestant or Catholic as my religion. I saw my fair share of "the troubles" - at 3, i say my 19year old neighbour shot dead (in the wrong place at the wrong time), a couple of years later it was my friends Father for speaking out against the corruption. I have run from gun men and bombscares. At primary school we never had a Fire Drill - ours were what to do in the event of a bomb scare (and there were plenty).
And I have spent many nights wondering if my Dad was ever going to make it home alive.

Both Sinn Fein and the DUP allowed this violence to continue. Both openly showed their support of the Terrorists. Forever I will see Gerry Adams walking behind the coffin of the murdering IRA man who planted the bomb that killed my Dad's cousin.
ANYONE or ANY PARTY who took any part in this Violence SHOULD NOT be in a position of power!

Both Adams and McGuinness have been open on their part in the violence - in my mind... There is No Cause on this planet that should ever warrent the Murdering of Innocent people.
Allowing people such as these to dictate what happens in our country is insulting to those innocents that died and a slap in the face for their families.
Repect those that we lost and respect their families who will forever grieve

Louise 3 â™¥ :)

I completely agree with most the answers, I dont like them at all.
(",)

Flying mop dog

I think they're absolute scum who run their campaigns using nothing but scaremongering lies.

alan m

As the spokesmen and previous active members of the IRA their aim remains the same. A forced United Ireland against the will of the people. It is well know they have murdered many innocent women children and men. They hide now behind the ballot paper to avoid life imprisonment. They destroyed the name of Irish people throughout the world.I am so pleased that nearly all the answers so far have been the same. They have no relevance in the Republic of Ireland and continue to damage Northern Ireland.

darren h

i don t like them at all

david d

The fact is, they have done more to bring peace to this island than most contempories. If it wasn't for Adams, there would still be full war.

Adams is a gifted peacemaker, and recognised internationally as such.
He and McGuinness have risked their lives to bring about peace here.

Remember, it's fools like 'sarge' above who brought the gun into Irish politics- englishmen with guns have no place on this island, never have.

AnteK

well firstmost, sarge's opinion shouldn't count
he's english and probably knows nothing about Sinn FÃ©in
also he was in the english army serving up there
and that's hardly a neutral POV.

i think, they're still trying for a United Ireland and striving for Irish independence from the EU(ie Lisbon)
but as the IRA have wrongfully been branded the main cause of violence in the North, and Sinn FÃ©in have been associated with them, they're getting a bad name.

EDIT:i said it shouldnt count as he's not irish
if he was from holland or spain i'd say the same

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