Is it just me or have SF vanished?

Ah, not sure Mary, as President of the 32 county SF party has a leg to stand on calling the shots on her Belfast Northern Colleagues . Sure it was them who put her in the position that she is in, not just Jarry . We’d have believed that Pierce Doherty would be the man for the South ,with his longer and more successful results

Pierce first contest was for EU Parliament in 2004, huge area to cover, relatively unknown, scored a very respectable tally on a losing effort - the whole point was more to get him known. He scored the td got on first time of asking in 2007. Donegal would be a hard place to win, even for a Shinner back the . You always saw ff and FG return a man. Ff had Pat the Cope Gallagher and then there was ex sf man Thomas Pringle to contend with (was he still with sf then? ) I know Donegal was split then, but the north of the county still had Minister for Fun Dr Jim McDaid who was a good constituency man - I think he ran for Europe in 2004 too and I think he lost his seat in 2007 (Dana was also running for Europe and Marian Harkin in Sligo was knocking around and she turned out to have a formidable team for Europe over the next 10 years )

On the other hand, while Mary Lou got Europe on first time of asking, Mary struggled for the Dáil, she had started in West Dublin in 2007 , parachuted into Bertie land in 2011 and just got in on the fourth count (no waffling about 1st preferences from Shinners then)

Mary got the nod from Northerners ,as future leader ,so she isn’t in a position to tell them and Michelle O’Neill what to do. Sf do partitionist when it suits ala the “sit u achion,is different up here” . Up North ,Shinners are reasonably prudent on the budget , not so socialist give away all (bar the stupid stance on the language act that would waste millions ) but down here it’s free this and that for the wurker

Like all this with all Island treatment , there is always a huge row between Belfast and Dublin and jealously of control eg FAI split from IFA (nothing really to do with 1921 and civil war, more about team selection and venues for the FA Cup ), eg amateur boxing where multiple time All Ireland winner ,Eamonn McGee, whose selection from the Olympic team was vetoed by the Ulster boxing council (despite being from up there but wrong side of the track so to speak ) .....

I recall ,back around 1999 and 2003/2004 when Sinn Fein were really trying to make a push for respectability Down south , they bring down their northern base grass root workers, not just around the border towns like Dundalk but even down the Midlands (Longford was kind to Republican SF ,since O’Braidgh was there ) . Some of them were rough as **** and many probably did time in prison for IRA membership, locals ,even sf members who were starting up the cummans resented the Nordies coming down as they couldn’t vote in the South. Even Dundalk of all towns ,locals had issues .

We saw the **** stir SDLP and SF kicked up when FF laughably flirted with the idea of moving their brand up to the north ..

I can see why Mary Lou or any Southern SF leader wouldn’t think it’s wise to touch the Nordies turf. There’s enough to deal with down here anyway , and party supporters and grass root workers in the South would expect MAry Lou to concentrate on the area that voted for her and her colleagues. We still love them TDs fixing the road after all

Have very little time for Sf , but expecting Mary Lou or any Southerner to get involved or have a say on NOrdie issues ,when they already have leaders up there ain’t fair . We all resent when Michelle O’Neill comes down here ,sticking her nose in, likewise have a big big problem with Anderstown Road dictating to their southern TDs what to say and do

threeball wrote: »

Just saw this twitter post on the news. Talk about stating the bleedin obvious. You'd have thought that no one had thought of these amazingly perceptive points over the last 6 weeks rather than sitting round scratching their holes.
Well done Mary, the hero we need, we just don't know it. Fcukin muppet.

You could argue the same toss on the now proposed United island unit.

What a quaint and novel idea at the same time, wonder why no one has ever thought of that before?

Ditto "60k free gaffs'".

Seems like FFG are only tripping over themselves to implement Shinner policies, but only when it looks like the shinners might beat them to it.

(The letter might not be that pointless afterall) /insert smily emoticon here

McDonald might be happy enough to let them sit in opposition for a few years, no point buying a dog and barking yourself after all.

I will also add, thread title redundant.

Tell me I'm wrong if you wish, it won't be any different from all the other hypocritical stances in the thread.

How can the shinners be causing such ructions amongst yourselves if they've disappeared after all?

Fiddle's I say.

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

It was interesting that when Cullinane was forced to give a half assed apology for the sake of PR - he used exactly the similar phrase Gerry Adams used back in the 80's.

"I've never distanced myself from the IRA"

They are well trained in phraseology, I will give them that.

The IRA lads did a full thorough handbook on how volunteers should react and prepare themselves during heavy interrogation by RUC and Mi5 during the 1970-1980s . While some cracked , many didn’t . Of course their Sinner Colleagues were well trained by Jarry in phraseology