Sinn Féin 28175 move=:edit= 226119151 2008-07-16T22:11:45Z 81.153.4.178 /* Links with the IRA */ {{otheruses4|the present-day Sinn Féin party led by [[Gerry Adams]]|the history of the party from its inception to 1970|History of Sinn Féin|the 19th century use of the term|Sinn Féin (19th century)}} {| class="toccolours" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 .5em .5em; width: 21em; font-size: 90%;" cellspacing="2" |- | colspan="2" bgcolor="{{Sinn Féin/meta/color}}"| |- ! colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: larger;" | '''Sinn Féin''' |- | colspan="2" bgcolor="{{Sinn Féin/meta/color}}"| |- | colspan="2" style="padding: 1em 0; text-align: center;" | [[Image:Logo Sinn Fein.png|250px|The official Sinn Féin logo]] |- | colspan="2" bgcolor="{{Sinn Féin/meta/color}}"| |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | '''President''' | [[Gerry Adams|Gerry Adams MP MLA]] |- | colspan="2" bgcolor="{{Sinn Féin/meta/color}}"| |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" | '''Founded''' | 1905 (original party), 1970 (Provisional Sinn Féin, see ''history'' below) |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" |'''Headquarters''' | 44 Parnell Square<br>[[Dublin]], [[Republic of Ireland]]<br>''also:''<br>53 Falls Road <br> [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]]<ref>Irish republicans, including Sinn Féin, often use the term "''Six Counties''" to refer to Northern Ireland. Their website simply states that their Belfast Office is in "''Ireland''". See [[Northern Ireland naming dispute]].</ref><br>BT12 4PD |- | colspan="2" bgcolor="{{Sinn Féin/meta/color}}"| |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" |'''Political Ideology''' | [[Irish republicanism]],<br>[[Left-wing nationalism]], [[Democratic socialism]]</small> |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" |'''International Affiliation''' | ''none'' |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" |'''European Affiliation''' | ''none'' |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" |'''European Parliament Group''' | [[European United Left - Nordic Green Left]] |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" |'''Colours''' | [[Green (color)|Green]] |- | colspan="2" bgcolor="{{Sinn Féin/meta/color}}"| |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" |'''Website''' | [http://sinnfein.ie www.sinnfein.ie] |- | colspan="2" bgcolor="{{Sinn Féin/meta/color}}"| |- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;" |'''See also''' | *[[Politics of the Republic of Ireland|Irish politics]] *[[Political parties in the Republic of Ireland|Irish political parties]] *[[Elections in Ireland|Irish elections]] *[[Politics of the United Kingdom|UK politics]] *[[List of political parties in the United Kingdom|UK political parties]] *[[Elections in the United Kingdom|UK elections]] |- | colspan="2" bgcolor="{{Sinn Féin/meta/color}}"| |- |} '''Sinn Féin''' ({{IPA-en|ˌʃɪnˈfeɪn}}, {{IPA-ga|ʃɪnʲ fʲeːnʲ}}) is a political party in [[Ireland]]. Founded by [[Arthur Griffith]] in 1905, it is the principal party of [[Irish republicanism]] and its political ideology is [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]]. The name translates as "ourselves" or "we ourselves",<ref>{{cite book|last=Ó Dónaill|first=Niall|editor=(advisory ed. Tomás de Bhaldraithe)|year=1977|title=Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla|publisher=An Gúm|location=Dublin|language=Irish|id=ISBN 1-85791-037-0|pages=pp. 533, 1095}}</ref> though it has often been rendered as "ourselves alone". Sinn Féin is currently the second-largest party in the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]], where it has four ministerial posts (including [[Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland|Deputy First Minister]]) in the power-sharing [[Northern Ireland Executive]], and the fifth-largest party in [[Dáil Éireann]], the lower house of the [[Oireachtas]], the parliament of the [[Republic of Ireland]]. Its current leader is [[Gerry Adams]]. ==History== {{Main|History of Sinn Féin}} ===Early days (pre-1916)=== [[Image:Arthur Griffith (1871-1922).jpg|frame|left|[[Arthur Griffith]], Founder (1905) and third leader (1908 - 17)]] {{IrishR}} The early Sinn Féin movement was far from being the organised political party it would later become. It was initially a community of likeminded individuals that crystallised around the propaganda campaign of [[Arthur Griffith]], a nationalist printer and typesetter, and William Rooney, a republican office clerk, both of whom were extremely active in Dublin's nationalist clubs at the beginning of the 20th century. In his account of the movement's early years, the propagandist Aodh de Blácam says that Sinn Féin "was not a party: it was the amorphous propaganda of the Gaelicised young men and women"<ref>, ''What Sinn Féin Stands For'', Aodh de Blácam, Dublin, Mellifont Press, 1921</ref>. Griffith was first and foremost a newspaperman with an impressive network of friends in the Dublin printing industry. His newspapers, the ''United Irishman'' and ''Sinn Féin'', and his [[Sinn Féin Printing & Publishing Company]] channeled the enormous energy of the self-help generation into an unorthodox political project based on the [[Ausgleich|Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy]] of 1867 and the theories of the German nationalist economist [[Friedrich List]]. Tapping into the growing self-awareness of an Irish identity which was reflected in movements like the [[Gaelic Athletic Association]], the [[Gaelic League]] (''Conradh na Gaeilge'') and in the founding of the [[Abbey Theatre]], he created a loose federation of nationalist clubs and associations which competed with John Redmond's Irish Parliamentary Party to embody the aspirations of 20th-century nationalists. The Sinn Féin Party was founded on [[November 28]] [[1905]], when in the Rotunda, Dublin the first annual Convention of the National Council was held. The meeting began at 11am and among delegates were [[Arthur Griffith]], [[Edward Martyn]], Thomas Martin, [[John Sweetman]], [[Jenny Wyse-Power]], [[Patrick Pearse|Padraig Mac Piarais]], [[Marie de Buitléir]], [[Patrick McCartan]], [[Oliver St. John Gogarty]], [[Peadar Kearney|Peadar Ó Cearnaigh]], [[Seán T. O'Kelly|Sean T Ó Ceallaigh]], [[Michael O'Hanrahan]] and [[William Cosgrave]]. <ref>Sinn Féin: A Century of Struggle, Mícheál MacDonncha, Dublin, 2005, ISBN 0 9542946 2 9 pg.13</ref> It was [[Conradh na Gaeilge]] activist, Maire de Buitléir, who suggested to Arthur Griffith the name Sinn Féin for the new movement. In a letter of sympathy to her sister, following Maire’s death in 1920, Arthur Griffith wrote from Mountjoy Jail: <blockquote>"…Did you know that it was she who christened this movement which has at last got Ireland out of the corner in which her oppressor had hidden her away and made her people again valiant? It was she who suggested the name Sinn Féin to me one day at the end of 1904. Her name will forever be linked with its history."<ref>Sinn Féin: A Century of Struggle, Mícheál MacDonncha, Dublin, 2005, ISBN 0 9542946 2 9 pg.13</ref></blockquote> In his writings, Griffith declared that the [[Act of Union 1800|Act of Union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1800]] was illegal and that, consequently, the Anglo-Irish dual monarchy which existed under [[Grattan's Parliament]] and the so-called ''[[Constitution of 1782]]'' was still in effect. Others {{Specify|date=March 2008}} date the foundation of Sinn Féin to May 1906, when Griffith launched a paper called ''Sinn Féin'', or to April 1907, when an organisation called the ''Sinn Féin League'' was established (Griffith was opposed to it), or to September 1907, when Griffith incorporated the League into a new Sinn Féin organisation, moving Sinn Féin from an idea to an actual party structure.<ref>Alvin Jackson, ''Home Rule: An Irish History 1800&mdash;2000'' (Phoenix, 2004) p.115.</ref> Though Sinn Féin had a high name recognition factor among some voters it attracted minimal support. In August 1909, it had only 581 paid-up members throughout all of Ireland. 211 were in Dublin, while [[Sligo]] had only 2 members, a student and a shopkeeper.<ref>Michael Laffan, ''The Resurrection of Ireland: The Sinn Féin Party 1916&mdash;1923 (Cambridge, 1999) p.30.</ref> By 1915, it was, in the words of one of Griffith's colleagues, "on the rocks", so insolvent financially that it could not pay the rent on its party headquarters in Harcourt Street in [[Dublin]]. It was partially rescued by the mistaken belief among the British administration running Ireland from [[Dublin Castle]] that it had been behind the [[1916 Rising]], an unsuccessful attempt to establish an Irish Republic, the failure of talks in late 1916 between Unionists and Nationalists, presided over by [[David Lloyd George]], to agree home rule, and the [[Conscription Crisis]] on 1917.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} {{Unreferencedsection|date=March 2008}} ===The Easter Rising=== Sinn Féin was wrongly blamed by the British for the [[Easter Rising]], with which it had no association, apart from a desire of separation stronger than [[Home Rule]] &mdash; the leaders of the Rising were certainly looking for more than Dual Monarchy. Any group that disagreed with mainstream constitutional politics was branded 'Sinn Féin' by British commentators. The term 'Sinn Féin Rebellion' was also used by the Irish media, the [[Royal Irish Constabulary]] (RIC), the [[Dublin Metropolitan Police]] (DMP) and even by a few of those involved in the Rising. Surviving leaders of the Rising under [[Éamon de Valera]] took over the party. De Valera replaced Griffith as president. It nearly split between its monarchist and republican wings at its 1917 [[Ard Fheis]] (conference) until, in a compromise motion, it proposed the establishment of an independent republic, after which the people could decide whether they wanted a monarchy or republic, subject to the condition that if they chose a monarchy, no member of the British Royal Family could serve as monarch. Sinn Féin was boosted by the anger over the execution of Rising leaders, even though before the executions, the ''[[Irish Independent]]'' newspaper (the biggest selling daily newspaper in Ireland then) and many local authorities actually called for the mass execution of Rising leaders. Yet even that public sympathy did not give Sinn Féin decisive electoral advantage. It fought a tough battle with the [[Irish Parliamentary Party]] under [[John Redmond]], later [[John Dillon]], with each side winning by-elections. It was only after the [[Conscription Crisis of 1918|Conscription Crisis]], when Britain threatened to impose conscription to boost its [[World War I|war]] effort that support swung decisively behind Sinn Féin. Efforts were made to agree an amicable form of home rule and to negotiate a deal between the [[Irish Unionist Party]] (IUP) and the [[Irish Parliamentary Party]], in the '[[Irish Convention]]' arranged by former IUP leader [[Walter Long, 1st Viscount Long|Walter Long]] in 1917. These were undermined by his cabinet colleague David Lloyd George and were not attended by Sinn Féin. {{Unreferencedsection|date=March 2008}} ===First elections=== Sinn Féin won 73 of Ireland's 105 seats in the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] parliament at the [[Irish general election, 1918|general election]] in December 1918 and many of the seats it won were uncontested. There were four reasons for this. Firstly, despite being the largest party in Ireland for forty years, the IPP had not fought a general election since 1910. In many parts of Ireland its organisation had decayed and was no longer capable of mounting an electoral challenge. Other seats were uncontested because of mass support, with other parties deciding that there was no point in challenging Sinn Féin given it was certain to win. Contemporary documents also suggest a degree of intimidation of opponents. ([[Piaras Béaslaí]] recorded one example in a [[by-election]] in [[Longford]] in 1917 where a Sinn Féin activist put a gun against the head of a [[Returning Officer]] and forced him to announce the election of the Sinn Féin candidate even though the IPP candidate had more votes. Potential candidates who were thought of as serious challengers to Sinn Féin candidates were warned against seeking election in some [[Ulster]] constituencies and in [[Munster]]. Because so many of the seats were uncontested under sometimes dubious circumstances, it has been difficult to determine what the actual support for the party was in the country. Various accounts range from 45% to 80%. The author of the site on elections in the North estimates a figure of 53%.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/h1918.htm| title=The Irish Election of 1918| accessdate=2006-04-27}}</ref> Another estimate would suggest Sinn Féin had the support of approximately 65% of the electorate (unionists accounting for approximately 20-25% and other nationalists for the remainder). Lastly, emigration was very difficult during the war, which meant that tens thousands of young people were in Ireland who would not have been there under normal circumstances. On [[21 January]] [[1919]], 30 of the Sinn Féin MPs assembled in Dublin's Mansion House and proclaimed themselves the parliament of Ireland, [[Dáil Éireann]]. They elected an [[Aireacht]] (ministry) headed by a [[Príomh Aire]] (prime minister). Though the state was declared to be a republic, no provision was made for a head of state. This was rectified in August 1921 when the Príomh Aire (also known as ''President of Dáil Éireann'' was upgraded to [[President of the Irish Republic|President of the Republic]], a full head of state. In the 1920 city council elections, Sinn Féin gained control of ten of the twelve [[Cities of Ireland|city]] councils in Ireland. Only [[Belfast]] and [[Derry]] remained under [[Unionists (Ireland)|Unionist]] and IPP (respectively) control. In the local elections of the same year, they won control of all the [[Counties of Ireland|county]] councils except [[County Antrim|Antrim]], [[County Down|Down]], [[County Londonderry|Londonderry]] and [[County Armagh|Armagh]]. Sinn Féin subsequently underwent successive splits (1922, 1926, 1970 and 1986), from which emerged a range of parties, [[Cumann na nGaedhael]], now known as [[Fine Gael]], [[Fianna Fáil]] and [[Official Sinn Féin]], later Sinn Féin The Workers Party, later [[The Workers Party (Ireland)|The Workers Party]] and then [[Democratic Left]], which finally joined the [[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] after serving in government with them, and [[Republican Sinn Féin]]. {{Unreferencedsection|date=March 2008}} ===The split over the Anglo-Irish Treaty=== [[Image:Dev-st.jpg|frame|left|[[Éamon de Valera]], Fourth leader of Sinn Féin (1917&ndash;26)]] Following the conclusion in December 1921 of the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]] negotiations between representatives of the British Government and de Valera's republican government and the narrow [[Anglo-Irish Treaty Dáil vote|approval of the Treaty]] by [[Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic)|Dáil Éireann]], a state called the [[Irish Free State]] was established. [[Northern Ireland]] (a six county region set up under the British [[Government of Ireland Act 1920]]) opted out, as the Treaty allowed. The reasons for the split were various, though the IRA did not split in the North and pro- and anti-treaty republicans looked to pro-treaty [[Michael Collins (Irish leader)|Michael Collins]] for leadership (and weapons). One of the principal reason for the split is usually described as the question of the [[Oath of Allegiance]] to the Irish Free State, which members of the new Dáil would be required to take. It explicitly recognised that the Irish Free State would be part of the [[Commonwealth of Nations|British Commonwealth]] and many republicans found that unacceptable. The pro-treaty forces argued that the treaty gave "freedom to achieve freedom". {{Fact|date=March 2008}} In the [[Irish general election, 1922|elections of June 1922]] in the southern 26 counties de Valera and the anti-treaty Sinn Féin secured 35% of the popular vote. The anti-treaty element of the IRA had formed an Executive that did not consider itself subordinate to the new parliament. A bitter [[Irish Civil War]] (June 1922 &ndash; April 1923) erupted between the supporters of the Treaty and its opponents. De Valera resigned as [[President of the Irish Republic|President of the Republic]] and sided with the anti-treatyites. The pro-treaty "Free Staters", who amounted to a majority of Sinn Féin TDs, set up the [[Irish Free State]]. The pro-treaty Sinn Féin TDs changed the name of the party to [[Fine Gael|Cumann na nGaedhael]], subsequently merging with the [[National Centre Party (Ireland)|National Centre Party]] and the [[Army Comrades Association]] or [[The Blueshirts]] in 1933 to form [[Fine Gael]]. Having temporarily suspended armed action in the Free State, the movement split again with the departure (March 1926) of its leader [[Éamon de Valera]], after having lost a motion to abandon abstention if the statement of "Fidelity to the King" were abolished. He subsequently founded [[Fianna Fáil]] with fellow advocates of participation in constitutional politics, and entered the Irish parliament ([[Dáil Éireann]]) the following year, forming a government in 1932. ===1930s to 1968 - Decline to fringe movement === {{Expand|date=November 2007}} A number of unsuccessful attempts at armed insurrection, including a naïve link-up to procure weapons in the 1940s between some IRA members and the [[Nazi Germany|Nazis]]{{Fact|date=February 2007}} achieved nothing. Sinn Féin's inability to garner any increased support from the virtual collapse of the economy in 1950s Ireland, south of the border, is particularly striking. In the 1960s the party moved to the left, adopting a 'stagist' approach similar to orthodox [[Communist]] analysis. The party came under the influence of a generation of intellectuals who were associated with the [[Communist Party of Great Britain]]'s [[Connolly Association]] and sought a decisive break from the confessional politics of the past. The new generation of leaders sought to engage [[Ulster]]'s [[Protestant]] workers in an anti-[[imperialist]] [[popular front]]. At the same time a new generation of [[Catholics]] in Northern Ireland benefited from the creation of a welfare state in the UK and were increasingly likely to demand their rights to equality in jobs and housing. The republicans, together with the Communists and a new generation of [[social democrats]], formed the [[Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association]] to demand an end to discrimination. NICRA's campaigns - and the violent response of the Northern Ireland government in [[Stormont]] - increasingly destabilised Northern Ireland, particularly as [[Harold Wilson]]'s Labour government in Britain began to exert political pressure on Stormont for change. {{Unreferencedsection|date=March 2008}} ===1969-1970 Resurgence and "Provisional" / "Official" split === In the end, no reforms were implemented. In August 1969 Northern Ireland was convulsed by a wave of rioting and sectarian attacks, and [[British army|British troops]] were sent in to support the (largely Unionist) [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]]. The violence, or rather the IRA's minimal response to it, discredited the leftist leadership of the republican movement. Amongst nationalists in Northern Ireland the letters IRA were often satirised as meaning "I Ran Away". At the same time, [[Arms Crisis|certain Fianna Fáil politicians]] in the Republic, fearful of Communism, were instrumental in financing and arming a splinter group that would be more concerned with mounting violent resistance to the northern government than fomenting island-wide socialist revolution. The 1970 split occurred when the increasingly leftist-dominated leadership sought to end the historical policy of [[abstentionism]] and engage in non-violent constitutional politics. Although a majority of delegates supported the leadership, the two-thirds majority needed to change the party constitution did not materialise. The leadership saw the renewed sectarian conflict as "setting worker against worker" and declined to intervene on the traditionally Nationalist side. Disgusted by what they saw as the incompetence of the leadership, the traditionalists led by [[Seán Mac Stíofáin]] and [[Ruairí Ó Brádaigh]] split from the IRA and Sinn Féin to form the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]] and its political wing [[Provisional Sinn Féin]] (both bodies were known as 'provisional' after the formation of a 'provisional' army council by the rebels). The remainder of the party became known as [[Official Sinn Féin]], and evolved into a political party which became a far left force in the Republic of Ireland in the 1980s. The split was violent and periodic bouts of low level warfare were seen in Belfast and elsewhere. Many individual republicans took their time to decide which side of the division they were on, but in the end [[Official Sinn Féin]] remained very much a fringe party in Northern Ireland while its support increased gradually in the Republic. The opposite occurred to [[Provisional Sinn Féin]], with the ironic result that two different Sinn Féin parties exposed the growing gap between the two states on the island of Ireland. {{see main|Official Sinn Féin}} ===1970s and 1980s=== {{Expand|date=March 2007}} [[Image:Gerry Adams reading into mic.jpg|thumb|left|[[Gerry Adams]], Leader of Sinn Féin (1983&ndash;present)]] With the Officials' repudiation of violence in 1972, and its move from republicanism to Marxism, Sinn Féin became the political voice of the minority of northern nationalists who saw IRA violence as the means of forcing an end to British rule and institutionalised discrimination against nationalists which, in the words of Ulster Unionist leader and [[Nobel Peace Prize]] laureate [[David Trimble]], had created "a cold house for Catholics".<ref>{{cite web| publisher=Nobel Foundation| url=http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/1998/trimble-lecture.html| title=David Trimble – Nobel Lecture| year=10 December 1998| accessdate=2006-06-13}}</ref> The [[British government]] agreed to legalise Sinn Féin in May 1974, legalising the [[paramilitary]] [[Ulster Volunteer Force]] at the same time to placate angry unionists. However, Sinn Féin never succeeded in attracting the majority of Catholic support while the IRA continued its campaign of violence: most Catholics voted for the [[Social Democratic and Labour Party]], under [[Gerry Fitt]] and later [[John Hume]]. A small minority voted for the [[Alliance Party of Northern Ireland|Alliance Party]]; small numbers of Catholics also voted for the leading unionist parties, the [[Ulster Unionist Party]] (UUP), the [[Democratic Unionist Party]] and the shortlived [[Unionist Party of Northern Ireland]].<ref>[[Ian Paisley]] in European Elections regularly attracted votes from the entirely Catholic [[Rathlin Island]], while research showed Catholic support for then-UUP leader, [[David Trimble]]. In the 1990s, the UUP had a Catholic candidate, Sir John Gorman, elected to the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]].</ref> Sinn Féin only achieved the support of the majority of the nationalist community in 2001, three years after the [[Belfast Agreement]]. Nationalist alienation in the aftermath of the deaths of ten Republican hunger-strikers in Long Kesh prison in 1981 gave Sinn Féin a springboard into electoral politics in the North. An internal power struggle, between a southern leadership under [[Ruairí Ó Brádaigh]] and a northern leadership under [[Gerry Adams]], saw Ó Brádaigh and his associates leave to establish [[Republican Sinn Féin]] in 1986, which they claimed was the 'true' Sinn Féin. The split was over the decision of a majority of Sinn Féin members to alter party policy on abstentionism at the 1986 Sinn Féin [[Ard Fheis]] (''i.e.'' the refusal to accept the legitimacy of, or to participate in, the parliaments of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland); while the policy of abstentionism towards the Westminster British Parliament was continued, it was dropped in relation to [[Dáil Éireann]]. Under the presidency (from November 1983) of Gerry Adams, Sinn Féin leaders sought to explore wider political engagement through political agitation and the use or threat of violence. In October 1982 a Sinn Féin function was held at [[Tralee]], attended by, among others, [[Pat Doherty]], [[Martin Ferris]] and [[Martin McGuinness]]. According to [[Sean O'Callaghan]], he was informed by McGuinness ''... that he and Gerry Adams were stepping down as Chief of Staff and adjutant-general respectively, to be replaced by McKenna ([[Kevin McKenna]]) and Doherty ([[Pat Doherty]]). The reason given was that both Adams and McGuinness had been chosen by Sinn Féin to contest assembly elections in Northern Ireland, which had been called by [[Jim Prior]], the secretary of state for Northern Ireland. There is no doubt, however that the [[Supergrass (informer)|supergrass]] system, an exclusively Northern Ireland phenomenon, also played a part in their decision, for nobody knew where the next supergrass would come from. It was no coincidence that both McKenna and Doherty lived in the Republic and were safe from compromise by a new supergrass."'' Whatever the true explanation, that decision, augmented by the much-later involvement of SDLP leader John Hume in the [[Hume-Adams]] dialogue, and the decision of successive Irish [[Taoiseach|Taoisigh]] (prime ministers), [[Charles Haughey]], [[Albert Reynolds]], [[John Bruton]] and [[Bertie Ahern]] to initiate and maintain contact with the Sinn Féin leadership, helped produce the Northern Ireland peace process in the 1990s. Ironically, Adams and company had originally come to dominate the republican movement because of their unwillingness to compromise and their refusal to contemplate a ceasefire. They reassessed their position after it became clear that [[MI5|British intelligence]] successes, as well as war weariness meant that a decisive military breakthrough was unlikely and that the violent stalemate would continue. The new strategy - famously described by [[Danny Morrison (Irish republican)|Danny Morrison]] as "[[Armalite and ballot box strategy|a ballot paper in one hand and the Armalite in the other]]"<ref>{{cite web| publisher=CAIN| url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/hstrike/chronology.htm| title=The Hunger Strike of 1981 - A Chronology of Main Events| year=23 March 2006| accessdate=2006-06-14}}</ref> - was also, if subtly, eventually ditched as republicans again came to terms with the limits on their political success that continued "armed struggle" imposed. The very thing that propelled Adams into leadership, his opposition to military ceasefires, now became central to his approach (albeit this time, unlike during previous ceasefires, the IRA would retain their ability to return to violence at short notice). ====Electoral performances 1982-1992==== In the 1982 Assembly elections, Sinn Féin won five seats with 64,191 votes (10.1%). The party narrowly missed winning additional seats in Belfast North and Fermanagh and South Tyrone. In the 1983 Westminster elections eight months later saw an increase in Sinn Féin support with the party breaking the 100,000 vote barrier for the first time by polling 102,701 votes (13.4%). Gerry Adams won the Belfast West constituency with Danny Morrison only 78 votes short of victory in Mid Ulster. The 1984 European elections however proved to be a disappointment with Sinn Féin's candidate Danny Morrison polling 91,476 (13.3%) and falling well behind the SDLP candidate John Hume. By the beginning of 1985 Sinn Féin had won their first representation on local councils due to 3 by-election wins in Omagh (Seamus Kerr, May 1983) and Belfast (Alex Maskey June 1983 and Sean McKnight in early 1984). Three sitting councillors also defected to Sinn Féin in Dungannon, Fermanagh and Derry (the latter defecting from the SDLP.)<ref>The 3 were S.Cassidy, JJ. McCusker and W.McCartney</ref> Sinn Féin succeeded in winning 59 seats in the 1985 local government elections, however the results continued to show a decline from the peak of 1983 as the party won 75,686 votes (11.8%). The party failed to gain any seats in the 1986 by-elections caused by the resignation of Unionist MPs in protest at the Anglo-Irish Agreement, partly this was due to an electoral pact between Unionist candidates, however the SF vote fell in the four constituencies they contested. In the 1987 election Gerry Adams held his Belfast West seat but the party elsewhere failed to make breakthroughs and overall polled 83,389 votes (11.4%). The same year saw the party contest the Dáil election in the Republic of Ireland, however they failed to win any seats and polled less than 2%. The 1989 local government elections came in the aftermath of a number of PIRA atrocities most notably the Enniskillen massacre and proved disastrous for SF. Defending 58 seats (the 59 won in 1985 plus two 1987 by-election gains in West Belfast minus three councillors who had defected to Republican Sinn Féin in 1986) the party lost 15 seats. In the aftermath of the election Mitchell McLaughlin admitted that recent PIRA activity had affected the Sinn Féin vote.<ref>quoted in Gordon Lucy, The Northern Ireland Local Government Elections of 1993, Ulster Society Press</ref> The nadir for SF in this period came in 1992, with Gerry Adams losing his Belfast West seat to the SDLP and the SF vote falling in the other constituencies that they had contested relative to 1987. ==The Peace Process== The move was also hastened by a series of disastrous IRA attacks, including the killing of people attending a Remembrance Day ceremony in [[Enniskillen]]. Multi-party negotiations began in 1994, without Sinn Féin. The [[Provisional IRA]] declared a ceasefire in the autumn of 1994. The [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] government had asked that the IRA decommission all of their weapons before Sinn Féin be admitted to the talks, but the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] government of [[Tony Blair]] let them in on the basis of the ceasefire. ===Good Friday Agreement=== The all-party peace talks led to the '''[[Good Friday Agreement]]''' of [[April 10]] [[1998]] (officially known as the ''Belfast Agreement''), which set up an inclusive devolved government in the North, and altered the Southern government's constitutional claim to the whole island in [[Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution of Ireland]]. The party has been fully committed to constitutional politics since the Good Friday Agreement, although the unionist demand that the IRA decommission all of its arms led to repeated suspensions of the Assembly. The IRA started decommissioning arms after a deal was agreed restoring the suspended NI Assembly. The attacks of [[September 11, 2001 attacks|September 11th, 2001]] in America have led to a sharp decline in Irish-American tolerance for paramilitary activities. ===Increase in support=== The party overtook its nationalist rival, the [[Social Democratic and Labour Party]] as the largest nationalist party in the [[United Kingdom general election, 2001|2001 Westminster General Election]] and Local Election, winning four Westminster seats to the SDLP's three. The party however continues to subscribe to an abstentionist policy towards seats in the Westminster British parliament, as taking the seats they won would require them to swear allegiance to the British monarchy and recognise British jurisdiction over Northern Ireland. The party won 5 TDs in the [[Irish general election, 2002|2002 Republic general election]], an increase of four. {{Wide image|Northern Ireland election seats 1997-2005.svg|1000px|Results in Northern Ireland from the past three UK General Elections. Sinn Féin has gained three constituencies in the west.}} It went on to increase its domination of the nationalist vote in the [[Northern Ireland Assembly Election, 2003|2003 Assembly elections]], with [[Martin McGuinness]], previously Minister for Education, in line to take the post of [[Deputy First Minister]] in the Northern Ireland Power-Sharing Executive Committee, should the executive be reformed. However, the electoral success of the hardline anti-Agreement [[Democratic Unionist Party]], which replaced the [[Ulster Unionist Party]] as the leading unionist party, is thought to make the prospect of setting up a new executive less likely. Some critics of Sinn Féin allege that the DUP's electoral success, and its resulting threat to the Agreement, was contributed to by the failure of the PIRA to decommission its weapons, a decision that seriously undermined the ability of the pro-Agreement [[David Trimble]] to win majority unionist community support. Sinn Féin does not accept that allegation and sees little difference between the two unionist parties. For a period of time after 1999 (when [[Democratic Left]], who had a councillor in Dungannon, merged with Labour), Sinn Féin was the only Irish party with elected representatives on both sides of the border. The [[Green Party in Northern Ireland]] voted to become a region of the Irish Green Party in 2005. Several other parties organise on both sides of the border, including Fianna Fáil and the Irish Labour Party. ===Latest developments=== When Sinn Féin and the DUP became the largest parties of the two communities, it was clear (because of the dual majority required by the Good Friday Agreement) that no deal could be made without the support of both parties. They nearly reached a deal in November 2004, but the DUP had a requirement for visible evidence that decommissioning had been carried out.<ref>{{cite web | title = Paisley hints at movement on IRA | author = Angelique Chrisafis | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1358877,00.html | publisher = ''The Guardian'' | date = [[25 November]], [[2004]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref> Sinn Féin then withdrew from talks with the British Government because they refused to provide this visible evidence. The [[Northern Bank robbery|robbery]] of £26.5 million from the [[Northern Bank]] in Belfast in December 2004 further scuppered chances of a deal. Because of the timing of the robbery it is considered that the plans for the robbery must have been laid whilst Sinn Féin was engaged in talks about a possible peace settlement. This undermined confidence within the [[Unionism (Ireland)|unionist]] community about the sincerity of republicans towards reaching agreement. In the aftermath of the row over the robbery, a further controversy erupted when, on [[Radio Telefís Éireann|RTÉ]]'s ''[[Questions and Answers (TV series)|Questions and Answers]]'' programme, the chairman of Sinn Féin, [[Mitchel McLaughlin]], insisted that the IRA's controversial killing of a mother of ten young children, [[Jean McConville]], in the early 1970s though "wrong", was not a crime, as it had taken place in the context of the political conflict. Politicians from the Republic, along with the Irish media strongly attacked McLaughlin's comments.<ref>{{cite web | title = Resignation call rejected | author = | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4186887.stm | publisher = ''BBC'' | date = [[19 January]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Fallout from bank raid | author = Katie Mingey | url = http://www.emigrant.ie/article.asp?iCategoryID=177&iArticleID=39755 | publisher = ''Irish Emigrant'' | date = [[24 January]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref> On [[10 February]] [[2005]], the government-appointed [[Independent Monitoring Commission]] reported that it firmly supported the [[Police Service of Northern Ireland]] (PSNI) and [[Garda Síochána|Garda]] assessments that the IRA was responsible for the Northern Bank robbery and that certain senior members of Sinn Féin were also senior members of the IRA and would have had knowledge of and given approval to the carrying out of the robbery.<ref>{{cite web | title = Fourth report of the Independent Monitoring Commission | author = | url = http://www.independentmonitoringcommission.org/documents/uploads/HC%20308.pdf | publisher = ''Independent Monitoring Commission'' | date = [[10 February]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref> Sinn Féin have argued that the IMC is not independent and the inclusion of former [[Alliance Party of Northern Ireland|Alliance Party]] Leader [[John Alderdice]] and a British security head was proof of this.<ref>{{cite web | title = IMC should be scrapped | author = Conor Murphy | url = http://www.sinnfein.ie/gaelic/news/detail/13261 | publisher = ''Sinn Féin'' | date = [[27 February]], [[2006]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref> It recommended further financial sanctions against Sinn Féin members of the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]]. The British government responded by saying it would ask MPs to vote to withdraw the parliamentary allowances of the four Sinn Féin MPs elected in 2001.<ref>{{cite web | title = Sinn Féin facing raid sanctions | author = | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4285723.stm | publisher = ''BBC'' | date = [[22 February]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref> [[Gerry Adams]] responded to the IMC report by challenging the Irish Government to have him arrested for IRA membership, a "crime" in both jurisdictions, and [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]].<ref>{{cite web| publisher=RTÉ News| url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0210/northpolitics.html| title=Adams challenges Ahern to have him arrested| year=10 February 2005| accessdate=2006-04-27}}</ref> On [[20 February]] [[2005]], [[Irish Minister for Justice]] [[Michael McDowell]] publicly accused three of the Sinn Féin leadership, [[Gerry Adams]], [[Martin McGuinness]] and [[Martin Ferris]] (TD for [[Kerry North (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Kerry North]]) of being on the seven-man [[IRA Army Council]]. Gerry Adams denied this at an address in [[Strabane]] and Martin McGuinness denied the allegations in a TV interview on RTÉ.<ref>{{cite web | title = McDowell: These men are leaders of the IRA | author = Tom Brady & Senan Molony | url = http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=39&si=1344760&issue_id=12116 | publisher = ''[[Irish Independent]]'' | date = [[21 February]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Dublin: Sinn Féin chiefs in IRA | author = Peter Taggart | url = http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/02/20/nireland.sinn.fein/ | publisher = ''CNN'' | date = [[21 February]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref> On [[27 February]] [[2005]], a demonstration against the murder of [[Robert McCartney (murder victim)|Robert McCartney]] on [[30 January]] [[2005]] was held in East Belfast. [[Alex Maskey]], a former Sinn Féin [[Mayor of Belfast]], was told by relatives of McCartney to "stop making stupid comments" to the press following Gerry McKay's demand that Maskey "hand over the 12" IRA members involved.<ref>{{cite web | title = Give up killers, people's protest tells IRA | author = | url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article416360.ece | publisher = ''The Times'' | date = [[28 February]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref> The McCartney family, though formerly Sinn Féin voters themselves, urged witnesses to the crime to contact the PSNI.<ref>{{cite web | title = How pub brawl turned into republican crisis | author = Angelique Chrisafis | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,,1426976,00.html | publisher = ''The Guardian'' | date = [[28 February]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = IRA expels three over McCartney murder | author = Angelique Chrisafis | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,,1425969,00.html | publisher = ''The Guardian'' | date = [[26 February]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-29}}</ref> People have been reluctant to do so for two reasons; the traditional mistrust of the police in Northern Ireland by republicans and the nationalist community and fear of reprisal from the IRA.<ref>{{cite web | title = MEPs back McCartney justice fight | author = | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4533029.stm | publisher = ''BBC'' | date = [[10 May]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-29}}</ref> Three IRA men were expelled from the organisation, and a man was charged with McCartney's murder.<ref>{{cite web | title = IRA expels three after killing | author = | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4299599.stm | publisher = ''BBC'' | date = [[26 February]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Two remanded in McCartney killing | author = | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4609435.stm | publisher = ''BBC'' | date = [[4 June]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-29}}</ref> Irish [[Taoiseach]] [[Bertie Ahern]] subsequently called Sinn Féin and the IRA "both sides of the same coin".<ref>{{cite web | title = Sinn Féin must prove it supports the rule of law | author = | url = http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article2138000.ece | publisher = ''Belfast Telegraph'' | date = [[9 January]], [[2007]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref> The ostracism of Sinn Féin was shown in February 2005 when [[Dáil Éireann]] passed a motion condemning the party's alleged involvement in illegal activity. US President [[George W. Bush]] and Senator [[Ted Kennedy|Edward Kennedy]] refused to meet Gerry Adams while meeting the family of Robert McCartney.<ref>{{cite web | title = Senator Kennedy snubs Adams as US recoils at IRA crime | author = Garry Kelly | url = http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/ulster/article6113.ece | publisher = ''The Independent'' | date = [[14 March]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref> Senators Kennedy and [[Hillary Clinton]] introduced a motion into the US Senate calling on Sinn Féin to break off links with the IRA.{{Fact|date=March 2007}} On [[10 March]] [[2005]], the [[British House of Commons]] in [[London]] passed without significant opposition a motion placed by the British Government to withdraw the allowances of the four Sinn Féin MPs for one year in response to the [[Northern Bank Robbery]]. This measure cost the party approximately £400,000. However, the debate prior to the vote mainly surrounded the more recent events connected with the murder of Robert McCartney. Conservatives and Unionists put down amendments to have the Sinn Féin MPs evicted from their offices at the House of Commons but these were defeated by 358-170 and 357-171 votes respectively.<ref>{{cite web | title = SF stripped of Commons allowances | author = | url = http://archives.tcm.ie/breakingnews/2005/03/10/story193115.asp | publisher = ''BreakingNews.ie'' | date = [[10 March]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref> In March 2005, [[Mitchell Reiss]], the [[United States]] special envoy to Northern Ireland, condemned the party's links to the IRA, saying ''"it is hard to understand how a European country in the year 2005 can have a private army associated with a political party"''.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7169846/| title=Sinn Féin chief says IRA may cease to exist| year=March 12, 2005| accessdate=2006-04-27| publisher=MSNBC}}</ref> The party expelled [[Denis Donaldson]], a party official, in December 2005, with him stating publicly that he had been in the employ of the British government as an agent since the 1980s. Mr Donaldson told reporters that the British security agencies who employed him were behind the collapse of the Assembly and set up Sinn Féin to take the blame for it, a claim disputed by the British Government.<ref>{{cite web | title = Sinn Féin man admits he was agent | author = | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4536826.stm | publisher = ''BBC'' | date = [[16 December]], [[2005]] | accessdate = 2007-03-29}}</ref> Donaldson was found fatally shot in his home in [[County Donegal]] on [[4 April]], [[2006]], and a murder inquiry was launched.<ref>{{cite web | title = Donaldson murder scene examined | author = | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4881628.stm | publisher = ''BBC'' | date = [[6 April]], [[2006]] | accessdate = 2007-03-29}}</ref> As of June 2008, nobody has been charged with his murder. On [[2 September]], [[2006]], Martin McGuinness publicly stated that Sinn Féin would refuse to participate in a shadow assembly at Stormont, asserting that his party would only take part in negotiations that were aimed at restoring a power-sharing government within Northern Ireland. This development follows a decision on the part of members of Sinn Féin to refrain from participating in debates since the Assembly's recall this past May. The relevant parties to these talks have been given a deadline of [[24 November]], [[2006]] in order to decide upon whether or not they will ultimately form the executive.<ref>{{cite web | title = Sinn Féin rejects 'shadow' Assembly | author = | url = http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0902/northpolitics.html?rss | publisher = ''RTÉ'' | date = [[2 September]], [[2006]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref> On [[28 January]], [[2007]], a Sinn Féin Ard Fheis was held and its delegates voted overwhelmingly to support the PSNI.<ref>{{cite web | title = Sinn Féin ends policing boycott | author = | url = http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNOJEYCWAU | publisher = ''BreakingNews.ie'' | date = [[28 January]], [[2007]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref> This ended an 86 year boycott of policing in Northern Ireland. This decision means that Sinn Féin members will sit on Policing Boards and District Policing Partnerships.<ref>{{cite web | title = Sinn Féin 'must show visible support for policing' | author = | url = http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNOJEYCWSN | publisher = ''BreakingNews.ie'' | date = [[28 January]], [[2007]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref> The decision has received welcome although, some opposition has been evident from people such as former IRA prisoner [[Gerry McGeough]], who stood in the [[Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2007|2007 Assembly Election]]s against Sinn Féin in the assembly constituency of [[Fermanagh and South Tyrone]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Former IRA prisoner to stand against SF | author = | url = http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNOJEYSNAU | publisher = ''BreakingNews.ie'' | date = [[29 January]], [[2007]] | accessdate = 2007-03-28}}</ref> In [[Irish general election, 2007|2007 parliamentary election in the Republic of Ireland]], Sinn Féin won 4 seats, one less than in 2002 (despite predictions of gain). Other parliamentary parties have ruled out government formation with Sinn Féin. == Modern Sinn Féin == The largest of the modern-day Sinn Féin parties is one of only two political parties to have seats in the parliaments of both [[Northern Ireland]] and the [[Republic of Ireland]], the other being the [[Green Party (Ireland)|Green Party/Comhaontas Glas]] (which includes the [[Green Party in Northern Ireland]] as a regional party). Sinn Féin is currently the fourth-largest party in Ireland by vote share{{Fact|date=June 2007}}. [[Image:Sinn.JPG|thumb|Sinn Féin local office in [[Tralee]], [[County Kerry]]]] Sinn Féin is the largest nationalist political party in [[Northern Ireland]], having recently displaced the previously dominant nationalist [[Social Democratic and Labour Party]] (SDLP) in national elections. It currently has five [[Member of Parliament|MPs]] (gaining one in the [[United Kingdom general election, 2005|United Kingdom general election of 2005]]) in the House of Commons (out of eighteen MPs representing Northern Ireland) and twenty-eight [[Member of the Legislative Assembly|Members of the Legislative Assembly]] (MLAs) (out of a [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] membership of 108, making it the second largest, behind the [[Democratic Unionist Party]] with thirty-six seats and ahead of both the [[Ulster Unionist Party]] who have eighteen and [[Social Democratic and Labour Party]] with sixteen seats). It is a much smaller political force, in electoral terms, in the [[Republic of Ireland]], where it currently has four [[Teachta Dála|TD]]s (out of 166) in [[Dáil Éireann]] and one member of the Republic's [[Seanad Éireann]] (Senate). The party performed less well than expected in the 2007 Dáil elections. Although their overall vote was marginally up, this was only because of a considerable increase in the number of SF candidates. Sinn Féin has two [[Member of the European Parliament|Members of the European Parliament]] (MEPs); one out of Northern Ireland's three MEPs, and one out of the Republic's thirteen. It is the only political party in Europe to be represented by members from different EU states. Its MEPs sit as part of the [[left wing]] [[European United Left - Nordic Green Left]] group in the European Parliament. Sinn Féin had two ministers in the now suspended Executive Committee (cabinet) of the Northern Ireland Assembly but has never sat in cabinet in the Republic. In 2005 the [[Unionists (Ireland)|unionist]] parties indicated that they would not serve in government with Sinn Féin until its relationship with the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] was terminated. Since then agreement between Unionist and Republican's has led to a re-opened and revived Executive based at Stormont. Sinn Féin and other republicans often refer to [[Northern Ireland]] as the ''Six Counties'' or ''The North'', but rarely ''Northern Ireland''. This is due to the early 20th century [[history of Northern Ireland|political history of the region]] - part of the [[Northern Ireland naming dispute]]. ===Links with the IRA=== Sinn Féin is the largest group in the [[Irish republicanism|Republican]] wing of [[Irish nationalism]] and is closely associated with the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]], with senior members of Sinn Féin having held posts in the [[IRA Army Council]]. Sinn Féin organiser [[Danny Morrison (activist)|Danny Morrison]] at the party's [[Ard Fheis]] (Annual Conference) in 1981, said:<blockquote> "Who here really believes we can win the war through the ballot box? But will anyone here object if, with a ballot paper in this hand and an [[Armalite]] in the other, we take power in Ireland?"<ref>{{cite book | last = Taylor | first = Peter | authorlink = Peter Taylor (Journalist) | title = Provos The IRA & Sinn Féin | publisher = [[Bloomsbury Publishing]] | date = 1997 | pages = pp. 281-282 | doi = | isbn = 0-7475-3818-2 }}</ref></blockquote> To some, this statement confirmed the relationship between the IRA and Sinn Féin. The current [[British Government]] stated in 2005 that "we had always said all the way through we believed that Sein Féin and the IRA were inextricably linked and that had obvious implications at leadership level".<ref>[http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page7148.asp Press Briefing: 3.45 pm Monday 21 February 2005] 10 Downing Street website.</ref> ==Organisational structure== [[Image:Sinnfeinposter.jpg|275px|thumb|Sinn Féin poster in [[Dublin]] ([[Ireland]])]]Sinn Féin is organised throughout Ireland, and membership is open to all Irish residents over the age of 16. The party is organised hierarchically into cumainn (branches), comhairle ceantair (district executives), cúigí (regional executives). At national level, the Coiste Seasta (Standing Committee) oversees the day-to-day running of Sinn Féin. It is an eight-member body nominated by the Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle and also includes the chairperson of each cúige. The Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle (National Executive) meets at least once a month. It directs the overall implementation of Sinn Féin policy and activities of the party. The Ard Chomhairle also oversees the operation of various departments of Sinn Féin, viz Administration, Finance, National Organiser, Campaigns, [[Ógra Shinn Féin]], Women's Forum, Culture, Publicity and International Affairs. It is made up of the following: Officer Board and nine other members, all of whom are elected by delegates to the Ard Fheis, 15 representing the five Cúige regions (three delegates each). The Ard Chomhairle can co-opt eight members for specific posts and additional members can be co-opted, if necessary, to ensure that at least 30 per cent of Ard Chomhairle members are women. The ard fheis (national delegate conference) is the ultimate policy-making body of the party where delegates - directly elected by members of cumainn - can decide on and implement policy. It is held at least once a year but a special Ard Fheis can be called by the Ard Chomhairle or the membership under special circumstances. ==Political views== Apart from the obvious support of a [[united Ireland]], Sinn Féin outlined several other key policies from their most recent election manifesto. Several are listed below: *The 18 [[Westminster]] MPs to be allowed to sit in the [[Dáil Éireann]] as full Deputies, *Ending academic selection within schools, *Support for a 'Minister for Children' *An 'All-Ireland-Health-Service' akin to the [[National Health Service]] in the [[United Kingdom]], *Diplomatic pressure to close [[Sellafield]] nuclear reprocessing plant (in [[United Kingdom|Britain]]) - which some citizens claim to be polluting Irish waters, *'Plastic bag levy' to be extended to Northern Ireland, *Free breast screening (to check for [[breast cancer]]) of all women over forty - presumably in both Northern Ireland and the Republic, *Aiding the case for [[human rights|equal pay]], *An end to 'mass-deportation' of asylum seekers across the ''whole'' of Ireland, *To further [[Irish language]] teaching in [[Northern Ireland]], *Oppose all water charges, *An 'all-Ireland' economy with a common currency and one tax policy, *Support for a 'Minister for Europe' - likely to be used in the [[Dáil]], and, *Greater investment for those who are [[disabled]]. * Sinn Féin proposes a draft Irish Language Bill for the North (Northern Ireland), a Bill that would give the Irish Language the same status that the Welsh language has in Wales. http://www.sinnfein.ie/policies/document/166 * Support for the Basque people's right to self determination, and opposition to the illegal US blockade of Cuba <ref>Sinn Féin website, International Department</ref> A vast majority of their policies are intended to be implemented on an 'all-Ireland' basis which further emphasises their central aim of creating a united Ireland. Sinn Féin usually refers to itself as a [[democratic socialist]] or [[left-wing]] party and aligns itself with the [[European United Left–Nordic Green Left]]. The party pledges support for minority rights, migrants' rights, and eradicating poverty, although it is not in favour of the extension of legalized abortion (British 1967 Act) to the north. Though Sinn Féin state they are also opposed to the attitudes in society, which "pressurise women" to have abortions, and "criminalise" women who make this decision. Sinn Féin do recognize however that in cases of incest, rape, sexual abuse, or when a woman's life and health are at risk or in danger, that the final decision must rest with the woman.<ref>{{cite web | title =Sinn Féin on the Assembly debate on Abortion | publisher =Sinn Féin | date =22 October 2007 | url =http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/21360 | accessdate =2007-11-14 }}</ref> Sinn Féin urged a "No" vote in the referendum held in Ireland on 12 June on the Lisbon Treaty. <ref>Irish Times 26 May 2008</ref> ==Ard Chomhairle members 2005 - 2006== ===Officer Board=== :*[[Gerry Adams]] - President :*[[Pat Doherty]] - Vice President :*[[Mitchel McLaughlin]] - General Secretary :*[[Mary Lou McDonald]] - Chairperson :*[[Margaret Adams (Irish politician)|Margaret Adams]] - Treasurer :*[[Treasa Quinn]] - Treasurer :*[[Dawn Doyle]] - Director of Publicity ===Ard Fheis elected members 2005 - 2006=== :*[[Martina Anderson]] - Derry :*[[Bairbre de Brún]] - Belfast :*[[Dodie McGuinness]] - Derry :*[[Gerry Kelly]] - Belfast :*[[Daithí Doolan]] - Dublin :*[[Martin McGuinness]] - Derry :*[[Francie Molloy]] - Tyrone :*[[Shannonbrooke Murphy]] - Galway :*[[Jacqueline Russell]] - Leinster :*[[Alex Maskey]] - Belfast :*[[Eibhlin Glenholmes]] - Belfast :*[[Aengus Ó Snodaigh]] - Dublin ==Elected representatives== ===Members of the United Kingdom Parliament=== *[[Gerry Adams]], MP for [[Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency)|Belfast West]] *[[Martin McGuinness]], MP for [[Mid Ulster (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Ulster]] *[[Michelle Gildernew]], MP for [[Fermanagh and South Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)|Fermanagh and South Tyrone]] *[[Conor Murphy]], MP for [[Newry and Armagh (UK Parliament constituency)|Newry and Armagh]] *[[Pat Doherty]], MP for [[West Tyrone (UK Parliament constituency)|West Tyrone]] All Sinn Féin Westminster MPs follow an [[abstentionist]] policy, meaning they do not take their seats in Parliament. === Members of the European Parliament=== * [[Mary Lou McDonald]], MEP for [[Dublin]] * [[Bairbre de Brún]], MEP for [[Northern Ireland (European Parliament constituency)|Northern Ireland]] ===Members of Dáil Éireann=== *[[Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin]], TD for [[Cavan-Monaghan (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Cavan-Monaghan]] *[[Aengus Ó Snodaigh]], TD for [[Dublin South Central (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Dublin South Central]] *[[Martin Ferris]], TD for [[Kerry North (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Kerry North]] *[[Arthur Morgan (Irish politician)|Arthur Morgan]], TD for [[Louth (Dáil Éireann constituency)|Louth]] ===Member of Seanad Éireann=== *[[Pearse Doherty]], [[Agricultural Panel (Seanad Éireann)|Agricultural Panel]] ===Member of Údarás na Gaeltachta=== *[[Gráinne Mhic Géidigh]], [[County Donegal]] ===Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly=== *[[Raymond McCartney]], MLA for [[Foyle (Assembly constituency)|Foyle]] *[[Martina Anderson]], MLA for Foyle *[[John O'Dowd]], MLA for [[Upper Bann (Assembly constituency)|Upper Bann]] *[[Michelle Gildernew]], MLA for [[Fermanagh and South Tyrone (Assembly constituency)|Fermanagh and South Tyrone]] *[[Francis Brolly]], MLA for [[East Londonderry (Assembly constituency)|East Londonderry]] *[[Paul Butler (politician)|Paul Butler]], MLA for [[Lagan Valley (Assembly constituency)|Lagan Valley]] *[[Mitchel McLaughlin]], MLA for [[South Antrim (Assembly constituency)|South Antrim]] *[[Conor Murphy]], MLA for [[Newry and Armagh (Assembly constituency)|Newry and Armagh]] *[[Cathal Boylan]], MLA for Newry and Armagh *[[Mickey Brady]], MLA for Newry and Armagh *[[Caitríona Ruane]], MLA for [[South Down (Assembly constituency)|South Down]] *[[Willie Clarke]], MLA for South Down *[[Michelle O'Neill]], MLA for [[Mid Ulster (Assembly constituency)|Mid Ulster]] *[[Francis Molloy]], MLA for Mid Ulster *[[Martin McGuinness]], MLA for Mid Ulster *[[Daithí McKay]], MLA for [[North Antrim (Assembly constituency)|North Antrim]] *[[Pat Doherty]], MLA for [[West Tyrone (Assembly constituency)|West Tyrone]] *[[Barry McElduff]], MLA for West Tyrone *[[Claire McGill]], MLA for West Tyrone *[[Alex Maskey]], MLA for [[Belfast South (Assembly constituency)|Belfast South]] *[[Gerry Kelly]], MLA for [[Belfast North (Assembly constituency)|Belfast North]] *[[Carál Ní Chuilín]], MLA for Belfast North *[[Gerry Adams]], MLA for [[Belfast West (Assembly constituency)|Belfast West]] *[[Sue Ramsay]], MLA for Belfast West *[[Paul Maskey]], MLA for Belfast West *[[Jennifer McCann]], MLA for Belfast West *[[Fra McCann]], MLA for Belfast West * *[[Gerry McHugh]], MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone (Resigned from Sinn Féin on the 3rd of December 2007 over political differences and the nature of decision making at the party level which he regarded as 'top down' and therefore undemocratic. He now sits in the Northern Ireland Assembly as an Independent.) ==Leaders== * [[Edward Martyn]] (1905-1908) * [[John Sweetman]] (1908) * [[Arthur Griffith]] (1908-1917) * [[Éamon de Valera]] (1917-26) :''In 1923, a substantial portion of the membership became [[Cumann na nGaedheal]]'' :''In 1926, de Valera resigned from Sinn Féin and launched [[Fianna Fáil]]'' * [[John J. O'Kelly]] (Sceilg) (1926-1931) * [[Brian O'Higgins]] (1931-1933) * Fr. [[Michael O'Flanagan]] (1933-1935) * [[Cathal Ó Murchadha]] (1935-1937) * [[Margaret Buckley]] (1937-1950) * [[Pádraig Mac Lógáin]] (1950-1953) * [[Tomás Ó Dubhghaill]] (1953-1954) * [[Pádraig Mac Lógáin]] (1954-1962) * [[Tomás Mac Giolla]] (1962-1970) :''In 1970, split into two parties claiming to be the legitimate Sinn Féin'' :* [[Sinn Féin (Gardiner Place)]], was more commonly referred to as [[Official Sinn Féin]]. The party renamed itself Sinn Féin, the Workers Party (1982), before settling on the [[Workers Party (Ireland)|Workers Party]] (1982). :* Sinn Féin (Kevin Street), was also referred to as [[Provisional Sinn Féin]]. This wing is now generally known as '''Sinn Féin'''. * [[Ruairí Ó Brádaigh]] (1970-1983) :''In 1986, Ó Brádaigh left and set up [[Republican Sinn Féin]].'' * [[Gerry Adams]] (1983-present) ==Parties with origins in 1916-21 Sinn Féin== *[[Fianna Fáil]] *[[Fine Gael]] - came about through merger of [[Cumann na nGaedhael]] with the [[National Centre Party (Ireland)|National Centre Party]] and the [[The Blueshirts|Army Comrades Association]], to Form Fine Gael in 1933. *Sinn Féin *[[Republican Sinn Féin]] *[[Workers' Party (Ireland)|Workers' Party]] :*[[Democratic Left (Ireland)|Democratic Left]] (Split from the Workers' Party in 1992; merged into the [[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] in 1999) ==See also== *[[List of Sinn Féin MPs]] (for members elected to the British House of Commons) *[[Friends of Sinn Féin]] (an organisation designed to support Sinn Féin's cause with members in the United States, Canada and Australia.) ==Notes and references== <!--<nowiki> See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the<ref> and </ref> tags, and the template below </nowiki>--> {{reflist|2}} ==Further reading== * [[Gerry Adams]], ''Before The Dawn'' (Brandon Book, 1996) * [[Tim Pat Coogan]], ''The Troubles'' (Arrow, 1995, 1996) ISBN 009946571X * Tim Pat Coogan, ''Michael Collins'' (Hutchinson, 1990) ISBN 0091741068 * Brian Feeney, ''Sinn Féin: A Hundred Turbulent Years'' (2003) HB: ISBN 0299186709 PB ISBN 0299186741 * [[R. F. Foster (historian)|Roy Foster]], ''Ireland 1660-1972'' * [[Geraldine Kennedy]] (ed.) ''Nealon's Guide to the 29th Dáil and Seanad'' (Gill and Macmillan, 2002) ISBN 0717132889 * [[F.S.L. Lyons]], ''Ireland Since the Famine'' * Brian Maye, ''Arthur Griffith'' (Griffith College Publications) * [[Dorothy Macardle]], ''The Irish Republic'' (Corgi edition, 1968) ISBN 55207862X * [[Sean O'Callaghan]], ''The Informer'' (Corgi 1999) ISBN 0-552-14607-2 * Patrick Sarsfield, S. O'Hegarty & Tom Garvin, ''The Victory of Sinn Féin: How It Won It & how It Used It'' (1999) ISBN 1900621177 * [[Peter Taylor (Journalist)|Peter Taylor]], ''Behind the Mask: The IRA & Sinn Féin'' ISBN 1575000776 * [[Robert Kee]], ''The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism'' (Penguin, 1972&ndash;2000), ISBN 0140291652 * Robert W. White, ''Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, the Life and Politics of an Irish Revolutionary'' (Indiana University Press, 2006, ISBN 0253347084 ==Sinn fein's previous logos== <gallery> Image:Sinn_fein_1.gif Image:Sf-logo.jpg Image:40078028_sinnfein_203.jpg </gallery> ==External links== ===Sinn Féin=== * [http://sinnfein.ie Sinn Féin] * [http://www.irelandofequals.com Sinn Féin's "Ireland of Equals" website] * [http://www.sfguengl.com Sinn Féin delegation to the GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament in Brussels website] * [http://www.sinnfein.ie/cairde/ Friends/Cairde Sinn Féin] * [http://www.anphoblacht.com/ An Phoblacht] ===Other links=== * [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ira/ Behind The Mask: The IRA & Sinn Féin] Companion website to the Frontline documentary about Sinn Féin, which aired on PBS. * {{PDFlink|[http://www.psai.ie/conferences/papers2006/malley.pdf "Populist Nationalists: ''Sinn Féin'' and Redifining the 'Radical Right'"]|112&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 114714 bytes -->}} {{SinnFéinLeaders}} {{Political parties in Ireland}} {{British political parties}} {{Political parties in Northern Ireland}} [[Category:All-Ireland political parties]] [[Category:Entities with Irish names]] [[Category:Political parties in Northern Ireland]] [[Category:Political parties in pre-partition Ireland]] [[Category:Political parties in the Republic of Ireland]] [[Category:Transnational political parties]] [[Category:Sinn Féin politicians| ]] [[Category:Sinn Féin| ]] [[Category:Irish Republican Movement]] [[Category:Organizations formerly designated as terrorist]] [[Category:Political parties established in 1905]] [[Category:Political parties established in 1970]] [[af:Sinn Féin]] [[ar:شين فين]] [[an:Sinn Féin]] [[br:Sinn Féin]] [[bg:Шин Фейн]] [[ca:Sinn Féin]] [[cs:Sinn Féin]] [[cy:Sinn Féin]] [[da:Sinn Féin]] [[de:Sinn Féin]] [[et:Sinn Féin]] [[es:Sinn Féin]] [[eo:Sinn Féin]] [[eu:Sinn Fein]] [[fr:Sinn Féin]] [[ga:Sinn Féin]] [[it:Sinn Féin (politica)]] [[ko:신페인]] [[hr:Sinn Fein]] [[he:שין פיין]] [[hu:Sinn Féin]] [[nl:Sinn Féin]] [[ja:シン・フェイン党]] [[no:Sinn Féin]] [[nn:Sinn Féin]] [[pl:Sinn Féin]] [[pt:Sinn Féin]] [[ro:Sinn Féin]] [[ru:Шинн Фейн]] [[sk:Sinn Féin]] [[sh:Sinn Féin]] [[fi:Sinn Féin]] [[sv:Sinn Féin]] [[tr:Sinn Féin]] [[zh-yue:新芬黨]] [[zh:新芬黨]]