Dr John Coulter with a piece contemplating the political future of Gerry Adams. It initially featured in the Irish Daily Star on 28 October 2013.
Call it a day, Baron Gerry and hand the Shinner reins to the dream team of Northern schools boss King John and the Donegal Dynamo, Prince Pearse.
In spite of years of service both to the republican movement and Sinn Féin, party president and Louth TD Gerry Adams has become the Shinners' 'Peter Robinson'.
Whatever the truth, rumours, allegations or tittle-tattle gossip concerning Baron Gerry's knowledge of his convicted sex offender brother, Liam, the entire saga has damaged Adams irreparably.
While deputy First Minister Marty McGuinness has kept the Shinner ship steady at Stormont, haunting questions are now being posed as to whether Adams is the right person to lead Southern Sinn Féin into the next Dáil poll.
And given Robbo's apparent U-turn on the Maze peace centre, serious queries are now being posed within the DUP as to whether Robbo should be the man to take the party into the crunch Euro and super council elections next year.
Sinn Féin and the DUP are two political birds of a kind – the party comes before personalities.
In the North, deputy Marty could still lead the Shinners into the next Assembly poll in 2016, but he has become part of the republican movement's 'old men in dark suits' brigade.
The reality is that with the DUP in internal disarray, only schools boss John O'Dowd from Upper Bann could land the top prize of being the largest party at Stormont, and claiming the coveted First Minister's crown.
But the Shinners' real target should be to build its Dáil representation so that Blueshirt boss King Kenny has no other option but to form a coalition with Sinn Féin as Edna's minority government partner.
'Never, never, never', I hear you yell, using the old Paisleyite battle cry. But the Dr No of Unionist politics eventually became the First Minister Yes of Stormont and entered a power-sharing Executive with Sinn Féin.
If the 'impossible' can happen at Stormont, it can take place in the Dáil – depending on the right man leading the Shinners.
Setting aside Gerry Adams' family dilemmas, there's no way King Kenny will suck up to the Shinners while the former West Belfast MP is in charge.
Sinn Féin holds all the cards. Kenny's current Coalition colleagues Labour and the former minority Dáil partners the Greens are done. With the correct leader, Sinn Féin will end up in power in both parts of the island come the next respective general elections.
The young, Scottish-born Donegal South-West TD Pearse Doherty is the only republican who can lead republicans into power in Leinster House and lay claim to the Tanaiste crown.
The Shinners must face the bitter medicine that if they are to become a genuine all-island controlling movement, they must dump the IRA. No more ex-jailbirds in key positions.
A Doherty/O'Dowd ticket is squeaky clean so far as any involvement with the Provos is concerned. That rules Northern MEP Martina Anderson, a convicted terrorist, out of the leadership equation.
As for Dublin TD and Shinner vice president Mary Lou McDonald, although she has no Provo connections, she – as a former Southern MEP herself – would be better concentrating on expanding the party's European representation and building a pan-nationalist front across the EU.
Both Doherty and O'Dowd are Shinners which unionists could work with. Unlike Gerry Kelly and the ex-IRA brigade they don't go out of their way to antagonise unionists and loyalists.
The Shinners need to take a reality pill. It's time for a coup; retire Adams and McGuinness and unleash the republican dream team of Doherty and O'Dowd.
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John-
ReplyDeleteYour trying to hard kid-yet another poll came out yesterday which showed a Sinn Fein rise-some of the media must be pulling their hair out of their heads at the moment-lol-they have still have not caught on that they are no longer the big cogs they were once-their day is over-
Gerry will stay on for the victory dance-
MH- Who will Gerry be having this quasi victory dance with, Lizzy Battenburg OR Angela Merkel?
ReplyDeleteGiven your party's infamous 'equality' agenda & in keeping with their recognition of Partition he should ideally dance with BOTH, don't you think?
p.s. MH, remember what James Connolly said 'Serve neither King nor Keiser'....
MH.Dont know about gerry staying for the victory dance.SF standing shoulder to shoulder with the british queen at the place where connelly was strapped to a chair could end up the last waltz.
ReplyDeleteFenian-
ReplyDelete" remember what James Connolly said 'serve neither king nor keiser'"-
A good speak that-but Connolly did serve the king when he was in the brit army-but we forgive him his lapse-
McGype-ver
ReplyDeleteConnolly served the British state but he developed Republican Socialist principles and rejected imperialist corruption whereas your Dear Leader and his followers......
MH-
ReplyDeleteYes he did and he witnessed at first hand the merciless deeds carried out by the British imperialist forces of the day.. hence why he left!!
In contrast, your party seemingly paid no heed to what James Connolly had to say (given that he had first hand knowledge of the British establishment) and instead decided to go in the opposite direction.. Your party spent 30 odd years oppossing British Rule & PArtition & then done a complete U-turn and decided it that they would in fact administrate British rule via Stormont & triple lock Partition!!
Your party are living testament to this quote..
"Yes, ruling by fooling, is a great British art with great Irish fools to practice on." ~James Connolly ~
Businesses each year look at all of the relevant material available to them to forecast on numerous business activities, from sales, recruitment, product diversification and implementing change in order to compete with their international, national and local competitors.
ReplyDeleteDr Coulters projection of Doherty and O'Dowd taking over the regins is some what premature to the tune of 10-15 years or in the forfeit of Adams leadership via death. But this in my opinion is how it will roll out in the future, with most of the ex- prisioners at the VERY very best acquiring a backroom role.
S/F do not need any fresh blood, as recruitment would be at an all time high considering many of the wannabe working class come middle class university educated careerists waiting in line, like a scene in the apprentice boardroom to slit the throat of anyone of the new clientel who could become Sir Gerry's apprentice.
Lets face it, it is a career move these days to get involved in Politics here especially with all the uncertainties of the business environment in a more complex and highly competitive marketplace.
Becoming a MLA is recession proof and could work out lovely as the SDLP business minded youth flock to S/F.
O'Dowds/ Dohertys backroom staff of researchers, Political PR guru's, social commentators, academics, Image consultants have definitely been hard at work people pleasing and seeking approval for their ministers in charge.
They have done well, but in my opinion are no were near as naturally narcisstic, ruthless or utterly corrupt as their president. These folk unfortunately prevail to the bitter end, a little like scum frothing on a simmering stew.
It was noted today that for Carrickfergus council, the majority do not even bother to turn up for work! Yet still receive full pay. The politicians here take the biscuit and of course, wish to claim expenses for said biscuits.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, why would anyone care about who reigns over another pro-capitalist party?
ReplyDelete