Sinn Fein
The Week in Review
18 April – 02 May 2014

Martin McGuinness comments on `politically motivated’ arrest of Gerry Adams

On 1 May Sinn Féin MLA and Joint First Minister Martin McGuinness described the arrest of party leader Gerry Adams as `politically motivated’.
Mr McGuinness said he was `very proud that Gerry Adams is my colleague, my friend and my party leader’. He described Mr Adams as `the single most important person in bringing about the transformation, which has taken us to where we are today’.
He said he viewed Gerry Adams’ arrest as `a deliberate attempt to influence the outcome of the elections due to take place all over this island in three weeks’ which `raises very serious questions about the agenda of those responsible’.
He added that there were `people on the dark side of policing and this is an attempt to flex their muscles’ who were `responsible for this latest situation.’
Later, speaking at a Press Conference on 2 May, Martin McGuinness reiterated his view that the timing of the arrest of Gerry Adams was `politically motivated’. He said that the decision by the PSNI that day, to seek an extension to his detention, `absolutely confirms that view’. He said the arrest of Gerry Adams `at this time is inextricably linked to the local govt and European elections’.
The previous day, Sinn Fein Deputy Leader Mary Lou McDonald also criticised `political policing’. She said: `Last month Gerry Adams said that he was available to meet the PSNI about the Jean McConville case. That meeting is now taking place’.
She added `Gerry Adams is right to confront this issue. There has been a concerted and malicious effort to link Gerry Adams to this case for some considerable time. He has consistently and forthrightly rejected any suggestion that he had any part in what happened to Jean McConville 42 years ago or that he has any information about these dreadful events’.
Ms McDonald concluded: `I believe the timing of this latest decision by the PSNI is politically motivated and designed to damage Gerry Adams and Sinn Féin. It is Sinn Féin’s view that legacy issues and dealing with the past, including past conflict events, are best addressed through an independent, international, truth recovery process.’
She concluded: `In the absence of that, we have agreed to and are seeking the implementation of the Haass compromise proposals. These include the right of families to choose whether to pursue legal action or to seek maximum truth recovery.’
Earlier, on 30 April Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams TD had made a statement in relation to the case of Jean McConville.
Gerry Adams said `Last month I said that I was available to meet the PSNI about the Jean McConville case. While I have concerns about the timing, I am voluntarily meeting with the PSNI this evening.’
He went on to say: `As a republican leader I have never shirked my responsibility to build the peace. This includes dealing with the difficult issue of victims and their families. Insofar as it is possible I have worked to bring closure to victims and their families who have contacted me. Even though they may not agree, this includes the family of Jean McConville.’
Mr Adams said: `I believe that the killing of Jean McConville and the secret burial of her body was wrong and a grievous injustice to her and her family.’
He added: `Well publicised, malicious allegations have been made against me. I reject these. While I have never disassociated myself from the IRA and I never will, I am innocent of any part in the abduction, killing or burial of Mrs McConville.’
He concluded: `Sinn Féin has signed up to the Haass proposals for dealing with the past. While I also respect the right of families if they wish to seek legal redress there remains a huge onus on the two governments and the political parties to face up to all these issues and to agree a victim centred process which does this.’

Cameron told: ‘no consistency on state killings’
Later on the evening of 1 May Martin McGuinness spoke by phone to British Prime Minister David Cameron, and told Mr Cameron there was `no consistency on the part of the British state on the issue of state killings’.
The Joint First Minister said that the PSNI was `duty bound to fully and energetically pursue all and every investigation and I support and encourage them to do so’. He went on to say `but I know that some investigations are pursued more vigorously than others’.
He added `the families of the 11 innocent victims murdered in cold blood by the Parachute Regiment in Ballymurphy, the victims of Bloody Sunday and those killed in the Dublin/Monaghan bombings which the British government are still withholding information on to this day are testament to this reality’.
Only this week, Mr McGuinness said `the British government told the Ballymurphy families there would be no review of those murders’, adding `no reinvestigation, no arrests, no compassion for their loss or grief and certainly no political consistency from the British state’.
He said that British forces were `protected and immune. That’s why the British government has not signed up to the Haass proposals.’

Sinn Féin election message is one of `hope and change’
On 27 April Sinn Féin president, as party of the party’s election campaigning, party President Gerry Adams TD urged the people of Dublin to support the party’s EU candidate Lynn Boylan, stating that Sinn Féin was committed to offering `new hope and real change based on genuine republican politics’ which would deliver for the people of Ireland in Europe.
Speaking at the launch of Lynn Boylan’s campaign Deputy Adams said Sinn Féin’s message was `one of hope’. He said `We are saying things do not have to be the way they are. There is a better way’.
He said Ireland was `a great country’ with `great people’ which did not have to be `resigned to huge levels of unemployment, emigration and austerity’.
He added `Together we can re-build this country, north and south. This requires a political step change. The EU and Local elections offer the prospect beginning that change. For too long, citizens in this state have endured a two-and-a-half party political system that has served them very badly.’
Sinn Féin were `clearly offering people new hope and the prospect of real change, based on genuine republican politics’, which was `about putting Ireland and Irish interests first in our dealings with the EU. It is about putting the interests of citizens at the heart of political decision making at all levels.’
He said it was `very clear that citizens are responding in every greater numbers to Sinn Féin’s message of hope and change. For the first time ever, every voter, in every county council on this island will have the opportunity to vote for Sinn Féin. Every Sinn Féin Councillor will be a committed voice for their community, putting the people’s interests at the heart of local government.’
He said Sinn Féin MEPs `will not be ‘yes men’ or ‘yes women’ in the EU. We have had enough of that. They will be Irish representatives in the EU, not EU representatives in Ireland’.
He urged people to `come out and help make 2014 the year change’ by voting Sinn Fein.

DUP `not elected to be messenger boys for Cameron’s millionaire cabinet’
On 20 April Sinn Féin MEP and candidate Martina Anderson was the keynote speaker at an Easter commemoration in Belfast, where she condemned British Tory policy threatening to `destroy the economy in the North through savage cuts to public funding and welfare’.
She said that `had not been for Sinn Féin, [DUP Minister] Nelson McCausland was quite prepared to implement the dictates of Cameron’s millionaire cabinet in Westminster – years ago without any change’.
She said Sinn Féin were `opposed to the agenda, which seeks to make the most vulnerable and ordinary working families pay for the greed and excesses of the bankers’ and had voted against the Tory proposals `at every stage in the Assembly’.
Criticising the DUP on the Executive, she said they `need to start behaving like ministers for the people’. She added `in recent weeks – Sammy Wilson, Simon Hamilton and Nelson McCausland have become messenger boys for the Tories in London – and now Peter Robinson has joined in as well.’
She concluded: `Sinn Féin is politically and ideologically opposed to the politics of austerity north, south and in Europe.’
Read the full text of the speech here.

Twin evils of Racism and Sectarianism need to be eradicated
On 2 May Sinn Féin MLA and Junior Minister Jennifer McCann said more needed to be done to `remove the scourges of racism and sectarianism from society’.
Speaking at the Belonging Exhibition, which tells individual stories of migrants who have came to Ireland, she said, `Unfortunately there are still people who would physically assault and intimidate someone simply because they are of a different race or religious background’.
She added `These attacks not only have a personal emotional effect on their victims, they have a negative impact on society as a whole. There is a clear need for Political and Civic leaders to condemn racial and sectarian attacks no matter who or where they come from, and there is no room for complacency.’

Sinn Féin calls for robust workers’ rights legislation
On 1 May – International Workers’ Rights Day — Sinn Féin’s Workers Rights spokesperson David Cullinane called for an end to zero hour contracts, and for the introduction of strong and robust anti-victimisation legislation and collective bargaining.
Speaking at the launch of Sinn Féin’s Workers’ Rights policy document Senator Cullinane said `One hundred years after the 1913 Lockout Ireland has the dubious distinction of being only one of three countries in the EU27 where the right to collective bargaining is not enshrined in law.’
He said `We must ensure that collective bargaining right are introduced without delay and that they are in keeping with International Labour Organisation conventions. Legislation must copper fasten the right to union recognition and treat collective bargaining as a basic human right.’
He added `Watered down legislation will not protect workers in the current economic climate. We need robust legislation that makes it compulsory for employers to recognise trade unions and that prohibits victimization of vulnerable workers. According to Eurostat over one fifth of the Irish workforce is low-paid. We also have a widening of the gap in terms of income distribution and an increase in the numbers of adults and children living in relative deprivation.’
He concluded: `Sinn Féin is committed to working with an independent and progressive labour movement to bring about change. Working together our task is to create a true republic that can deliver equality and justice for all our people and strong and robust workers right are a fundamental cornerstone of this project.’
* Sinn Fein’s Workers rights document can be found at www.sinnfein.ie

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