Sinn Fein
The Week in Review
12-18 December 2014

British government `must face up to its responsibilities’ – McGuinness
Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, speaking on 12 December, said the British government must `accept its responsibilities for the difficulties facing the political process’.
Martin McGuinness said Sinn Fein had entered the negotiation `positively on the basis of getting a comprehensive agreement’.
He said that in the 18 hours of his involvement in the negotiation `David Cameron made little or no contribution other than to duck his responsibilities and that of his government’.
He said there was `no credible financial package on offer which would enable the Executive to protect frontline public services or to deliver the type of Peace and Reconciliation work needed to stabilise the peace process.’
Instead, Mr McGuinness said, the British government was `wedded to a cuts agenda which no party here agreed to and which is already taking an horrendous toll on our public services and on the most vulnerable people in our society’.
He said the government also refused `to honour its commitment to hold an inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane’, adding `it is still trying to obstruct efforts to get truth and justice for the victims of state violence and collusion’. He said `disgracefully the Irish government has signed up to this agenda’.
He concluded: `This is unacceptable to Sinn Féin. We will continue to work with the other Executive parties but without a credible financial package progress is impossible’.

British government must end pretence of being neutral broker
On 15 December Sinn Féin MP Conor Murphy said that Theresa Villiers must `end the pretence’ that the British government is some sort of `neutral broker’ in the political process in the North.
Conor Murphy said there was `unanimity’ among all the political parties in the North of Ireland that the financial offer made by David Cameron was `derisory’.
He said the government, far from being neutral, was `a key player in the current talks and is responsible through its austerity policies and year-on-year cuts to the block grant for the financial crisis facing the Executive’.
He further criticised the British for `refusing to honour commitments’ made in the Good Friday and other agreements, including an Irish Language Act, an inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane and a Bill of Rights.
He said Theresa Villiers had `adopted a partisan pro-unionist approach to the parading issue pandering to a unionist demand for an Orange Order parade through a nationalist community in North Belfast’, adding that she was also `attempting to put further obstacles in the way of families trying to get truth and justice through coroners’ courts’.
He concluded that Sinn Fein remained committed to finding a solution and a way forward in the ongoing talks, but warned that this `requires the British government to step up to the plate and end its pretence that it is a disinterested party.’

Sinn Féin `will protect the most vulnerable’
ON 17 December, Sinn Féin MLA John O’Dowd urged a change of attitude from the British government if the all-party talks were to reach a comprehensive agreement.
Mr O’Dowd said the success of the talks depended `on David Cameron’s Tory government bringing forward realistic proposals for a significant financial package’. He added that Secretary of State Theresa Villiers, `also needs to stop negotiating on behalf of the DUP on the issues of flags, parading and the past’, and that `the British government is not a neutral broker’.
HE said the British government was `a key player and its year-on-year cuts to the Executive’s budget has had a destabilising and negative impact on the political institutions and on frontline public services’.
Calling for the need `to reach a comprehensive agreement on all the issues which have impacted on the Assembly’, Mr O’Dowd said that, in terms of welfare, Sinn Féin would `make no apologies for standing up for the poor, the unemployed and the most vulnerable in our society’.
He Sinn Féin wanted `a new society and protecting the most vulnerable is a key part of that’, concluding `We are clear on where we stand. It is now over to the British government to play its part in finding solutions.’

Kenny signed up to British agenda at talks – Adams
On 16 December Sinn Féin Leader Gerry Adams TD accused Taoiseach Edna Kenny of signing up to a British government agenda `to obstruct efforts to get truth and justice for the victims of state violence and collusion, including the family of murdered human rights lawyer Pat Finucane’.
Mr Adams asked the Taoiseach why he had signed up to a paper that it runs against the spirit and letter of the Good Friday and other Agreements.
Gerry Adams said the power-sharing and all-Ireland institutions currently faced `major economic and political challenges’. The economic challenges` arise from the British Tories’ austerity policies, the reduction of the Executive’s block grant and the lack of the financial powers needed to remodel the local economy’, he said. The political challenges arose `from the British government’s refusal to honour agreements and political unionism’s resistance to power sharing and partnership. No party in the North’s Executive has a mandate to implement policies which undermine political agreements and attack the rights and welfare of the most vulnerable in society.’
Mr Adams said that last week Enda Kenny and David Cameron tabled, on a take it or leave it basis, a paper which did just this:
`The Irish Government’s willingness to sign up to a joint Government paper that doesn’t mention Acht na Gaeilge or a Bill of Rights and which acquiesces to the British Government’s use of ‘national security’ to deny information for victims or to close down Article 2 compliant inquests, was deeply disappointing.
`Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, the Irish Government has a responsibility, as co-equal guarantor, to uphold all aspects of the agreement and to ensure that the British Government does likewise.’
He asked the Taoiseach to explain why he agreed to a paper which is so deficient that it runs against the spirit and the letter of the Good Friday Agreement and other agreements, some with an international status.
`Taoiseach, in your presence, the British Prime Minister told me that he would not be establishing an inquiry into the killing of human rights lawyer Pat Finucane, as he is obliged to under the Weston Park Agreement. You sat silently. Not one word.
`The British Government is still trying to obstruct efforts to get truth and justice for the victims of state violence and collusion. Why did you sign up to this agenda?
`Taoiseach, you cannot be a passive spectator. You are not a junior partner. You are the Taoiseach. As co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, you are duty bound to stand by it and subsequent agreements.’
The Sinn Féin Leader itemised other outstanding commitments yet to be implemented on the Taoiseach’s watch which include a Civic Forum in the North, An all-Ireland Consultative Forum, A Bill of Rights, An all-Ireland Charter of Rights, A Joint North/South Committee of the two Human Rights Commissions, Compliance with the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
Mr Adams said the current talks in the North could succeed and a deal could be done.
He concluded: `But this will not be on a purely British or unionist agenda. Irish national interests must be upheld.” He said this was the Taoiseach’s responsibility’.

Process not intervention required of Kenny and Cameron
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin chairperson Declan Kearney echoed the points that big challenges faced the political institutions, arising from `British Tories’ austerity policies, the reduction of the Executive’s block grant and the lack of the financial powers needed to remodel the local economy’.
He also underlined the political challenges arising from the British government’s `refusal to honor agreements and political unionism’s resistance to power sharing and partnership’.
He said Sinn Féin would `not accept policies which attack the most vulnerable, fail citizens’ rights and undermine agreements’, adding `if David Cameron and Enda Kenny want to properly address these economic and political challenges then they need to be involved in the process rather than an intervention’.
He urged both governments `to bring momentum and serious intent, and, assert the primacy of power sharing, keeping deals, mutual respect and equality. They should have come as champions of a comprehensive agreement. Instead they came up short in every respect’.
He said David Cameron had tabled, `on a take it or leave it basis, a derisory financial proposal, demanded welfare cuts, tried to dilute the Haass proposals; while kicking everything else up the road’. An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, he added, `unfortunately acquiesced with that approach; and then they both left. It was an example of how not to negotiate.’
Whilst the economic and political challenges remained, he concluded, the Executive needed to have `the financial wherewithal to do it’. Sinn Féin remained committed to negotiating `a comprehensive agreement’. He concluded, `we will continue working towards that outcome, despite the British and Irish governments’ stance. Sinn Féin will not be deflected from protecting the most vulnerable, promoting economic growth and job creation, achieving political stability and real power sharing.’

Call for Minister to meet GFA Committee and outline Government’s input to political talks in North
On 15 December Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris and other members of the Good Friday Agreement Committee called upon Irish government Minister Charlie Flanagan TD to come before the committee that week to report on the Governments input to the political talks in the North.
Deputy Ferris said the Good Friday Agreement Committee represented both Houses of the Oireachtas and its remit was `to consider ongoing developments in relation to the implementation of the Agreement and related matters.’
He said it was therefore important that the Committee had an opportunity `to hear directly from Minister Flanagan on how the Government, as joint guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, are fulfilling its responsibilities as part of the current talks process.
He said a number of Committee colleagues had written to the chair of the committee requesting that a special meeting be convened, requesting Minister Flanagan’s attendance, for a direct engagement in relation to the talks, `which we are very keen to see progressed.’
He concluded that they expected the meeting to take place prior to the recess `and that Minister Flanagan will welcome the opportunity to attend and engage on these matters.’

Diaspora `let down by the Government once more’
On 17 December Sinn Féin Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh criticised the Dublin government for failing the Irish diaspora again, by not following up on the commitment to implement the Constitutional Convention’s recommendation to hold a referendum on voting rights in Presidential elections to Irish citizens abroad.
Senator Ó Clochartaigh said the Minister had been `travelling extensively, giving the impression that a decision on this was imminent. It is clear that he has failed to impress this on his Cabinet colleagues who have once more kicked these rights to touch’.
Sinn Féin had, he said, `been advocating for these rights for a very long time and we would also like to see the debate extended to voting rights in Dáil & Seanad elections also’, adding `We also need to address the issue of representation for the Diaspora in the Seanad itself.’
He said `the rights we propose should also be shared with Irish citizens in the north but the government’s intransigence on issues in the six counties is indicative of their approach to our Irish who do not live in the 26 counties.’
Senator O Clochartaigh further called on the government to debate these issues in the Seanad after Christmas `as a matter of urgency’, arguing `it is not good enough to call on our Diaspora to support initiatives such as the Gathering and the 2016 Commemorations but not to reciprocate by extending voting and other rights to our citizens across the globe’.
He concluded: `This issue is particularly poignant at this time of year when many of our emigrants will come home to visit, only to return to their new homes in the New Year and there are also so many others who are exiled due to no fault of their own and are not in a position to be at home with family and friends at this time of year.’

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