Media Blackout Gives Expected results

international | politics / elections | press release Friday March 09, 2007 17:00 by Seán Ó Murchú - Sinn Féin Poblachtach - Cork

Statement from Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, President Republican Sinn Féin.

Given the almost total media blackout of Republican Sinn Féin during the Stormont election the results for its candidates were only as expected. Even the name of Republican Sinn Féin was suppressed by the Stormont régime’s electoral body and a compliant media followed suit. Our candidates were styled “Independents”, taking away our coherent strategy and sense of direction.

Although not registered as a “party” at Leinster House for 40 years, the media in the 26 Counties do not class Republican Sinn Féin candidates as “Independents”, but treat them as an organised body.

Indeed, on the TG4 television programme Seacht Lá on polling day, a commentator [Tomás Tiernan] stated that there was a complete block on publicity for Republican Sinn Féin and that there appeared to have been an agreement between the various channels to this effect.

The result was, that denied publicity and even their organisation’s name, our six candidates were consigned to a welter of Independent candidates, without the distinction of the Republican Sinn Féin title and direction. Of course the harassment by the RUC/PSNI of our election workers continued during the campaign.

As to the general results, the DUP is moving towards a monolithic Unionist Party such as existed up to the 1960s . With its increased vote it will impose even more humiliating terms on the Provisionals.

The Provos, for their part, will go on to consolidate English rule here, to lead away from Irish national independence and secure lucrative positions of power for their leadership within the system.

For Republican Sinn Féin the task must be to build support, to expose the direction of the Provisional leadership and the mis-use of the unionist population by their leaders and by unscrupulous English governments.