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Sinn Féin representatives were “summoned” to the funeral of Republican veteran Bobby Storey in defiance of coronavirus restrictions in a planned effort to push a political message “down everyone’s throats,” the Taoiseach said.
In a marked departure from his earlier insistence that people not “over judge” the large attendance at the former IRA figure’s funeral in Belfast in June, Micheál Martin suggested it was evidence of “behind the scenes” control over elected members. of the party.
“There are people who are not elected, it seems to me, who have a greater influence over the elected representatives,” he said.
Citing Storey’s funeral, where mourners included Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, former leader Gerry Adams and North Deputy Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill, Martin described it as a “political funeral.”
The decision was made to “challenge” public health guidelines “to make a very clear political statement about the war, as they would call it,” he told the MacGill School, which is being kept online due to the pandemic.
“People from all over the country were summoned to attend to make a statement,” he said.
‘Toe the line’
The participation was part of Sinn Féin’s attempts to control a narrative around the Troubles that is “being pushed down everyone’s throats,” Olivia O’Leary told interviewer on Saturday.
“I have a problem with that, I really see that kind of behavior as illustrative of the behind-the-scenes influence … that this is what we’re going to do here and it’s better that everyone follow the line here,” he said.
When asked about attending the funeral in July, Mr. Martin was reluctant to criticize, saying that “his general perspective on this is to try to make sure that this does not harm or undermine the institutions of the North.”
“The only point I would like to make is that we have to be careful not to over-judge people’s behavior,” he said at the time.
When asked on Saturday about sharing power with Sinn Féin going forward, Mr. Martin said that “fundamentally, Sinn Féin is a party that needs to change. It is a very controlling party over its members and has been for quite some time. ”
He said that to be in the government of a party, you would have to be satisfied that it is run by elected representatives.
“I have never felt satisfied to this day that has been the case with the modern Sinn Féin party,” he said.
Irish unit
Mr. Martin also denied that there has been any deviation from Fianna Fáil’s central policy of the political reunification of Ireland.
At the launch of the Government’s Shared Island initiative during the week, he said that his own priority was to promote greater North-South cooperation, prioritizing sharing the island over reunification.
Some TDs in his party have criticized him for not using the term “United Ireland” anymore. But the Taoiseach insisted on Saturday that “Fianna Fáil is committed to a united Ireland, that has always been her position.”
It was “very false and frankly misinformed” to suggest that a shared island agenda in the context of the Belfast Accord “is deviating in some way from Fianna Fail’s policy,” he added.
“It’s silly… I don’t think it’s fair. For me, it is a very noble goal to tell all the beliefs on this island, how we share this island, “he said, adding that his approach” is more in tune with the Irish people, “he said.
“We have researched Northern Ireland ourselves as a political party for the last few years.
“We have identified a very strong middle ground in Northern Ireland, who wants to do things for them, who wants to create a future.”
Martin said he is “very impatient and hungry for real progress on these kinds of issues.”
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