Republican Sinn Féin

Republican Sinn Féin (RSF) is a political party operating in Ireland. It emerged in 1986 as a result of a split in Sinn Féin. The party views itself as representing "true" or "traditional" Irish republicanism, while in the mainstream media the party is portrayed as the political expression of "dissident republicanism".

Formation of party

The decision to form, or to reorganise or reconstitute as its supporters see it, the party was taken in response to Sinn Féin's decision at its 1986 ard fheis to end its policy of abstentionism and to allow elected Sinn Féin Teachtaí Dála take their seats in Dáil Éireann. Those who went on to form RSF opposed this move as it signalled a departure from the traditional republican analysis which viewed the parliament of the Republic of Ireland as an illegal assembly, set up by an act of the British parliament. They argued that republicans owed their allegiance to the Irish Republic, maintaining that this state existed de jure and that its authority rested with the IRA Army Council. (See: Irish republican legitimatism)

Although it was passed by a two-thirds majority, those who went on to form RSF claimed that the decision to end abstention was invalid under the Sinn Féin constitution, Section 1b of which stated: "No person ... who approves of or supports the candidature of persons who sign any form or give any kind of written or verbal undertaking of intention to take their seats in these institutions, shall be admitted to membership or allowed to retain membership." In protest, they staged a walkout from the ard fheis and "reconvened", as they claimed, the ard fheis at another venue. RSF subsequently claimed that the delegates who had voted to drop abstentionism had in effect expelled themselves from the party. It is on this basis that RSF views itself as the only party entitled to the name of Sinn Féin and the sole legitimate successor to the original Sinn Féin established in 1905.

This claim is rejected by most people who see themselves as Irish republicans. Sinn Féin points out that a previous party ard fheis in 1983 amended the constitution so that "no aspect of the constitution and rules be closed to discussion". This was done to enable the ard fheis to debate a motion to allow Sinn Féin candidates to stand in elections to the European Parliament and to take their seats if successful. Some argue that this argument is weakened, by the fact that candidature to the European Parliament had already been debated at the 1978 Ard Fheis, when a motion to stand candidates in the 1979 European elections was defeated at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis.. A vote to change abstentionism from a principle to a tactic failed to achieve a two-thirds majority vote in 1985. The results were 181 opposed and 161 in favour.

Leadership

Since its formation, Republican Sinn Féin has been led by Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, who was President of Sinn Féin from 1970 to 1983. He was joined by Dáithí Ó Conaill, another prominent figure in Sinn Féin and the IRA in the 1970s. The current Vice Presidents are Des Dalton and Josephine Hayden.

Membership

The party's membership has been and comes primarily from the twenty-six counties southern based membership of the movement who disagreed with Gerry Adams and his largely Northern based backers.

Relationship to other republican organisations

RSF sees itself as forming part of a wider Republican Movement with a number of organisations. These include the Continuity IRA, Cumann na mBan, Fianna Éireann, Cabhair and the National Commemmoration Committee. Across these organisations there is a high level of dual membership with RSF. RSF strenously rejects the allegation that it is the "political wing" of the Continuity IRA, as it denies that the latter is its "military wing". Despite these protestations, RSF has been proscribed by the United States State Department as terrorist organisation along with the Continuity IRA.

Electoral participation

Irish War of Independence veteran and RSF Patron, Dan Keating.

RSF remains a fringe party and continues its policy of abstentionism, thus meaning they have not stood in elections to either the Commons, the Dáil or the Northern Irish assembly. It refused to recognise the validity of the Good Friday Agreement as it argues that referendum on the agreement did not offer the people of Ireland the choice of living in a united Ireland, and that the referendum was invalid since separate votes were held in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

It opposes the Northern Ireland Assembly as it feels it this further entrenches British presence in Ireland, adding that "those nationalists who took their seats in the new Stormont" were "guilty of treachery to the Irish Republic." [1]

The party occasionally stands in local elections in Republic of Ireland however they do not contest elections in Northern Ireland. They did initially plan to contest the 1989 local government elections in Northern Ireland and had planned to run 23 candidates in that year, with three of those being sitting councillors elected for Sinn Fein in 1985. However shortly before those elections, the British Government introduced a requirement that all prospective candidates must sign an anti-violence declaration. RSF refused to do so on the grounds that such an oath "calls for the public disowning of the Irish Republican Army, Cumann na mBan, Fianna Éireann and a repudiation of the right of the Irish people to use force of arms to end British occupation." [2] Consequently their candidates became ineligible.

They stand on a platform of the establishment of social justice based on what they describe as the principles of Irish Republican Socialism, based on the 1916 proclamation of an Irish Republic. They also have a policy named Éire Nua ("New Ireland"), which would see the establishment of a 32 county Ireland completely independent of the United Kingdom and set up as a federation of the four Irish provinces.

2004 RSF Local Elections Results

Republican Sinn Féin ran seven candidates in the last local elections in the Republic of Ireland. The party's only elected representative lost his seat in the elections. Netting a total of 2,403 first preference votes, the RSF share of the total valid poll (1,819,761) was 0.13 per cent.

• Councillor Seán Lynch stood for re-election in the Drumlish district for Longford County Council and received 441 or 15.90% of the vote (Quota: 694). He was eliminated on the 2nd count and lost his seat to Martin Mulleady of Fianna Fáil.
• Tomás Ó Curraoin stood in the Conamara district for Galway County Council, receiving 1,076 or 6.46% of the first preference votes and was eliminated on the 13th count. The quota was 2,084.
• Seán O'Neill stood in the Limerick No 4 district for Limerick City Council and received 256 or 5.26% of the vote. The quota was 974 and he was eliminated on the 6th count.
• Mick Ryan stood in the Limerick No 1 area of Limerick City Council and received 263 or 4.02% of the vote. The quota was 1,092 and Ryan was eliminated on the 5th count, receiving no expenses.
• Des Dalton stood in the Athy district for Kildare County Council, receiving 131 or 4.45% of the vote and was eliminated on the 11th Count. The quota was 295.
• Terence Varian stood for the Midleton Town Council and received 57 or 1.61% of the vote. He was the first to be eliminated and lost his deposit. The quota was 355.
• Donal Varian stood for CobhTown Council and received 179 or 3.85% of the vote. He lost his deposit.

1999 RSF Local Elections Results

• Councillor Sean Lynch stood for reelection in the Drumlish area of Longford County Council and was elected with 478 first preferences which was 20.78% of the vote.

• Joe O'Neill stood in the Donegal electoral area of Donegal County Council and received 180 first preferences which was 1.36% of the vote. The quota was 1,891 and O'Neill lost his deposit and was first eliminated.

• Councillor Joe O'Neill also stood for re-election to the Bundoran Urban District Council and received 47 first preferences which was 4.31% of the vote. The quota was 110 and he was eliminated.

• John MacElhinney stood for election to the Letterkenny Urban District Council and received 39 first preferences or 0.69% of the vote. The quota was 564 and he was first eliminated and also lost his deposit.

• Des Long, who was the vice president of Republican Sinn Fein at the time, stood in Limerick No 4 Limerick City Council receiving 148 or 3.59% of the vote and lost his deposit. The quota was 825.

• Tomas Curraoin stood in Conamara receiving 584 or 4.64% of the vote. The quota was 1,574.

• Geraldine McNamara stood in Tipperary Urban District Council Tipperary South Riding County Council receiving 63 or 2.69% of the vote. The quota was 235.

1991 RSF Local Elections Results

The results for 1991 are only partially available. A number of other people stood for RSF including Joe O'Neill in Bundoran, Sean Lynch in Longford, Tomás Ó Curraoin, David Joyce and Frank Glynn in Galway, and Jimmy Kavanagh in Wexford. Two sitting councillors, Joe O'Neill and Seán Lynch were reelected.

• Peter Cunningham stood in the Tallaght/Oldbawn electoral area of the South Dublin County Council. He polled 125 first preference votes which was 1.78% of the votes. He was the first to be eliminated and he lost his deposit.

• Joe O'Neill also stood in the Donegal electoral area of Donegal County Council and received 377 first preference votes which was 3.18% of the total votes. The quota was 1,693 and he was eliminated.

Internal tensions

In September 2005, a number of cumann (or branches) and individual members of RSF left the party in protest over the party's treatment of Continuity IRA prisoners held in Portlaoise Prison. As a consequence of this dispute, a number of people resigned from RSF and formed the Concerned Group for Republican Prisoners to raise funds and provide moral support for the former Continuity IRA-aligned prisoners they support.

External link

• Official web site