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Sinn Fein

Sinn Fein Leader Gerry Adams Backs Northern Ireland Peace Accord

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and his IRA-allied party made a significant shift in their stance by backing the Northern Ireland peace accord. In a long-awaited decision, 331 out of 350 party activists voted to permit their leaders to participate in the compromise administration for Northern Ireland. This reversal of decades-old policy was reached after several hours of public debate at the Royal Dublin Society hall. The decision does not mean that Sinn Fein has accepted the right of Northern Ireland to exist, but rather an acknowledgment that the party must sit on the proposed 108-seat assembly in Belfast, which would be overseen by a 12-person Executive from several parties, including Sinn Fein.

Key Takeaways:

  • 331 out of 350 Sinn Fein activists voted to let their leaders participate in the compromise administration for Northern Ireland, marking a significant shift in the party's stance.
  • The decision was made after several hours of public debate at the Royal Dublin Society hall, where Adams and Martin McGuinness argued that the party had to sit on the proposed 108-seat assembly in Belfast.
  • The party's reversal of decades-old policy does not mean that Sinn Fein has accepted the right of Northern Ireland to exist, and Gerry Adams emphasized this point during the conference.
  • IRA dissidents claimed responsibility for firing two mortar shells at a police barracks in the Northern Ireland border town of Belleek during the conference.
  • Gerry Kelly, a Sinn Fein negotiator, stated that "going into the assembly is the right tactic at this time" in support of the party's decision.
  • The British temporarily freed four influential IRA prisoners from Northern Ireland prisons to permit them to attend the debate, while the Irish government also freed the IRA's four longest-serving prisoners to attend the conference.
  • The decision was reached by a near-unanimous show of hands, demonstrating the party's united support behind the peace accord.

Statistics:

  • 331: The number of Sinn Fein activists who voted to let their leaders participate in the compromise administration for Northern Ireland.
  • 350: The total number of Sinn Fein activists who attended the conference and voted on the crucial question.
  • 108: The number of seats in the proposed assembly in Belfast, which would be overseen by a 12-person Executive from several parties, including Sinn Fein.
  • 12: The number of members in the 12-person Executive that would oversee the 108-seat assembly in Belfast.
  • 1920: The year in which the Protestant-majority state of Northern Ireland was founded.

Sources:

  • Associated Press: Shawn Pogatchnik, "Adams Leads Sinn Fein to Endorse NI Peace Plan" (no date specified in the original text)
  • Paul McErlane, "Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, left, and Gerry Adams, right, welcome Hugh Doherty of the IRA to Sunday's conference" (no date specified in the original text)

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