Cork Senator Nicole Ryan has reiterated her full confidence in Mary Lou McDonald continuing as the leader of Sinn Féin.
Ms Ryan dismissed suggestions that a new party leader is required to reignite the party following disappointing results in the recent bye-elections. “Absolutely no questions asked or given. For me I wouldn’t have any questions around her leadership. She has been fantastic so far and she will be continue to be that way. You can’t pay too much heed to polls until election time. Until then anything can happen.”
Encouragingly for Sinn Féin, the most recent Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks poll indicated that support has grown by one percentage point to 20pc.
Senator Ryan is confident the Sinn Féin message of change is resonating with all strands of Irish society. “We are hoping to strengthen the message as well. Each area is so different. You have urban and rural and the divide is stark. It is knowing what is important to people and where people are at. I think young people are looking for a change, whether that be Sinn Féin or Social Democrats, whoever. They are really starting to get their teeth into politics.
“I know that 10 or 15 years ago, I wouldn’t have cared for politics because it didn’t affect me as much back then. Whereas now, young people are feeling the policies. Young people are looking for a better future and I totally understand that,” she added.
The Irish Government has been urged to put in the groundwork and ramp up preparations for Irish unity.
Ms Ryan made the comments after UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently sparked a political row after he said a border poll is “off the table”.
Speaking in Belfast, Mr Burnham said the “rifts” arising from referendums take a long time to heal, referring to Brexit and the Scottish independence referendum.
“Some issues will be off the table, and that is one issue that will be off the table,” he said.
In response to Mr Burnham’s comments, Ms Ryan highlighted the right to a referendum on Irish unity is enshrined in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. “In the Good Friday Agreement, it was agreed that a border poll would be held one day. We must do the work. Come election time the parties will promise the sun, moon and the stars regarding Irish unity, but when they get back into government, they put it on the backburner. There are only so many backburners you can do. It is the same with housing and health. We do need to start. It must start somewhere.”
“You can’t just say that right now is not the time,” stated Senator Ryan as she implored parties to work together for Irish unity. “As a government you should be able to do multiple things effectively at the same time. You can’t just say that we are focusing on this area right now. There is enough of us all to do the work for the unity issue.
“It will require all of us, including the government and the opposition working together. We must prepare. There are roadmaps and paths. We know that a referendum won’t be held tomorrow. You must put in the groundwork,” she added.