.700 delegates, social issue.
overturn Sinn seats in parliament.
constitution.
For 65 years, parliament or any torious. As most Workers Party.
ties. Brian MacDonald, abstention.
John Joe McGirl also spoke cerence of the change OVER 1,000 people, including crammed Dublin's Mansion House for the 1986 Sinn Fein Ard Fheis (naGalway, tional conference) last weekend.
The Ard Fheis discussed a wide range of questions — prisoners, and economic policy, foreign policy, the party's press, abortion, culture. We will be reporting on these in our next rostrum to But the conference was dominated by the decision to Fein's abstentionist position as regards taking Dublin's Dail, or The motion from Sinn Fein's leadership to change the position on abstentionism, and take the seats in the Dail, was passed by 429 votes to 161 - thus securing the necessary ing reality 2/3 majority to change Sinn Fein's By Jon Silberman in Dublin has to continue rerusea to enter cuner tne brius.
"partitionist assembley in Ireland — whether in the 26 county state in the South or in the North. The party has stood candidates in elections but they have refused to take their seats if vicpeople in the South will not vote for candidates on that basis this has left politics in LIUSL the 26 counties free for those parties years'. which in practice prop up British rule in the North — Fine Fail, Fianna Gael, the Labour Party, and the Sinn Fein's decision to take seats to which it is elected in the Southern Parliament is therefore a direct Fein challenge to the pro-partition parhead of Sinn Fein's publicity department stressed that the need to develop an al-ireland powical auernalve wa. at the heart of the discussion on tiny splinter Fein' Party veterans Joe Cahill and in McGirl received a standing ovation as he Ard Fheis. told delegates that 'the important thing is to win. not to hand thi struggle down to future generations.
Delegate McGovern associated with the republican movement for 40 years, underscored this point. "This is a revolution of the whole country, north and south'.
Sinn Fein vice-president, Martin McGuinness came the put the case against abstention. McGuinness refuted the suggestion that what was involved was ending the armed struggle in the north. We must accept, he said, that 'after 65 years of republican struggle, republican agitation, republican sacrifice and republican rhetoric, we have signally failed to convince a majority of people in the 26 Counties that the republican movement has any relevance to them. By ignorwe remain alone and isolated on the high altar of abstentionism, divorced from the people of the 26 Counties and easily dealt with by those who wish to defeat us. Such a situation cannot be allowed Countering the suggestion that reversal of abstentionism would be applauded by the British government, McGuinness said to loud applause 'they fear this movement, they fear this leadership. They have every right to fear us because in or out of Leinster House we head the dangerous committed revolutionary force in Ireland for 65 Immediately following the Ard Fheis, the Dublin prime minister, Garret Fitzgerald issued a prepared statement. He urged all 'democratic political parties' to join together in a campaign to ensure that no Sinn representative was elected. Every major British paper carried material reporting and analysing Sinn Fein's decision. The Southern irish press, and government, have turned to attempting to build up the 'Republican Sinn Dy Ruairi O'Bradaigh. This had no support in the IRA, and was supported by only around 30 of the delegates to the