Mary Lou McDonald, the leader of Sinn Féin, has declared her belief in her continued support from the party throughout Ireland, despite underwhelming results in local and European elections in the Republic. She made her comments after a consultation with Sinn Féin’s Ard Comhairle in Dublin, reaffirming her intention to bring the party forward into the forthcoming general election.
She openly accepted the findings of an in-party review on their performance in the Republic’s recent elections, concluding she needs to enhance communication and policy clarity while becoming more available to party members. McDonald remarked that comments from within the party suggested she needs to “be her most genuine and real self”, and that they anticipated stronger interaction with the grassroots and party constituents at every level.
Despite facing criticism from within the organisation, McDonald, who’s known for embracing feedback, remained unfazed. Sinn Féin secured third place in both local and European elections, with an underwhelming average of less than 12% of the vote.
She noted a performance discrepancy in the two elections, as the party seized seven seats in the Westminster general election and saw an increase in vote share, outperforming expectations. However, this success was not replicated in the South. McDonald acknowledged a need to improve on paying attention to feedback from the grassroots level.
McDonald’s pronouncement came after the Ard Comhairle meeting, in the presence of Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill, MEP elect Kathleen Funchion, and prominent spokespersons Louise O’Reilly and Matt Carthy. She acknowledged the party’s setback in the elections, admitting that they had failed to meet the expectations of their key supporters and that they had lost their trust and support, compared to their results in the North. McDonald also accepted the party’s error in backing the overwhelmingly rejected family and care referendums.
Over the matter of immigration, Ms McDonald expressed that her party’s stance wasn’t growing tougher, but more defined due to previous ambiguity. The voter base seeks expedited asylum procedures and well-defined guidelines about who is allowed into the country, their employment rights, and the assistance they are entitled to. Continued surveys reveal the party’s core supporters are among the most stringent when it comes to unlawful immigration.
Ms McDonald pointed out the many overlooked concerns of working-class societies, criticising the misjudgement of their issues as irrelevant or dismissed outright. She emphasised the need to change this approach. Her party speaks for numerous struggling communities constantly battling the adverse effects of insufficient opportunities and subpar services.
She insisted on a system, emphatically opposed to racism, that acknowledges everyone should be treated with dignity and fairness. It also needs to ensure the immigration procedure is operating smoothly and impartially. Many supporters felt unheard and believed that the party wasn’t sufficiently mirroring their concerns.
The review opens the door for candidate nominations to begin in the summer, in anticipation of elections that is expected to occur in the autumn.