THE Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, has been accused of a "partitionist" attitude by his SDLP rival, the sitting West Belfast MP, Dr Joe Hendron. He was commenting on Mr Adams's reaction to the statement by the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, that a vote for Sinn Fein was a vote for IRA violence. Mr Adams had called on the Taoiseach to help rebuild the peace process instead of intervening in an election "which his, party, or he himself, have not the courage to contest".
"Since when has Sinn Fein decided that a Taoiseach of the day should be precluded from commenting on matters of legitimate interest to all the Irish people?" Dr Hendron asked. "Since when did Sinn Fein's partners, the IRA, decide to seek the authority of the Irish people when it, decided to embark on a bloody and vicious war against the Irish people?"