Sinn Féin needs to ‘cop on’ after electoral nosedive – McDonald

Sinn Féin needs to “cop on” to the lessons dealt out by its drubbing at the local and European elections, Mary Lou McDonald has admitted.

But the party president dismissed any questions over her stewardship of the rank and file, saying she would not stand down over the collapse in support.

“You can’t be a fair weather leader,” she said.

“If that were the case, the minute you hit turbulence you jump and you run - that is not how I am.

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“I believe the real mettle of a leader is tested when things don’t go your way.”

As her party reflects on its bruising at the polls, Ms McDonald said she didn’t see it coming and has yet to work out what factors were chiefly to blame.

“Did I imagine we were going to have such a bad day out, such a disappointing result? The answer to that is no,” she said.

Ms McDonald said she could not attribute the poor performance to one single factor and was working with party colleagues nationally to explore the causes.

“It is easy to lead or be part of collective leadership when you’re on a surge or having a good day out,” she said.

“The real test of your commitment and your skill as a leader is when things don’t go your way.

“So all of us – myself included – need to have the humility to accept we had a bad day out and then we need to have the cop on, quite frankly, and wisdom to learn our lessons.”

Stormont

Turning to the political stasis in the North, the Sinn Féin leader sounded a positive note on the ongoing talks to break its stalemate with the Democratic Unionists, which has shut down Stormont for more than two and a half years.

“It is unacceptable and it is unsustainable,” she said of the impasse over a number of issues including the Irish language and same-sex marriage.

“I am really really hopeful – in fact I am really determined – that this opportunity that has been presented (by the talks) is grasped and that all of us demonstrate creativity and leadership and get the rights issues resolved and get good government, sustainable power-sharing in place.

“When that moment arrives, to grasp that opportunity, let me reassure you that I wont need any coaxing and Sinn Féin wont need any convincing.”

Speaking to RTÉ Radio, Ms McDonald added that her party would “talk to everybody” after the next general election in the Republic about going into government in Dublin.

“That means Independents, it means Greens, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.. because I think that is what grown-ups do,” she said.

The Sinn Féin leader also signalled she may never walk behind the controversial “England Get Out of Ireland” banner at the New York St Patrick’s Day parade again, admitting her “regret” at the fall-out over her being photographed with the slogan in March.

“Would I walk behind it again, given the furore it caused? I’m not sure,” she said.