THE British general election, the Northern Ireland local elections and the expected general election in the Republic will give Sinn Fein an unprecedented opportunity to, grasp electoral support, the party's chairman, Mr Mitchel McLaughlin, said yesterday.
He was speaking at a press briefing in Dublin for the party's one day ardfheis in Monaghan town next Sunday.
This ardfheis will be the first since the broadcasting restrictions under Section 31 were lifted. He said it would enable the party to get across its message in the Republic in a way that was not possible before.
"There is now a more level playing pitch in the media," said Sinn Fein Ardchomhairle member, Mr Caoimhghin O Caolain, who will run in the Cavan Monaghan constituency.
"We have great expectations in Cavan/Monaghan," said Mr McLaughlin.
Mr O Caolain said the party's priority was to re create the opportunity for a real and lasting peace.
"We are holding our ardfheis at a time of great flux and uncertainty, but what is certain is Sinn Fein's absolute commitment to our strategy for peace and our termination not to be deflected from it by those who want to return to the past," he added.
Mr O Caolain said one of the purposes of the ardfheis will be to demonstrate that Sinn Fein is an all Ireland party. "In the elections, north and south, Sinn Fein is standing on an election platform which emphasises an all Ireland dimension, both in our peace strategy and in our social and economic problems," he added.
He criticised the depiction of Ireland as an economic Celtic Tiger, "a dazzling image that its creators protect against any probing". Mr O Caolain said the economic boom in the "26 counties" had meant unprecedented prosperity for a small minority but was sustained by workers who had been allowed little share in it.
Mr McLaughlin repeated the party's criticism of the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, who said a vote lord Sinn Fein was equivalent to a vote for the IRA. He said the Taoiseach should consider instead whether he had used all the resources of the Government to keep the peace process on track.