Sinn Féin members are gathering in Athlone this weekend for the party’s ardfheis. The clár – or programme – for the event is entitled “Time for Change”. It contains 190 motions on everything from – no surprise here – Irish unity and housing to a review of policy on gender identity and holding a referendum on neutrality.
As all parties know, there is much political theatre at annual conferences and it is rare there are truly divisive motions. But here are 10 things on the minds of Sinn Féin activists as the party continues to prepare for government on both sides of the Border.
Irish Unity
To deal with the biggie and most obvious first, the ardchomhairle, Sinn Féin’s ruling body, has a motion on planning for Irish unity. It asks the ardfheis to note the Belfast Agreement as the democratic means to achieve unity and calls for the Irish Government to prepare for it.
The Coalition’s Shared Island initiative is described as “a positive development”, although Sinn Féin says it should be expanded. It calls for the setting up of an all-island Citizens’ Assembly on Irish unity as well as a dedicated Oireachtas committee. It also calls on the Government to “work with other parties, civic society, the British government and the international community to ensure the date is set for the unity referendums”. The motion says: “A Sinn Féin government would progress the above initiatives without delay.” The vote on this takes place on Saturday.
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More liberal drugs laws?
A Sinn Féin cumann in Wexford asked the ardfheis to recognise that “drug addiction is a health problem and any future Sinn Féin government would not seek to penalise minor possession of drugs by people along the lines of the Portuguese model [where possession has been decriminalised]”. However, a separate motion by the ardchomhairle did not go this far. It talked about engaging with the outcome of the Citizens’ Assembly on drugs and “furthering an approach to drug addiction that is compassionate, health-oriented and human-rights based”. The ard comhairle motion was passed, meaning the one on backing Portuguese-style drugs laws fell.
Reconnecting with the youth wing
A motion from the Robert Emmet Cumann in Kimmage/Rathmines says that a “vibrant and active youth membership is vital for the future of Sinn Féin”. It acknowledged “that there has been a disconnect between Ógra Sinn Féin and local party structures” and proposed the appointment of youth officers to develop local youth membership and co-ordinate with the youth wing regionally and nationally. The motion was passed.
Housing
The 26-county parliamentary group has a motion calling on the ardfheis to agree that, among other things, “the longer Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are in power the worse the housing crisis will get” and that tackling the issue “requires a Sinn Féin-led government”. Expect this one to pass on Saturday.
Review of policy on gender identity
The ardchomhairle had a motion calling for “a review of policy on gender identity, given the public discourse and society’s understanding of the concept of gender has been developing in recent years, with the aim of ensuring that our policies are balanced, compassionate, inclusive and human rights compliant”. Sinn Féin’s cumainn in Drimnagh, Inchicore and Celbridge tabled a motion that “sends solidarity to LGBTQIA members and citizens whose rights are being further undermined by a small but noisy cohort”. It also condemned “the increasing attacks on trans and gender nonconforming people, who comprise a very small minority in our communities”. The same motion called for “a compassionate and inclusive review into our policies on gender-affirming healthcare and we commit to implementing a model of care in line with best international practice”. Both motions passed.
Travel rights for former ‘political prisoners’
A motion from the Countess Markievicz/Tadhg Barry Cumann asked members to “recognise the profound injustice that former political prisoners and their families face, being denied the fundamental right to travel freely to the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico despite their significant contributions to our journey towards a United Ireland”. It asked the ardfheis to urge “diplomatic dialogues” with these countries to advocate for the restoration of travel rights. The motion passed.
Hunting and hare coursing
On Friday evening the party’s ardchomhairle asked members to acknowledge the existence of traditional rural occupations such as hunting and hare coursing. It believes outright bans would “drive these practices underground” and that “instead they should be strongly regulated and alternatives such as drag hunting and lure coursing promoted and incentivised”. Other motions called for bans. The Kildare town branch of the party tabled a motion describing fox hunting as “a barbaric remnant of an alien aristocracy”. It called for Sinn Féin to support a ban “due to the indefensible cruelties inflicted on the native Irish fox”. The Maynooth Cumann wanted the party to support a ban on all types of hare coursing. The ard comhairle’s motion passed, meaning those calling for outright bans fell.
More swimming pools
A motion calling for “an audit of all swimming pools and the creation of a ring-fenced local Government fund to maintain, repair and bring back into use public swimming pools” passed on Friday evening.
Climate Action
Sinn Féin often gets attacked by rival parties for being weak on climate action. A motion from its 26-county parliamentary group calls for the ardfheis to state, among other things, that it “fully supports the target of net zero by 2050 for the island of Ireland” and it calls for the acceleration of the development of renewable energy. Members will vote on Saturday.
A referendum on Irish neutrality
The ardchomhairle has a motion on Saturday on “Sinn Féin’s steadfast commitment to protect and enhance Ireland’s military neutrality and independent foreign policy”. Among other measures, it commits to “establishing a Citizens’ Assembly with a view to agreeing a wording on a constitutional amendment and holding a referendum that would enshrine the principle of military neutrality within Bunreacht na hÉireann”.
