Clash of Rose and Micheál bears testimony to bigger battle at play
A political view by The Tallyman
IT is a fact that Rose Conway-Walsh's success in winning a seat in Dáil Éireann for the first time in last February's general election was due to the fact that traditional Fianna Fáil supporters switched their votes to her.
Nowhere in the county was her 14% hike in support more graphically illustrated than in Castlebar where her first preference return increased by 3,093 in a contest in which local Fianna Fáil candidate Lisa Chambers' support dropped by 1,255 in the county town, a decline which resulted in the loss of her seat.
With that in mind, it was fascinating to see Deputy Conway-Walsh explaining to Fianna Fáil leader, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, in Dáil Éireann in recent days how many supporters were leaving his party and, she claimed, joining Sinn Féin.
She asserted that it was as a direct result of the fact that nowhere in the 1,900 words of the programme for government section on the shared island unit does it mention 'a united Ireland'.
"The folly of partition is demonstrated over and over again, more recently with Brexit and Covid-19, and dismantling it, while always important, is now urgent.”
In anticipating a firm rebuttal from Deputy Martin, she continued: "Before he gives me a lecture about Sinn Féin having disregard for the Protestant, unionist or loyalist population, I tell the Taoiseach that I am a mother from the far west of Ireland.
"I was born in London and I lived a very good part of my life in England.
"I want the same opportunities for my sons as do mothers in east Belfast. I want to see a good, a respectful relationship between both our islands that embraces the Irish living in Britain and the British living in Ireland."
An Taoiseach saw red.
He hit back: "I do not need lectures from Deputy Conway-Walsh or from Sinn Féin.
"Working with others, Fianna Fáil was essential to the Good Friday Agreement.
"Fianna Fáil enabled Deputy Conway-Walsh's party to give up the gun. Sinn Féin endorsed violence as the way to unify Ireland and did more damage to Irish unity than anybody else.
"Sinn Féin continues to endorse that narrative of violence, not understanding that every time it does so it makes it more difficult than ever to get a united Ireland or to get consent."
The 'united Ireland' debate has been lingering behind the scenes in recent weeks, albeit in the shadows of Covid and Brexit.
And it's clear Sinn Féin is going to raise it whenever the opportunity exists to do so.
From a political perspective, however, it serves to underline Sinn Féin’s successful strategy of eating into Fianna Fáil's power base.
This strategy won't be combated by Fianna Fáil by hard-hitting words from its leader.
It needs to be far more sophisticated and organised than that.