Adams may step down ‘in months’
… and guess who’s likely to replace him (hint: it’s not who you think)
SENIOR members of the Sinn Féin party are discussing the possible retirement of Gerry Adams as party leader, the Irish Mail on Sunday has learned.
In a surprise move, Mr Adams is expected to hand over leadership of the party to Pearse Doherty – rather than the perceived favourite, deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald.
Party sources are at odds as to when this will happen, with some
‘The Adams factor had a negative impact’
estimating 18 months to two years and others believing it could happen much sooner – even as early as the party’s ard fheis later this month.
There is anger in the usually disciplined party at the General Election performance. Senior strategists had expected to win at least 30 seats but ended up with only 23.
Mr Adams’s bad performances in leaders’ TV debates are believed to have been damaging to the party’s prospects. He also made a number of mistakes on economic issues in major interviews.
A senior republican source said last night: ‘I am aware that the Adams factor had a negative impact among some of the electorate. Everybody accepts that Gerry is not going to go on forever and that, at some time during this Dáil, there is going to be transition and change, and it has to be in the next year or two,’ he said.
It is believed that the Northern power base of the party favours Mr Adams passing over the leadership to Pearse Doherty, which will displease Mary Lou McDonald.
A party spokeswoman dismissed as ‘speculation’ rumours that Mr Adams would stand down at Easter, as was reported by Ivan Yates in yesterday’s Irish Independent. But Sinn Féin figures told the MoS that Mr Adams’s poor grasp of economic issues was damaging the party.
There are also concerns about bad vote management and faulty strategy. The leader will take the rap for this also.
There was particular disquiet in the party at the decision to run three candidates in Donegal.
Finance spokesman Pearse Doherty was elected but the popular Pádraig Mac Lochlainn lost his seat.
Mr Doherty admitted this week that his party made a mistake with its strategy in Donegal. A senior source agreed last night.
‘I think it was a mistake, I don’t think they factored in the strength of Pat the Cope Gallagher as a vote- getter,’ he said.
Sinn Féin says it will not consider coalition with Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. ‘The reasoning is that Sinn Féin doesn’t want to be in government with Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. No way in the world – because we’d be crucified,’ said the source.
‘We will try to put together a leftwing alliance but it may go nowhere; it’s too fragmented,’ the source added, saying he expected Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to enter some sort of coalition deal.
As well as having discussions with left-wing parties, Sinn Féin is having an internal debate on whether to put Mr Adams forward for taoiseach when the Dáil meets again next week.
‘Coalition? No way. We would be crucified’
A senior source revealed there is an intense post mortem being conducted within the party about the General Election, which would include an assessment of the leader’s performance during the campaign.
‘There are concerns about some aspects. We were very unlucky in some of the constituencies,’ said the TD.
But analysing the election will take a few months – which probably rules out the possibility of Mr Adams stepping down imminently.