LETTER OF THE WEEK

Mary Lou’s not so hot now

FOR a long time before she ascended to the head of Sinn Féin, Mary Lou McDonald was praised. Many commentators seemed to think that with Gerry Adams gone and her in charge, the party would become unstoppable.

It’s rather wonderful to see how wrong people can be.

We were led to believe that running a candidate for the presidency would be a golden opportunity for Sinn Féin at a time when Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were not fielding anyone. In the end, though, Liath Ní Riada was a flop, coming in fourth place and spending much of the campaign trying to wriggle out of questions about vaccines and her salary.

Now Peadar Tóibín has been suspended from the party over abortion. That follows the resignation of another TD.

Suddenly, the abrasive, knowit-all Mary Lou looks clueless and way out of her depth. Seán Doyle, Dublin 15.