Sinn Fein Setbacks

THE failure of Sinn Fein to pick up extra seats in last week's Irish election was one of the most surprising aspects of a very surprising election.

Before the polling date Sinn Fein party regulars, who usually downplay their prospects, were quietly confident that the party would double their seat total from five to 10, with some predicting even more gains.

In the event they lost a seat to reduce their total to just four, the first electoral setback for the party, north or south, in many years.

Though they marginally increased their vote to just under 7%, none of the high profile candidates such as Mary Lou McDonald in Dublin managed to gain a seat in the Dail (Parliament). Amazingly, Sean Crowe, one of their hardest workers, also lost his seat in Dublin.

Once again it seems to have come down to very canny vote management by Fianna Fail. It was known beforehand that the seats Sinn Fein hoped to gain were mainly Fianna Fail ones.

However, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern's party has an amazing machine which is utterly ruthless at election time on dividing up constituencies to maximize the votes of their candidates.

Under the Irish system several candidates from the party run in each constituency, and vote management between the candidates is absolutely critical. If a candidate is too strong he will actually hinder the chances of another candidate getting in.

They did this more successfully than ever throughout the country, and Sinn Fein as well as other smaller parties were the ones to suffer.

Sinn Fein's Future

CLEVER vote management by Fianna Fail was not the only reason, however, that Sinn Fein failed to make the leap forward.

The party apparatus in the south is a long way from the successful machine they have in the north. Additionally, the caliber of candidates in the south is still some way behind.

The northern candidates in the main have been forged in the heat of the battle for equality in the North over the past 35 years. In the south no such long political conversation has taken place.

Many of the candidates still run on far left agendas that make it difficult to break into the all-important middle class vote.

Sinn Fein's economic policies also need much work. In the Celtic Tiger economy, the view that extra taxation is what is needed to bring about equitable wealth sharing is not a popular idea.

Sinn Fein modified those policies as the election wore, one but the damage had been done. With the focus gone off the North in the Irish Republic, the party needs a root and branch examination of its priorities in the south.

It is clear also that they cannot rely on the northern leadership to carry the flag in the south much longer. Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness are utterly skilled when it comes to domestic politics in the north, but understandably do not grasp every nuance in the south.

The need for a home-grown leadership in Dublin is becoming more evident. This election has not provided it, but the party will be hoping to reorganize for the local elections in two years.

Soldiers of Destiny

FROM time to time this column is asked what do the names Fianna Fail and Fine Gael actually mean. In fact they are almost poetic in comparison to the names of political parties elsewhere in the world.

Fianna Fail, currently led by Bertie Ahern, means "Soldiers of Destiny," while Fine Gael means "Tribe of Ireland." Sinn Fein, of course, means "Ourselves Alone," although some Gaelic scholars will dispute that and say it merely means "Ourselves."

So the Soldiers of Destiny defeated the Tribesmen of Ireland in the latest election, while Ourselves Alone were almost left alone, winning only four seats. Meanwhile Labor, another old-style party, had a poor election. Pat Rabbitte's party (an interesting name in itself) only gained 20 seats, a loss of one.

More recent parties are far more prosaic, with the Progressive Democrats and the Greens making up the newcomers. Other exotic parties from the past were Clann na Phoblacht (Family of the Republic) and Clann na Talmhan (Family of the Land), and Aiseiri meaning the Resurrection Party. The last named never lived up to its billing, however, and quickly disappeared.

Dermot O'Brien Passes

IT is sad to note the death of Dermot O'Brien, the popular Irish musician who was a fixture in New York's Irish community for many years.

The Co. Louth native was buried in his native Ardee last week, just after the election. He is probably best remembered here for his outstanding hit "The Merry Ploughboy" about the 1916 Rising.

O'Brien was also a very accomplished Gaelic footballer, leading his native county to their last All-Ireland success in 1957.

Above all he was a gentleman, deeply interested in the language, music and culture of Ireland and a friend who provided a huge helping hand to many young performers who arrived out from Ireland. He will be sadly missed.