New publicity offensive launched in Dublin
By Mary Maguire
Sinn Fein kick-started a new publicity initiative on Tuesday during a
press conference in advance of next year's local and European
elections. Party President Gerry Adams launched a free quarterly
publication which will be distributed to over 100,000 households in
the capital. Dublin News, will target areas including Tallaght,
Ballymun, Finglas, Ballyfermot and the inner city. The party hopes
that this initiative will help Sinn Fein further consolidate gains in
the run up to the June 1999 elections.
Seán Crowe, European election candidate for Dublin and representative
for Dublin South-west said, ``the newspaper reflects the fact that the
organisation in Dublin has grown and is a mirror of the type of
society we would like to see come about. It is a clear statement of
our intent to build our party and give a real voice to Dublin
people.''
Gerry Adams said the launch of the paper ``marks an important stage in
the development of Sinn Féin. The paper is indicative of the strong
network of local activists that we have in communities throughout
this city. For far too long, Sinn Féin has been portrayed as a
northern-based party solely concerned with the national question and
the peace process. As much as the peace process is the biggest and
most urgent task facing any party, Sinn Féin has never been a party
only concerned with these two issues. We are all aware of the record
of hard work of the party's activists working in the community on
issues such as housing, unemployment, the environment or the drugs
scourge which affect the daily lives of the people of Dublin. It is
our responsibility to convert the hard work of our activists into
political strength in electoral terms.''
The first edition of Dublin News opens with an editorial on the
merger of Democratic Left and Labour. Adams considers that ``it has to
be asserted that the whole national question and partition are
central questions. If Labour, in this new coalition which can only
move towards a coalition with more conservative elements, tries to
ignore the issue of partition, then it will repeat the mistakes of
the past. We will never make that mistake. We are in the Connolly
tradition which sees the national and social question as the two
sides of the one coin''.
He added that people had not only to ask the questions, but actively
seek answers. ``Why is it for example that with the biggest budget
surplus in the history of the State, we have massive hospital waiting
lists, a housing crisis and rising levels of homelessness? The
distance between ordinary citizens and the politics of local
government is massive and we as a party aim to bridge that gulf by
campaigning for increased powers for local government and real
community participation. We believe that our representatives, firmly
rooted as they are in the community, are best placed to achieve this
fundamental change.''
The candidates for the local Dublin elections are Seán Marlow for
Ballymun/Whitehall, Paul Donnelly for Mulhuddart, Christy Burke for
the North Inner City, Seán Crowe for Tallaght South, Michael Nolan
for Ballybrack, Dessie Ellis for Finglas, Larry O'Toole for Artane,
Nicky Kehoe for Cabra/Glasnevin Brian Kenna for Crumlin/Kimmage and
Diathi Doolan for the South-East Inner City.
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