Republican News · Thursday 30 November 2001

Doherty begins all-Ireland tour

Sinn Féin Vice President Pat Doherty MP on Tuesday began an all-Ireland tour, as part of Sinn Féin's push for an all-Ireland dimension to political institutions throughout the island.

The tour, which will take him into every county in Ireland over the next few months, begun with visits to Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Wexford on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week.

During his trip Doherty will launch a newssheet on Sinn Féin's health policy, which will be distributed throughout Munster in the coming weeks. He will also meet with an IFA delegation in Tralee and workers in Waterford Glass. Doherty will also hold a press conference in each county and undertake a series of local radio interviews on the growth of Sinn Féin and the party's political programme.

Speaking prior to the tour, Doherty said that the dynamic created for all-Ireland co-operation by the institutions set up under the Good Friday Agreement offers the potential for further integration in Irish society. "Sinn Féin is the only all-Ireland party. We are the only party with a strategy and policy for achieving Irish unity and independence. Over the last year and a half - through the new political institutions created under the Good Friday Agreement - we have seen the beginning of all-Ireland co-operation on a number of fronts. And, even at this early state, the potential to all of us living on the island is obvious."

Sinn Féin intends to bring this potential to fruition by bringing a 'republican and labour analysis' to the heart of local authorities and state institutions throughout Ireland, the Sinn Féin Vice President said. Northern representation in Leinster House, amongst other issues, will be key elements in his tour."We want to see those elected at parliamentary elections in the Six Counties participating in proceedings of Leinster House. We want to see the establishment of an all-Ireland health service, the development of an all-Ireland approach to education, the strategic planning of infrastructure and environmental policies and much more. It is this message that I will be bringing to counties throughout Ireland over the next few months."