Why should I support Sinn Féin

[wherenow]

Cén fáth ba chóir dom tachaiocht a thabhairt do Sinn Féin? Tabhair dom an fáth?

Why should I suppot SF? Would posters please refrain from criticizing any SF position, but simply ask questions so that SF suporters can reply to.
I know this is similar to the quesions for all Sinn Fein supporters thread by Southarmargh, but I just want to make it clearer.

I have put the same thread on the RSF, IRSM and 32CSM forum. Please ask questions and do not criticise the answers given. Let these answers speak for themselves
SF supporters please put down any positions, achievemnets of SinnFein that you think have added to the republican movement. List anything you think of value. Let people know why they should support Sinn Féin

[Hildy]

Cén fáth ba chóir dom tachaiocht a thabhairt do Sinn Féin? Tabhair dom an fáth?

Why should I suppot SF? Would posters please refrain from criticizing any SF position, but simply ask questions so that SF suporters can reply to.


Good luck wherenow! We've already tried this on other threads, dedicated to SF's position and its a joke! All this thread will do is bring out the SF critiques!

[wherenow]

Inis dom hildy cen fáth ba choir dom tacaiocht a thabbhairt do Sinn Fein?

Hildy, tell me why should I support SinnFéin. Let's keep it positive.

[East Tyrone]

Wherenow, I believe that political opinion is a matter of personal choice and conscience. So I'll tell you why I support Sinn Féin in the hope that you find enough common ground to do likewise.
I consider myself to be a Republican and always have; I was born in '74 so I lived the conflict and evolved with it. Among the most vivid memories my of early life are memories of the hunger strike. Bobby Sands was a hero for me growing up and he still is.
In his diary on hunger strike Bobby Sands mentioned a quote from James Connolly when he railed against the excessively romantic idealism of the day;
" Ireland, as distinct from her people, means nothing to me; and the man who is bubbling over with love and enthusiasm for 'Ireland', and can yet pass unmoved through our streets and witness all the wrong and the suffering, the shame and the degradation wrought upon the people of Ireland, yea, wrought by Irishmen upon Irish men and women, without burning to end it, is, in my opinion, a fraud and a liar in his heart, no matter how much he loves that combination of chemical elements he is pleased to call Ireland. "
Bobby Sands and James Connolly were humanists as well as idealists and they had concern for the plight of the ordinary people. Indeed, it is further evidence of the humanism of Bobby Sands when he said;
"Our revenge shall be the laughter of our children".
These two concepts are crucial to why I support Sinn Féin because today we live in a situation where "degredation" need not be "wrought by Irishmen upon Irish men and women". Nobody needs to fight or die today and those that say that we should are best described by Connolly above.
Sinn Féin have compromised and gone into governance for the good of all the people of Ireland. Which is the greater compromise; to support efforts towards a decent society with accountable, acceptable policing or to support eviscerating people in front of their families? Is it not better to compromise on some of the semantics of ideology than to compromise human dignity and life; when all the people stand to benefit?
You see, there is a generation of children today growing up laughing; untouched by the horrors of the past. They will see a united Ireland and they will not have to compromise their lives, dignity or consciense to see it happen.
Sinn Féin cannot deliver unity alone, it is up to all of us to better ourselves and live progressively; educate our children and build consensus for unity. Bobby Sands told us this a quarter of a century ago;
"Everyone Republican or otherwise has their own part to play".
In conclusion, I support Sinn Féin because I believe they have a progressive, humanist, Republicanism that can best support the development of a consensus for unity. They have formulated a strategy that can enable us all to work towards unity in an atmosphere of peace where we can all enjoy the laughter of our children.

[Comrade Ryan]

Good luck wherenow! We've already tried this on other threads, dedicated to SF's position and its a joke! All this thread will do is bring out the SF critiques!

Doesn't seem to have brought out the supporters of SF anyways.

[wherenow]

Fuair mé freagrai maithe ar 32csm, rsf agus irsm forum. An bhfuil aon freagrai ó Sinn Féin?

I got some good answers on the 32csm, RSF and IRSM forum. Any answers from Sinn Féin?

[DFCRFB]

from someone who was also born in the 70's i have grown up throught the 'troubles' . i have seen the good and the bad throught the times and have noticed a change now from the past number of years.
I have been a republican all my life and i respect the opinion of all people regarless of their political leanings.
I believe SF will and are the only party that are striving for a united Ireland. There are no other parties with a voice that are activlley pushing for a united ireland, reforming the police, pushing for reconition of the irish language and culture.
Others will obviously tell you that they aint and they are this, and that but what are their parties doing? what voice are they giving the people?
Shootings? killing? are they the way forward now?
No. People dont wont this anymore, and you would be a fool if you think that the nationalist/republican communities wanted an armed campain to continue.

I have friends who are RSF supporters, yes we differ in opinions on policing etc but we still are repuclicans with the same aim - a united ireland.

[mac_talla]

Fuair mé freagrai maithe ar 32csm, rsf agus irsm forum. An bhfuil aon freagrai ó Sinn Féin?

I got some good answers on the 32csm, RSF and IRSM forum. Any answers from Sinn Féin?

Bhí mé ag fanacht le (ar?) chomh duine glinn a freagair. Tabhair dom cúpla noimead agus freagróidh mé.

I was waiting for a more articulate person to answer. Give me a few minutes and I will answer.

[Seabird]

SF has been in the forefront fighting for equal rights for all people for many years. They stood by our soldiers as they fought a war against discrimination, the right to self determine their own destiny by ending british occupation. And then through the GFA ensured the release of all POWs. Even though the objective has not been met they continue to forge forward as a voice for the people in making changes that allow the people of the 6 to live in an environment that offers a somewhat normal quality of life. They vigorously fight the tough issues that face the communites of the north under extreme duress. They are fighting for a new and improved policing service that offers a community a service that protects and serves. They fight for the rights of the people on matters such as collusion and stand in alliance with groups such as The Pat Finucane Center, Eddie Fullerton etc.They fight daily toward the objective of a united Ireland and stay on course in pursuing this objective. Their mandates are posted on their site for all to see, so there is no doubt what SF is doing for the people,all the people. They want equality for all in a 32 county socialist Ireland thus ending british rule! For more information please visit www.sinnfein.ie

[JPL]

Support Sinn Fein if you want to actually address real issues instead of spending your time criticising Sinn Fein.

We do alot of community work and are the largest Republican, 32 county party in Ireland. We have opted for a peaceful solution to Irish Unity.

[mac_talla]

Wherenow. I do not know you, so I cannot say with complete certainty that you should support Sinn Féin. I can only explain why I do.

My first child was born in December of 1980. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay home through 1981. I used to watch television at feeding time and often it would be the news.

Now, prior to March of 1981 I would have been able to find Northern Ireland on a map and that would have been about the extent of my knowledge of her. Although my maiden name is McMahon, it was the only thing Irish about my family. I knew nothing of the world outside my little white picket fence existance...but all that changed in the spring and summer of 1981.

I was transfixed by the stories and images coming across my television screen from a land 3000 miles away. I remember the faces. I remember the families. Most of all, I remember the mothers. Women of such beauty and grace. Women experiencing unimaginable agony.

I realized the faces I was seeing had once been boys, infants in their mothers' arms. Those women had felt the indescribable joy I was now feeling, looking down at the beautiful face of my newborn son.... and I remember still, the moment the question came to me. Why? Why?! What could possibly be so important that a woman would let her son die?!

Finding the answer to that question became a lifelong quest. Sinn Féin has been there all along the way. They were young and angry when I was young and angry, but they were not rudderless. They had a very firm foundation of history and a very clear target.

As I and my knowledge of history and politics matured, so did Sinn Féin's. Still aware of the wrongs, and never losing sight of where the responsibility lied, we were no less angry, but we were less reactionary. We listened more.

Now, in our middle-age we realize, we cannot have everything, right away. That realization does not remove the desire for what we believe is right, it just makes us more patient in achieving it.

Sinn Féin has grown with me. That growth process has included many life-threatening dangers, many have lost loved ones, jobs, homes. Those in the public eye have faced withering criticisms, threats and accusations from all sides. Those who have lived in the shadows have sacrificed having a normal life, a home, a family. They have been gunned down. They have rotted in prisons. They have gone insane. Most of them live with ghosts that will never leave them. Then there are the day to day workers... the councilors who listen for the umpteenth time about street lights or trash collection or housing issues. The canvassers, going from door to door, day after day, in all sorts of weather.

Yet, despite the criticism, despite the bone grinding fatigue of working day and night....still they go on. They get up everyday and get back to the hard work that no one else wants to do. We'll criticize it, but most of us won't do it.

Yes, Gerry tends to be a bit of a prick, at times. Yes Martin is a sour-puss with bad hair. Yes, some of the others can be bullies. Yes, some of the decisions taken by the membership have been hard to swallow, but I try to look at the big picture. I refuse to be a reactionary. I do not subscribe to the "what have you done for me lately" philosophy. Sinn Féin has been doing the hard, dirty, work, in the trenches, for nearly a century. I, personally, have yet to see any evidence they no longer have republican goals and I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

You can read the policies of all the organizations. The important thing, to me, though, is how those policies are carried out, day to day. Reactionary or rational? Propaganda or practical? Pie-in-the-sky or doable?

Sinn Féin is for grownups.

[Hildy]

Support Sinn Fein if you want to actually address real issues instead of spending your time criticising Sinn Fein.

We do alot of community work and are the largest Republican, 32 county party in Ireland. We have opted for a peaceful solution to Irish Unity.

Well said JPL, not only has SF's continuing efforts been synonymous with a voice for justice and equality for all but also advocate the need for a "democratic peace settlement".

[Hildy]

Wherenow. I do not know you, so I cannot say with complete certainty that you should support Sinn Féin. I can only explain why I do.

My first child was born in December of 1980. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay home through 1981. I used to watch television at feeding time and often it would be the news.

Now, prior to March of 1981 I would have been able to find Northern Ireland on a map and that would have been about the extent of my knowledge of her. Although my maiden name is McMahon, it was the only thing Irish about my family. I knew nothing of the world outside my little white picket fence existance...but all that changed in the spring and summer of 1981.

I was transfixed by the stories and images coming across my television screen from a land 3000 miles away. I remember the faces. I remember the families. Most of all, I remember the mothers. Women of such beauty and grace. Women experiencing unimaginable agony.

I realized the faces I was seeing had once been boys, infants in their mothers' arms. Those women had felt the indescribable joy I was now feeling, looking down at the beautiful face of my newborn son.... and I remember still, the moment the question came to me. Why? Why?! What could possibly be so important that a woman would let her son die?!

Finding the answer to that question became a lifelong quest. Sinn Féin has been there all along the way. They were young and angry when I was young and angry, but they were not rudderless. They had a very firm foundation of history and a very clear target.

As I and my knowledge of history and politics matured, so did Sinn Féin's. Still aware of the wrongs, and never losing sight of where the responsibility lied, we were no less angry, but we were less reactionary. We listened more.

Now, in our middle-age we realize, we cannot have everything, right away. That realization does not remove the desire for what we believe is right, it just makes us more patient in achieving it.

Sinn Féin has grown with me. That growth process has included many life-threatening dangers, many have lost loved ones, jobs, homes. Those in the public eye have faced withering criticisms, threats and accusations from all sides. Those who have lived in the shadows have sacrificed having a normal life, a home, a family. They have been gunned down. They have rotted in prisons. They have gone insane. Most of them live with ghosts that will never leave them. Then there are the day to day workers... the councilors who listen for the umpteenth time about street lights or trash collection or housing issues. The canvassers, going from door to door, day after day, in all sorts of weather.

Yet, despite the criticism, despite the bone grinding fatigue of working day and night....still they go on. They get up everyday and get back to the hard work that no one else wants to do. We'll criticize it, but most of us won't do it.

Yes, Gerry tends to be a bit of a prick, at times. Yes Martin is a sour-puss with bad hair. Yes, some of the others can be bullies. Yes, some of the decisions taken by the membership have been hard to swallow, but I try to look at the big picture. I refuse to be a reactionary. I do not subscribe to the "what have you done for me lately" philosophy. Sinn Féin has been doing the hard, dirty, work, in the trenches, for nearly a century. I, personally, have yet to see any evidence they no longer have republican goals and I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

You can read the policies of all the organizations. The important thing, to me, though, is how those policies are carried out, day to day. Reactionary or rational? Propaganda or practical? Pie-in-the-sky or doable?

Sinn Féin is for grownups.

mac_talla you are class! Very poignant and very well said, you are a true Republican, one of the best examples on this forum and I applaud you for getting to the heart of it! I applaud yer post! Excellent!:eusa_clap:

[robertemmett]

Sinn fein is for grown ups?

where as those other people who do not share psf vision are childish and play acting???

[mac_talla]

Sinn fein is for grown ups?

where as those other people who do not share psf vision are childish and play acting???

Not what I said, and not what I meant, but you are correct, it could be read that way. My apologies.

[liam]

Sinn Féin is for grownups.

http://www.geocities.com/kawedding2002/SadKid2.jpg

[Hildy]

Sinn fein is for grown ups?





http://www.geocities.com/kawedding2002/SadKid2.jpg


LOL, well we can clearly see those that don't qualify!:icon_lol:

[wherenow]

Fan ar an topic le do thoil.

On this thread please stay on topic. This thread is on each groups forum and in each one I ask for no criticism of answers given, or funny pictures. let the answers given speak for themselves.

SF supporters please list the achievements of your party, areas you are working hard on now etc, and do not get drawn into arguments.

[wherenow]

Nuair nach bhfuil aon duine sasta chun rudai a chur suas is feidir leo iad pm a sheoladh dom. Agus chuir mé é suas.

SF bashing has been pointed out to me as a reason for sf supporters not posting here. If you wish you may send your points to me and I will post them up.

Once again I ask that everybody simply ask questions and let the answers speak for themselves. This thread is on each groups forum to allow supporters of each party to have their say. So would everybody promote their party on their own forum space and not attack others here please. If you have put up posts that do not do this please remove them.


Nuair go bfuil fadhb agat leis. Pm mé, na chuir sé suas anseo.
If you have a problem with this post please PM me and don't put it up here.

Go raibh maith agaibh

[Cael]

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