A son of the late Martin McGuinness is among names being suggested by party sources as a possible replacement for outgoing Sinn Féin MLAs, Martina Anderson and Karen Mullan.
Following disastrous results in the last general and local elections, Sinn Féin carried out a review which resulted in a complete replacement of the party leadership in Derry. While the review has not been accepted uncritically, Ms Anderson and Ms Mullan agreed to step down from the Assembly.
Among the names being touted as their replacements are former assembly member Maeve McLaughlin and Sinn Féin leader on Derry city and Strabane district council Sandra Duffy.
Other names coming to the fore include newly co-opted councillor and former special advisor to the late Martin McGuinness, Conor Heaney as well as Mr McGuinness’s son, Fiachra.
Of all the late Mr McGuinness’s children, his son Fiachra appears to be the only one to display an appetite for politics through his social media posts. However, a party source suggested the family were also fully aware of how bruising political life could be.
The Sinn Féin insider told The Irish News: “If Fiachra was to stand, he’d walk it on his name alone. But the family have experienced the stresses of a life in politics and that could deter him, even if he’d been thinking about it.”
An advisor to Mr McGuinness, Conor Heaney has a profile within the party. He stood unsuccessfully at the last local government elections although it was believed he was selected for the wrong electoral area.
His co-option onto the council to replace Michael Cooper in March indicates he has the party’s confidence.
As former head of the Stormont health committee, Maeve McLaughlin was well-regarded. However, a return to the daunting world of electoral politics might not be to her liking, having built a new career away from politics.
According to the party source, the other option was that Sinn Féin “parachute in” a candidate from outside the constituency. However, given the fragile state of the party machine in Derry, the source believed the risk would be too high. The source said no firm decisions have been made about replacements and nominations could throw up someone totally unexpected.
“There’s a strong body of opinion that says the review called for change and that means it must be a complete change, bringing in new, young people. But there’s also a need to pick people who can hold the two seats if we’re to remain on track to become the biggest party in the North,” the party insider said.
