THERE was a time, amidst the RHI crisis, when Sinn Féin were demanding the removal of Arlene Foster as DUP leader.
That demand was dropped for several reasons, the most important being that strategically republicans realised it was much better for them to keep the toxic figure Foster had become in position for as long as possible.
It was under her watch that the declining nationalist turnout was arrested, with anger (as opposed to anything Sinn Féin was offering) motivating the historic 2017 turnouts at the assembly and Westminster contests.
Due to the positions the DUP adopted over Brexit, same-sex marriage, the Irish language act and RHI, nationalism became closely aligned with progressive parties and sentiment across broader society which helped both isolate political unionism and drive a wedge between its political leaders and the rest of our community.
The danger for Sinn Féin today is that a similar situation has developed with regard to perceptions of the northern party leadership amongst many people outside of the core republican community.
The elections of 2019 should have been a stark warning to Sinn Féin that decisive internal change was required imminently in the north in order to stave off what appears to be an almost inevitable electoral reversal of fortunes.
The party leadership missed the opportunity to effectively take the heat out of the fallout from the Storey funeral when Michelle O’Neill struck entirely the wrong tone in the immediate aftermath, and the absence of a frank and appropriately contrite statement since has allowed a sore to fester.
Since Tuesday, the party’s most articulate northern elected representative, John Finucane, was put forward to face the media music.
Alone amongst party candidates, Finucane was able to connect with the burgeoning middle ground in our politics and ride the electoral wave of support to oust Nigel Dodds as North Belfast MP in December 2019.
In interviews over the past few days, he has clearly been uncomfortable having to defend the party line, though struck a balance better than any of their other representatives.
The party must know that the broad voter coalition required to secure his election and maintain advances like those made in 2017 is in danger of fragmenting with serious electoral consequences on the horizon.
Whatever about perpetual DUP outrage and their cynical use of this issue to call for the resignations of the chief constable and Michelle O'Neill, the fact remains that the organised manner of this funeral was a clear and obvious breach of regulations.
Regardless of intention, it caused offence to people of all hues and smacked of the party being ignorant or dismissive to the charge of having a brazen entitlement mentality, precarious terrain for politicians to occupy in any jurisdiction.
Unionist hypocrisy should not blind republicans to the fact that this affair has been deeply damaging amongst the sections of our society and electorate who have no truck with political unionism.
An honest, forthright and contrite hands-up admission that this was a wrong call is not just correct because it's the right thing to do; it would also be leaderly and the most politically astute step to take now, knowing that it would be well received by those with ears open to the party who need to hear it.
- Political commentator Chris Donnelly is a regular columnist for The Irish News. A primary school principal by profession and a former Sinn Féin election candidate, Chris has written extensively on politics and education and made numerous broadcast appearances in recent years.
