Watching the furore over the Barry McElduff loaf video one could be forgiven for thinking that Sinn Féin members of parliament have too much time on their hands.
As the Brexit steamship gathers pace through the EU and Westminster, Mr McElduff seems to think that he’s auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent. There is no doubt that his antics (which were both juvenile and reckless) were the actions of a man baying for attention. Barry McElduff like others in his party has spades of charm for those that agree with him and very little for those that don’t.
That the Sinn Féin leadership missed an opportunity in not following up on their strong words of condemnation with an appropriate sanction demonstrates that they are incapable of moving towards a more open, transparent and accountable type of democratic structure which is the hallmark of modern political parties. Even its forthcoming leadership succession will be more like a bishop’s installation than an election.
Sinn Féin continues to protect, defend and shield its members from the consequences of their actions - no matter whether those actions are serious, frivolous or downright offensive. It does so with military discipline and in that it mirrors the the hierarchy of the British army which also closes ranks to protect its own service personnel.
In a speech in Navan in 2005, the Sinn Féin president said that “ a partnership of equals cannot be brought about through a process of humiliation.” A year later in another address he also said “I hold the very strong view that Republicans need to lead by example.”
Of course, Mr Adams probably believed what he was saying at that time. Very much in the way that Paddy Ashdown said of Tony Blair that 'he always meant it when he said it.'
The problem with the utterances of Mr Adams is that one can't take them at face value at all. Back then he was talking to unionists and it is quite clear that the standards that he wishes them to adhere to are a lot higher than those he would ask of his own rank and file. And therein lies the rub that makes any immediate return to devolution practically impossible.
The Sinn Féin slogan on the anniversary of the collapse of Stormont - ‘No return to the status quo’ - is a catchy soundbite but its also a hollow one. We have returned exactly back to the status quo. The status quo of not an inch, entrenchment politics, Mexican stand-offs and megaphone diplomacy, all of which existed before the Good Friday Agreement. The Northern Ireland political process is now most definitely in reverse gear.
As Duncan Morrow, academic and former Alliance candidate, has said part of the problem lies with the model of reconciliation we chose to accompany our political process and Duncan summed up that model as about admitting nothing about our own past and believing that was enough to see us through. But of course it wasn’t enough and the past casts a very long shadow.
Most victims, immaterial of who caused their victimhood, probably accept that they will never get justice. But the least they should expect is respect for what they have suffered, endured and in some cases survived. It's that lack of respect which is at the heart of the McElduff tomfoolery and there’s no amount of honeyed words by Michelle O’Neill that is going to fix that.
The incoming leader of Sinn Féin, Mary Lou McDonald, is an articulate politician but her performance on the McElduff matter has been lamentable. In the media she seemed incapable of sensitivity or empathy towards victims. Whether it’s about bullying allegations or incidents like McElduff’s video, the public will judge Sinn Féin on its actions not just words.
It’s clear that Sinn Féin needs to escape the albatross hanging over its present. Mary Lou seems to have been well groomed for her position in protecting the Sinn Féin narrative on the Troubles but not in creating a narrative for the new emerging Irish landscape.
Rather optimistically the SDLP deputy leader, the impressive Nichola Mallon, openly pondered on Facebook whether this McElduff incident could become a watershed moment in our politics, awakening the public to the consequences of the political choices they make.
It's hard to share that optimism as voters seem immunised against any political sensitivity towards the other side. Northern Ireland is a like a time machine that is incapable of travelling forward to the future.
