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11 January 2016

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Sindo 'sources' wrong-footed again – Gerry Adams will lead Sinn Féin into elections

● Jim Cusack with another watery story

GERRY ADAMS will lead Sinn Féin into this year's Dáil general election and Assembly election, Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald has insisted after speculation in another fanciful story in the Sunday Independent.

Claiming a series of anonymous, unverified “sources”, Jim Cusack wrote that “there has been growing speculation among republicans in Belfast that Mr Adams is about to announce that he is stepping aside . . . to allow the 'softer' face of Sinn Féin to emerge”. And how is Gerry Adams going to allow this 'softer' face to emerge? By then running for election as President of Ireland, says Jim Cusack curiously.

Padding out the piece, Jim conjures up a succession scenario:

“While the likely candidate to replace him here is party Vice-President Mary Lou McDonald, sources close to the party also say the relatively little-known Donegal Sinn Féin man, Pat Doherty, is also a possible replacement should Adams decide to officially 'retire'.

“Sources say, however, it would be more likely that Mary Lou McDonald would become the leading face of Sinn Féin until an official leadership contest was held at a party conference after the general election.”

(As commentator Jude Collins said in his analysis of the Cusack chimera: “How many republicans, would you say, would be happy to talk to Jim Cusack of the Sunday Independent? And during the conversation drop the odd little in-party tidbit, such as the fact that Gerry Adams was getting ready to resign? Or that Pat Doherty, the West Tyrone MP, was likely to succeed him?”)

The only identified source in Cusack's concoction is from a Sinn Féin official spokesperson, who categorically told him:

“Gerry Adams will be contesting the next election as leader of Sinn Féin to represent the people of Louth and to lead a progressive government to deliver a fair recovery.”

And Mary Lou McDonald also rubbished the Sindo speculation.

Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast on Monday, the Sinn Féin deputy leader said:

“No Sunday Independent would be complete without stories about Sinn Féin and taking a swipe at Gerry Adams in particular. I don't know where the 'sources' of this story are but I can tell you that Gerry is the leader of Sinn Féin and will be leading us into the next general election.”

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