THE all-Ireland campaign by Sinn Féin for the European Parliament elections was formally launched in Dublin at the weekend as Gerry Adams welcomed the party's candidates arriving on the campaign 'battlebus'. Sitting MEPs Bairbre de Brún and Mary Lou McDonald arrived with candidates Pádraig Mac Lochlainn in North West, Toiréasa Ferris in South, Tomás Sharkey and Kathleen Funchion in East. Free article

SINN FÉIN is contesting more than 250 local government seats in the 26 Counties next month, seeking to build on the gains the party made in 2004. It is particularly looking forward to gain new seats on county and city councils in Limerick, Westmeath and Wicklow. However much they try to distance themselves from the Government, Fianna Fáil councillors are representatives of their party and must be held accountable for their party's actions, Gerry Adams said at Sinn Féin's local election campaign launch this week. Free article

AFTER seven weeks occupying their west Belfast factory, former Ford-Visteon workers marched out of the plant on Monday 18 May and thanked the community for their support during the protest. The 210 workers, who were made redundant by Visteon on 31 March, had voted to accept an improved deal negotiated with the company on 3 May but refused to vacate the plant until it was confirmed that Visteon had handed over the workers' money to administrators KPMG. Free article

WITH Westminster in turmoil with almost daily exposés of scandalous expenses claims by Labour, Conservative Party and Liberal Democrat MPs, West Belfast MP Gerry Adams has called on all political parties to publish full accounts of what they receive in salaries and allowances - as Sinn Féin has for years. "The electorate has the right to expect the highest standards from those holding public office and to be confident that taxpayers' money is being used properly," the Sinn Féin leader said. Free article

SINN FÉIN county mayors/chairs joined forces across the border on Friday morning last to launch their proposals to tackle the current economic crisis with a particular focus on the border region - The Border Counties: Ten Steps to Tackle Recession. Jointly hosted by the chairpersons/mayors of counties Cavan, Monaghan and Fermanagh, the presentation included a key note address by Sinn Féin North West EU candidate Pádraig Mac Lochlainn. The Cavan/Monaghan TD and Sinn Féin Dáil leader, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, also addressed the event. Free article

AN Oireachtas report on the Constitutional amendment to create new categories of sexual offences against children has been given a cautious welcome by Sinn Féin as "a step in the right direction". During the discussions of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children, an issue of contention was whether a Constitutional amendment should be formulated that would protect children from sexual predators while not criminalising teenagers who engage in consensual sexual activity and maintaining the right of the accused to have a fair trial. Free article

THE EU election posters have been up for weeks and the billboard campaigns for a select few candidates have been running for months as chequebook-driven strategies dominated the tactics of some struggling contenders. Now, over the last week, it is clear that the electoral contests have stepped up pace and all the party campaigns are in high gear. Most crucially, a TNS MRBI poll printed in last Saturday's Irish Times showed that Sinn Féin were in the running for seats in each of the 26-County EU constituencies. Free article

MARTIN FERRIS, Sinn Féin's Fisheries spokesperson, was ordered out of the Dáil on Tuesday when Justice Minister Dermot Ahern refused to answer questions about raids by the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency on fishermen's homes in west Cork. The North Kerry TD said there were major questions to be answered regarding the manner in which the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency (SFPA) had carried out the raids. Free article