A hat-trick of 'exclusives'

On 2 April the Sunday Independent 'exclusively' revealed a 'secret' Sinn Féin speech that had been on the party's website for weeks. By Scott MillarOn 2 April, the Sunday Independent splashed on its front page an “exclusive”: “Exposed: SF's secret plan to stir up unrest”. It was written by the newspaper's security correspondent, Jim Cusack.
The article stated: “The Sunday Independent today exposes Sinn Féin's secret plan to sweep to power within 10 years – and implement a range of Marxist republican policies. Its intention is revealed in a confidential document discussed by the Sinn Féin hierarchy just five weeks ago. The document underlines Sinn Féin's hope to create a “mass party” to “mobilise even greater numbers of Irish people around our vision”.
“The Sinn Féin policy paper makes it clear that it intends to stir up unrest with agitation and street politics to achieve its aims,” it stated, and proof of this was a remark: “Radicalised and mobilised communities are the seed bed from which the new republic will be built.”
It said: “The party's mainly Northern-based leadership outlined its plans to an inner coterie at a meeting in south Co Derry at the end of February.”
It continued: “In language straight out of Soviet Russia, the backroom strategists outlined how the “national struggle” (also referred to as the “all-Ireland project”) would be achieved in a “10-year trajectory”. This involves a “hearts and minds” campaign, beginning with this year's anniversaries, involving the recruitment and indoctrination of young people into Sinn Féin. In this regard, it refers to the need for “political education programmes”.
It continued: “Until now, Sinn Féin's strategy could only be guessed at. However, the internal document, meant for circulation among key leadership members, reveals how heavily internal Sinn Féin strategy is controlled by a secret group of IRA members, who subscribe totally to Marxist politics and subterfuge”.
The facts behind the story were these: On 11 February Sinn Féin held a delegate conference for party members in Northern Ireland in Gulladuff, Co Derry. Over 220 delegates and party members from party branches throughout the North attended – this is the “inner coterie” to which the Sunday Independent refers. At this meeting the chairperson's annual report was circulated. There were speeches by Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD and Declan Kearney, the party's northern chairman.
Declan Kearney's speech was a rehash of similar speeches he has been making at republican commemorations and at events called, “Beyond the road map: Preparing for power”. The full text of this speech has been available in full on the party website. (www.sinnfein.ie/gaelic/peace/
document/135/1)
The chairman's annual report contained reassertions of established Sinn Féin policy and strategic plans for party expansion based around the forthcoming anniversaries of the 1916 Rising and the 1981 hunger strikes. It also urged that policy be more relevant to women and ethnic minority communities.
In the five weeks between the release of this unspectacular document and its reporting on the front page of the Sunday Independent, it had mutated into a “secret plan to sweep to power within 10 years and implement a range of Marxist republican policies”. Nowhere in the document is there any mention made of Marx, nor is there any evidence of Marxist inspired policies (although Declan Kearney's speech does make reference to Che Guevara).
This was the third consecutive week Ireland's largest-selling Sunday newspaper has “exclusively” splashed on its front page the open, fully legal and previously reported doings and supposed intentions of Sinn Féin.
Three weeks ago the newspaper led on the previously widely-reported detention of the Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams by US immigration officials. This “scoop” was followed up the next week by the shock revelation that Michael McDowell felt that if the party got enough votes it could end up in government. This week the paper scored the hat-trick.