04/12/2017
The Guardian reports that Gerry Adams, the President of Irish Republican party Sinn Fein, is to step down after thirty four years. Mr Adams is likely to hand over to his successor over a period of around one year, after which Sinn Fein will be the only mainstream Northern Ireland party to be led by two women, Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O'Connell. All this is of interest to LGBT people in that during the tenure of Mr Adams, Sinn Fein has transformed itself from the political wing of the provisional IRA to a party engaged with the peace process, and one which has moved from Roman Catholic underpinnings to a more general left nationalist stance, embracing equal marriage and transgender rights as essential parts of its political platform. The Guardian says that Gerry Adams will insist on one outgoing platform pledge, which is to reassert the party's belief that an armed struggle in Northern Ireland was an essential part of gaining self rule.
