It comes from an aunt of the murdered Robert McCartney, but it is something that will be exercising many of the democrats within Sinn Fein. Margaret Quinn, in a letter to the Irish News yesterday (subs required):The letter ends with:
I believe that decent IRA members are not merely disgusted by it, but totally repulsed. Both the vigil to honour my nephew and his subsequent funeral were attended by people who remain supporters of Sinn Fein – for now anyway. The ball has been placed firmly at the feet of the Sinn Fein leadership. Henceforth, their words and actions will be scrutinised by all but their most blind adherents and sycophants.
Thus, the leadership will determine its own political future. As pointed out by Mr Kelly, my son and many others, Robert McCartney’s horrific murder was a civil crime – not a political act. If Sinn Fein’s leaders fail to publicly and unambiguously call on every person with information regarding this crime to give that information to the police – everything, from the seemingly insignificant to the perpetrators’ names – then I see, in the not too distant future, Sinn Fein’s headstone etched with the words, ‘Death By Suicide’.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty