Worth noting in passing Squinter’s straw poll of sentiment in West Belfast suggests that Gerry Adams’ support is undiminished in his own political heartland… It’s a point I made myself on GMU last Thursday (about 8.20)… It, I would suggest, indicates there is no immediate threat to Adams in the Westminsters (the SDLP are nowhere and ‘other’ republicans have made zero progress in developing a functional alternative to SF’s strategy)…
The ‘political problem’ has more to do with wider party morale than Adams personal fortune in the short termn per se… (In East Tyrone and South Armagh, Slugger hears that people are much less impressed with the party leader’s response underfire than those in his own parish, so to speak)… And the democratic centralism of the party means the party will not bend easily to opinions of the media, new or old…
It remains to be seen just how (if at all) it will affect the party’s (ill concieved IMHO) attempt to rack up pressure on the DUP over the devolution of policing and justice…
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