Last May, during the elections for the regional assembly at Stormont, Arlene Foster’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) vowed to destroy the growth and development of Irish language education in the north-east of the country. The grouping pledged to starve the gaeliscoileanna, Irish-medium schools, of resources and funding if they secured the education ministry at Stormont. Sure enough the unionist hardliners have remained true to their campaign threats and with the weight of the power-sharing administration behind them they have set out to undo decades of good work on Irish rights. Just as the racist extreme of the Republican Party in the United States has sought to strip African- and Latino-Americans of the right to vote, so the DUP, supported by other pro-union parties, have sought to disenfranchise Irish-speaking parents and children of the right to be educated in the indigenous language of this island. This policy represents a form of cultural and linguistic apartheid through ministerial fiat, a policy that Sinn Féin is complicit in, no matter what excuses it may offer. The republican organisation has a choice. It can be the party of Pearse or the party of Redmond but in 21st century Ireland it cannot be both.
[With thanks to @Bangordub and @piarais91]
AN SIONNACH FIONN 
I wonder if Sinn Féin is starting to go the way of the African National Congress after the end of the anti-apartheid struggle (acquiescence to big business, retreat from the left wing). The crucial difference being that oppression in Ireland is not over, the firing has just stopped for now. Wouldn’t be the first time that liberation movements abandoned their principles after a period of active struggle ended. The Republicans in the U.S. led the effort to smash the Confederacy and slavery. It stayed on the left wing for about five minutes (okay, eight to twelve years) after the war was over. Then it became the party of big business and big money.
Hoping and praying that Sinn Féin does choose to be Pearse’s party – and Connolly’s, too.
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The ANC analogy is a good one. The last Stormont elections certainly show something is up.
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Recently at an anti internment bonfire in Derry Provisional Sinn Fein election posters were burned along side union flags. One PSF member responded by threatening to bring back the provos to kill republicans. Sinn Fein sold out a long time ago. If they ever do turn back towards violence. Have no doubt republicans will be the victims. Just like Joe O’Connor. Sinn Fein will sell out anyone and anything for the right price.
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I am horrified but not surprised, This issue of Irish Identity and language should be a redline. It is not.Why?
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SF too busy playing other silly games. Or noses in the trough. Or waiting for mystical demographic change. God knows.
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Sold out in 1998 and it was sold as victory just like 1921, the Brits never respected Uncle Toms and that is exactly what they have now
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i’m not a sinn fein supporter, but in fairness the largest single party at stormont is the DUP. They bagsied the education portfolio first. If you feel the need to blame someone then look at the electorate that allowed that situation to occur. An electorate that disgustingly are allowed to get an Irish Passport.
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Yes, but SF can have red line issues in the Stormont administration, as do the DUP. Irish language funding should be one of those. Twenty years on and we are still waiting for Acht na Gaeilge, as promised in the Belfast Agreement of 1998. SF’s walk must match its talk.
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indeed, so the question i would ask is what is a red line issue for sinn fein. then we could gauge what exactly sinn fein stands for, and what is its point. Or will it just acquiesce to anything. At least the DUP wear their hatred, bigotry and prejudice on their sleeve, and stand for something, in this case the destruction of the ‘others’ culture out of sheer petty spite. I’d closely group fine gael and labour as fellow travellers with the DUP’s objectives on this one, though ironically they’d claim their prejudice against an gaeilge demonstrates liberalism and inclusivity (lol).
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