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SINN FÉIN LEADER Gerry Adams has congratulated Donald Trump on his election as US president.
Adams is currently in the US and last night spoke at the annual dinner of campaign and fundraising group Friends of Sinn Féin.
The group posted a statement from Adams on its Facebook page following the election of Trump on Tuesday.
“The people of the USA have spoken,” Adams said.
Donald Trump had been elected as the 45th President of the USA. I congratulate him. The onus is on the President-elect to represent all the people of the USA and to play a positive and progressive role in world affairs.
During his speech last night, Adams also made reference to the election of Trump, noting “division” within US society.
“This is a great country. It gave many of you and your families opportunities you were denied at home. Of course, like all human societies, there are many contradictions and divisions, conflicts and complexities,” Adams said.
Adams went on to say that one of Trump’s greatest challenges will be to “play a positive and progressive role in world affairs”
“That includes Ireland,” he added.
Adams and Trump previously met in 1995 when Adams visited New York following the IRA’s ceasefire.
At the dinner last night, Adams also told the US-based Sinn Féin supporters that Brexit represents an “opportunity” for those who work towards a united Ireland.
“Brexit will reshape arrangements and relationships between Ireland and Britain and between us and the European Union. Our task must be to ensure that any new arrangements on the island of Ireland are to the mutual benefit of everyone who lives here,” Adams said.
This means that the Irish government must uphold the vote of the people in the North who have refused to give their consent to be taken out of the EU by London.
Adams also said that the Irish government was not “working towards Irish unity” and accused both the media and policy makers of “partitionist thinking”.
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For all his faults, Adams show his political intellect is far superior to the rest of Ireland’s Left who’ve being scrambling over each other who can be loudest in shrieking their vitriol at Trump. Adams is the consummate politician.
@Gordian Knot: scrambling over each other to see who can be loudest
He knows how to play the game. That’s for sure.
As they say gordian..empty vessels make the most noise
@Patrick Gough: Exactly Patrick. Unlike the rest of Ireland’s Left, he’s no fool.
Patrick.the only fool here is you.
No one doubts Adams political prowess. Its the other stuff that keeps biting Sinn Fein in the arse that’s the problem.
Gk, Sinn Fein are not part of the Left as Adams has just demonstrated again in this instance.
Vincent.would that be the health crisis,the housing crisis, the homeless crisis ect ect.the stuff people really care about.
Vincent. Then why has he not been charged with those crimes you accuse him of?
@Vincent Wallace: ” was responsibly for ordering multiple murders of innocent and not so innocent. Now in a civilised society you cannot have such a person as your political leader.”
Really? How do you account for the likes of Obama and his drones, the leaders of Britain, France, Germany etc bombing the crap out of Libya and Syria. They have been responsible for killing more civilians in the past few years than the Provos could have done in 100 years.
What a stupid comment
@Billy Mooney: Look at any political map based on policies, voting, ideology etc and you will see SF around center left/ left of center. To claim that they are not part of the left is just silly and plays into the rhetoric which divides the left against itself while the right laughs all the way to the bank
Adams will cosy up to anyone, Gadaffi, FARC guerillas, Italian moneylaunderers, North Korean dictators, you name it.
Perhaps some regard that as a commendable personality trait. Most regard it as something else.
@alphanautica: Maintaining cordial relations with leaders of other nations whether or not you respect their actions or philosophies is the sign of a true statesman. Adams was doing so while the queue was forming to rub your beloved inda on the noggin.
FC, Labour were centre left and look how that turned out. Being Left means seeking to unite the working class across national, religious, racial etc boundaries in order to dismantle the capitalist system and replace it with a democratic socialist system to provide for the welfare of all. Sinn Fein don’t have these objectives so cannot be considered to be Left. This isn’t a personal criticism of SF members but it is the correct understanding of SF political pedigree.
@Billy Mooney: “Labour were centre left and look how that turned out. ”
Labour hasn’t been center left since democratic left integrated and wrecked it. You should know this billy.
Anyways, you can’t logically predict the intentions of one political party by the actions of a completely unrelated one. That’s silly billy.
@Brian Ward: Constricted minds and tunnel vision would be an apt description here. Unfortunately your assessment is correct.
Sorry guys. My comment was deleted by the journal. Gerry was allegedly the commander and chief of the IRA and ordered murders of innocent and not so innocent people allegedly. Sinn Fein could be so much more if they came out of the past .
FC, Sf fundamentally accept the logic of the capitalist system and seek to work within in and moderate it’s worst excesses through social supports etc. This is the social democratic tradition which has included the Labour party for many decades. Socialists in contrast believe that capitalism cannot be reformed to meet the needs of the majority working class as it is fundamentally dependant on the exploitation of the working class in order to exist. Therefore anyone who seeks to work within the capitalist system will be forced to betray the working class. This is why we believe SF will ultimately follow a similar path to Labour. It’s not a failure of character but of ideology.
Did I say.I supported Obama and his drones? No! Brian Ward. There is no place in any democratic society for that.
@ray.farrelly: He made sure, the breadcrumbs never made their way back to him and maybe rubbed out a few of his own for that guarantee.
Stephen Murphy. Do you have any evidence to back that up. Please share.
Good man Gerry a decent politician…Enda, Trump will break that shamrock bowl across your head for you said about him a fee weeks ago lol..It’s not water protesters your dealing with now.
That’s why Trump called Enda before he called the U.K?
At least Enda had the courage to state his view on Trump.
Gerry hid in the undergrowth as usual. Maybe when Trump starts rounding up illegal Irish in the US Gerry might have the courage to say boo. Poor Gerry isn’t a man for confrontation though. Remote detonation from a safe distance is more his style.
Poor alpha hiding under a fake name,doing his goosestep under his favourite picture of our brave,intelligent and trustworthy Taoiseach.Id still put money on Ursula halligan battering him in a one on one.
@alphanautica: enda backed the wrong horse as usual. He will be peeping out trumps belly button on paddy’s day.
Two great republicans
Least he didn’t offend the POTUS by calling him a racist like the pathetic embarassment of a Taoiseach Kenny
Kenny didn’t call Obama a racist, Obama is POTUS.
Why is it offensive to call a racist racist? You’d think he’d be proud of his convictions
No frash, he just sucked up to him in a nauseating way
“Donald Trump had been elected as the 45th President of the USA. I congratulate him. The onus is on the President-elect to represent all the people of the USA and to play a positive and progressive role in world affairs.”
Correct. And far more statesmanlike than “Congratulations on spoofing your way to the top job”
@For Connolly: good to here you are not taking a looney left response to trump nationalist population on the island of IRELAND won’t him our side
The Left are opposed to both Trump and Clinton and their parties who represent the billionaire class and are vicious enemies of the working class of all nations including Ireland.
@Billy Mooney: @Billy Mooney: i was born and bred in a workingclass area and still live and work in a workingclass area and can you say the same …trump is not my enemy ..
He is as are the Republican party. You just don’t realise it Bobby and that’s exactly the way the capitalist class want it.
If only everyone in society woke up every morning to live their clichéd life in a clichéd way and live up to the moniker assigned to them in the AAA manifesto, everyone would be happy and the clichés would fulfill their ultimate aim of defining everyone as bourgeois, petty bourgeoisie or working class hero and we could all dance along into the utopian sunset!
@Billy Mooney: .. well i would rather live in a Capitalist style US State than a hard left socialist north Korea state any day.. you come across as someone who hasn’t a clue about working class people or there lives living in your ivory tower in the sky
The looney right that brought this country into the mire
People here who think Trump represents the working class need to look again at what this 4 times bankrupt so called billionaire stands for
Good man gerry.
As a politician, Adams has no option but to congratulate Trump whether he likes him or not.
@Seamus Og: interestingly, Nicola sturgeon has not.
@Seamus Og: .. gerry might just speak for the majority of the republican population on the island of IRELAND but certainly does not speak for the Nationalist population across the island of IRELAND.
@Bobby Wilson… says who, you?
Spineless
As early as 1995 the Donald was a major donor at the annual SF dinner in New York
Good for him
Even more reasons gerry is spineless
The expression of congratulations is motivated by ingratiation. The rest is political flannel but personal congratulationa reveals the true nature of Adams.
Put the bottle down Michael
Does anyone have other recommendations for good news apps that don’t have advertising splashed all over them?
Jarry wants to keep his nose in the Yankee trough. Never know when he’ll need another operation paid for by a rich benefactor.
@Daisy Chainsaw: … yankee trough as you put it employs 10 of thousands jobs across the 26 county state not to mention the 100s of thousands of US tourists who spend million and millions euros in the state..
Why should’nt Adams congratulate Trump, he is the choice for President of the people? Vincent Browne said last night that Trump’s election was an appalling vista. What gives him the right to say that?
Good old Gerry
I am sure sure The Donald will be delighted now!!
Trump will squash him like a beetle.
@Paddy Lions: Yes yes paddy, trump will succeed during a few day visit by Adams where the might of the regional superpower, its security forces and your mates in the lodge failed for decades.
Tiocfaidh ár lá
Enda Kenny – “Congratulations on winning…”
SF supporters – “You’re spineless Enda…”
Gerry Adams – “Congratulations on winning…”
SF supporters – “What a statesman…”
Jarry’s looking for tips. The next presidential election in Ireland will be Bertie V Gerry
From one demagogue to another
Calling for a remain vote in brexit has cost sf all credibility about an independent Ireland.conning people for years.
Happy the US system is correctly identifying people with terrorists links and screening them appropriately before letting them onboard.
Also… Y class, haha loser.
Trump has shown up at Sinn Fein fundraiser in US. Sinn Fein’s supporters in US tend to be extreme right wing types like Peter King. Always amazed at those in Ireland that think Sinn Fein are left – you can judge people by the company they keep and the company SF keep are to the right. They will get on fine with Donald and his ultra right wing friends.
Gerry’s response was only a little bit less shameful than Enda’s. Trump should be called out for what he is. I understand the need for diplomacy, but that shouldnt mean our representatives abandon their original views of this man.for god sake they are needed now more than ever!
Good man Gerry, lick it up
Gerry,
Autocrats know what to say to each other, u do, it will be a pleasant arrangement when gerry, le pen, vilders, erdogan and others finally commit the world assault by stealth with putin to play nice for a few years be democratic, then like mao, pretend to be democratic, only to lock up and or execute everyone that disagrees with them, all the aforementioned are doing it now, have done it in the past or are planning to do executions in the future and i thought thatcher and blair were bad it now has got worse.Trump, le pen,vilders, adams, are really mendacious liars achieved power spewing fraud on all sides including their supporters.
@Cecil Smith: ..irish people across the island of IRELAND and Europe have a enough of hard left propaganda in its absolute support for mass migration of Islamic populations from the globe in some parts of Dublin is at boiling point / what was once was a traditional south dublin district of south circular road as completely become moslim from Camden st to rilato i had palestinan moslim boast to my face how islam is the fastest growing Religion in ireland and we will take over the 26 county state in 20 years time
Please Donald, don’t send him back here!
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