A local Sinn Fein TD has admitted the party got it wrong in relation to both recent referenda, when it campaigned for a 'yes - yes' vote. The party's spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence, Matt Carthy, said they will have to reflect on the message sent by the people. Sinn Féin is reneging on a commitment to re-run last week's referendums if it's in Government after the next election.
Party leader Mary Lou McDonald endorsed a Yes-Yes vote in February and stated her party would repeat the vote with the original Citizens' Assembly wording if it failed to pass. However, the party's local TD has contradicted that stating, "We will not be re-running this referendum at any stage in the next government," said Deputy Matt Carthy. "
Our job now quite frankly is to get into government because I've always been of the view over the past number of years that the Irish people are up for change and that they want change. It's our job to convince them that Sinn Fein is the vehicle to deliver that change and I think that job of work has become even more and more imperative after the weekend's referendum results."
