Martin McGuinness retires

Posted by Jim on January 19, 2017

Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness has effectively retired from politics
after announcing he will not be standing for re-election in the 2 March
poll to the Belfast Assembly.

A former IRA commander, in recent decades Mr McGuinness became
synonymous with Sinn Fein’s peace strategy and its efforts to achieve a
reconciliation with unionism and the British establishment.

His decision to quit Stormont was announced in three television
interviews this evening. It followed his resignation as deputy first
minister last Monday week in protest at the latest corruption scandal to
engulf his unionist partners in the Six County Executive.

That prompted this week’s collapse of the power-sharing Executive and
the calling of elections for March 2nd.

In a statement, he said a deterioration in his health had coincided with
the refusal of DUP leader Arlene Foster to step aside pending an
investigation.

“For me to be part of an administration that was being accused of
corruption.. was absolutely intolerable and under no circumstances is
Sinn Fein willing to be part of an administration that is going to be
continually subject to this sort of allegation, particularly when it’s
coming directly at our partners in government.

“I felt I had no option whatsoever [but to resign] and it was with a
very sore heart that I had to do what I had to do.”

He also revealed he had planned to step down in May this year, which
would have marked the tenth anniversary since he and the late DUP leader
Ian Paisley entered government together, a pairing which became famous
as the “chuckle brothers”.

“Unfortunately, my health and the current crisis have overtaken this
timeframe,” he said.

He was determined to overcome the rare and serious illness with which he
has been diagnosed, and said he would continue to support Sinn Fein as
best he could.

“Over the last 10 years I have worked tirelessly to make powersharing
work,” he said. “The institutions are now in a deep crisis as a result
of recent events and we are facing into an election when the people will
have their say”.

Sinn Fein was a party in constant development, renewal and evolution, he
said, and he felt privileged to have been a part of that.

“It remains my own personal and political ambition to break the link
with Britain and to unite all who share this island under the common
banner of Irish men and women.

“I am deeply proud of the generation of Irish republicans that came
before us. A generation that kept the vision of freedom alive through
the difficult post-partition era when they faced unrelenting repression
and persecution from the Ulster Unionist Party in an apartheid Orange
state.

“I have been privileged to be part of the generation that broke that
apartheid state apart and to have been part of a Sinn Fein leadership
that delivered peace and radical change. There are more republicans
today than at any time in my generation.”

Mr McGuinness said his “obvious health issues” were being addressed by a
superb team of national health service doctors and nurses.

“But I want to be open and honest with my friends and colleagues in Sinn
Fein, with the electorate of Foyle and with the wider community beyond
my own constituency. I also want to be fair to my family and to the
teams of carers who are doing their best to provide me with the
treatment I now require to deal with this very serious medical
condition, which I am very determined to overcome,” he said.

“Unfortunately, I am not physically able to continue in my current role
and have therefore decided to make way for a new leader.”

Mr McGuinness said that as a Sinn Fein activist he would continue to
“play a full and enthusiastic part in that essential process of building
bridges, of dialogue and of reconciliation between our still divided
people”.

“Despite the current difficulties and challenges, I am confident and
optimistic about the future. We have faced more difficult times and
found a way forward. As a society we have made enormous progress. We
must continue to move forward. Dialogue is the only option.”