London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Is a Sinn Féin taoiseach and first minister on the cards?

Is a Sinn Féin taoiseach and first minister on the cards?

Sinn Féin is keen to get back into government in Stormont - both Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O'Neill have already made that clear.

There are two reasons for that.

Michelle O'Neill will make history as the first nationalist first minister in Northern Ireland. She's already won the right to that job, but is waiting on a start date.

That will depend on the DUP lifting its veto on the institutions.

There's no sign of that in the short term.

But Sinn Féin in government in Northern Ireland helps the party in the Republic of Ireland too. It is performing very strongly in opinion polls in the Republic.

Its frontbench spokespeople are competent media performers but they've yet to spend as much as an hour in power. It frequently describes them as ministers-in-waiting.

The ability to point to responsible ministers taking day-to-day decisions, north of the border, would help combat opposition claims they are untested.

On Friday, the Northern Ireland secretary ruled out a fresh Stormont election.

Sinn Féin would relish the chance of a new poll, confident they'd secure even more seats.

In May, the party won the highest number of seats. Party insiders think there's the potential for at least three further gains.

In 2020, the party shocked the establishment (and its own leadership) when they won the most first preference votes.

Back then, 22% was a high point. Now the party consistently polls well over 30% - way ahead of its nearest rivals.

No longer does the party dream of just being in government in Dublin - it now has a realistic chance of leading that government.

A Sinn Féin taoiseach (Irish prime minister) and a Sinn Féin first minister? Don't rule it out.

That must wait though.

The next election is scheduled for 2025. It can't come soon enough for Mary Lou McDonald and her team.

Taoiseach (Irish PM) Micheál Martin accused the party of a growing attempt to intimidate its critics


With increased poll ratings, comes increased scrutiny. In the past week, the party's housing spokesperson had to apologise after calling for the country's chief economist to be sacked.

Just weeks ago a former Sinn Féin councillor was jailed for four years after admitting to facilitating a murder. Political opponents have accused the party of trying to shut down debate.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin accused the party of a growing attempt to intimidate its critics, adding that opponents were now "regularly receiving legal threats".

On Saturday night, Mary Lou McDonald gave the closing address to almost 2,000 delegates at Dublin's RDS.

It was her first return to this venue since she took over the leadership in 2018.

Along with Michelle O'Neill, she has brought the party to new heights, on both sides of the border.

But they aren't finished yet.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×