Adams ‘deeply disappointed’ by popularity slump in opinion poll

SINN FÉIN president Gerry Adams admitted yesterday he was deeply disappointing his personal popularity had slumped dramatically amongst the public.

Mr Adams’s satisfaction rating has plummeted to just 31%, down more than 20 points in recent months, in the wake of the Republican movement’s links to robbery, murder and money laundering.

Yet the Millward Brown IMS poll in the Irish Independent shows support for Sinn Féin is almost unchanged, despite the party coming under fire over the Northern Bank raid, the murder of Robert McCartney and IRA criminality.

Support for Sinn Féin, at 9%, is down just one point from the 10% in the last poll in November.

In last summer’s local elections, Sinn Féin secured 8% of the vote.

The level of dissatisfaction with Mr Adams stands at 53%, according to the poll.

The poll also showed more than three in five people believe Sinn Féin and the IRA are one and the same, while almost the same number feel that the IRA was responsible for the £26.5 million Northern Bank raid on December 20.

The claim by Justice Minister Michael McDowell that Mr Adams, Martin McGuinness and Martin Ferris are members of the IRA was believed by just 46% of those polled.

Yet 30% said they did not believe Mr McDowell and 24% said they didn’t know.

Virtually half of voters blamed the breakdown of the peace process on Sinn Féin, while 39% disagreed.

The poll surveyed 1,000 voters across every constituency in the country.

Mr Adams was speaking at the launch in Dublin of his party’s campaign for reunification of the country.

Sinn Féin wants the Government to publish a discussion document on reunification and a Junior Minister and an All-Party committee to be appointed to this end.

He said: “We are calling on the Irish Government to publish a Green Paper and begin the practical preparation for Irish unity now.

“We are also calling for widespread consultation at home and abroad. I hope Unionists will be prepared to take part in such a process and put forward their vision for the future and to consider, discuss and engage with the rest of the Irish people about the nature and form a new Ireland will take,” he added.

Sinn Féin wants Northern Ireland elected representatives to sit in the Dáil and Seanad and for residents in the North to be able to vote in presidential elections.