Sinn Féin may be looking to the next general election

THE common assumption is that Martin McGuinness’s IRA past will scuttle his chances of the presidency.

It has even been suggested in some political quarters that Sinn Féin has fallen victim to arrogance in putting up a candidate with such clear links to the bloody past rather than a fresh face with no such baggage.

And sure enough, if Martin McGuinness’s campaign fails to lift off or collapses, it will all seem very obvious in hindsight that his IRA past was too big an obstacle to overcome.