Irish general election: ​Myth of the inevitable rise of Sinn Fein has been exposed, says Lord Dodds

In recent years, the republican leader was being touted as the next Irish prime minister and various commentators believed the party would soon be in power on both sides of the border.

The argument was even used by elements of the DUP before the return of devolution – who painted it as a nightmare scenario for unionists, and something that could be mitigated by a powersharing government in Belfast.

But DUP peer Lord Nigel Dodds says the attempts by Sinn Fein to spin the results as a success are “pitiful”.

He told the News Letter: “The story of the unstoppable rise of Sinn Fein has been well and truly exposed as a myth.

“They have suffered a drop of over 100,000 votes from the last Irish general election and an even greater drop in support from last year. The attempts to spin it as some kind of mandate to abolish Northern Ireland are pitiful.

“They are unable to persuade even a fifth of the Irish electorate to back their view that IRA murder was justified.

“Nor can they persuade them that Dublin rule over Northern Ireland excuses the republican movement’s gross violations of human rights over decades. The scrutiny of their vile views on the murder and torture of innocent people is more pronounced and rigorous in the the Irish Republic than in sections of civil society in Northern Ireland. That needs to change.”

Gavin Robinson hinted at the weekend at possible upheaval within republicanism, saying the only change Sinn Fein will deliver after the Irish general election is “within their own ranks”.

The DUP Leader told the News Letter: “It is clear that Sinn Fein did not have a good election and are the only non-government party in the Republic to have seen their vote share fall, but it has also fallen by more than any of those who formed the previous government" – saying the only change they would deliver is “within their own ranks”.