Sinn Féin’s decision to support Catherine Connolly’s presidential bid rather than running its own candidate has been widely portrayed as a failure of ambition. But it could turn out to be the shrewdest move the party has made since it decided to recognise the legitimacy of Dáil Éireann.
Backing Connolly, Sinn Féin may actually be the “game changer”, promised by Mary Lou McDonald. By positioning itself as the undisputed leader of the left wing Opposition in the Dáil she now has a realistic chance of becoming Taoiseach after the next election.
If Sinn Féin had run its own candidate, it risked splitting the anti Government vote and possibly coming last. By waiting for the various left wing parties to declare for Connolly, and then coming in as the leading force in her campaign, the party has turned a poten
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