{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6155db9059a3fa00137f30a9/6abad0396ffb28f8d6782df7?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Siobhán Fenton worked for Sinn Féin. She explains why it has not won power","description":"<p>Sinn Fein emerged from 2020&#39;s general election in pole position to challenge Fine Gael and Fianna Fail and potentially take power next time around. That didn&#39;t happen, with support ebbing away as a series of events, both internal and external, shook the party&#39;s confidence. That&#39;s the picture painted by Siobhán Fenton, a journalist who worked in Sinn Féin&#39;s press office from 2020 to 2024, in her book Ourselves Alone. </p><p><br></p><p>Hugh interviews Siobhán about why she joined Sinn Fein and what she learned about the inner workings of a cross-border party. They look back on a series of missteps made by the party and its leader Mary Lou McDonald, including the response to the 2023 Dublin riot and McDonald&#39;s gaffe when speaking to Pat Leahy on Inside Politics about reducing the price of houses. </p>","author_name":"The Irish Times"}