The Democratic Unionist Party had lost its veto on progress in the North and if the Rev Ian Paisley refused to accept power-sharing, the political process would move on through "new all-Ireland partnership arrangements", Sinn Féin's chief negotiator Martin McGuinness said in the opening address to his party's ardfheis in Dublin last night.
"Sinn Féin stands ready for government," he told delegates at the RDS. "If, for whatever reason, the DUP lose their nerve, we will continue driving forward our progressive all-Ireland agenda regardless." The days when unionism could dictate to "a confident, vibrant nationalist community" were over. "The vetoes are gone. Second-class citizenship is no more," the Mid-Ulster MP continued.
He had spoken at many ardfheiseanna during the most difficult times but this was a time of great hope and opportunity. "We have within our sights the prospect of Ian Paisley, who began his career with 'never', then moved to 'no', on to 'maybe' and now a possible, even probable 'yes' - finally accepting his nationalist and republican neighbours as equals." The policing motion agreed at the special ardfheis in January had "liberated the political process" and "placed enormous pressure on the rejectionists and the naysayers to do the business".
Sinn Féin had created the conditions "in which the DUP have to accept, for the first time ever, power-sharing and all-Ireland arrangements if they want to be part of shaping the future.
"If that happens, it will be truly historic, an acceptance by the undisputed leader of unionism that the days of unionist domination are over and, potentially, the beginning of a process of national reconciliation." He continued: "If the DUP refuse at this time to be part of the process of change, then the process moves on through new all-Ireland partnership arrangements. The DUP veto over progress has now been removed and this is the logic of the Sinn Féin strategy over recent years. Politics, business, commerce and much more are now pointing in one, all-Ireland direction."
Mr McGuinness accused his party's opponents in the SDLP and the Ulster Unionist Party of making disingenuous claims that a power-sharing government "headed by Ian Paisley and myself" could not succeed. "Their real fear is that such an arrangement just might work," he said.
"What the media often terms the 'centre ground' would be more accurately described as a waste ground of failed political initiative after failed political initiative." The same was true, he claimed, of parties on the southern side of the Border. "Their concern is not about our presence in government. Their real concern is about the job we would do when we get there.
"I believe that we would quickly show to the people that we were doing a better job than those who have sat around Irish cabinet tables for years . . . they know and fear that."
The SDLP had been delivering "Discover United Ireland" brochures through people's doors and its latest manifesto might be described as "a United Ireland for slow learners", Mr McGuinness said.
Among the guests at the well attended ardfheis was South Africa's minister for intelligence services, Ronnie Kasrils.
The ardfheis concludes this afternoon with an address by party president and member of parliament Gerry Adams.
