#JobFairy
Ahead of the Ard Fheis in Dublin's RDS on 10 February, at which the next Sinn Féin leader and deputy leader will be selected by 1,200 party members, Gerry Adams has posted an advert on his personal blog and Twitter calling for applications.
On 18 November 2017, Adams informed the party's Ard Fheis at the RDS that he would be
stepping down as leader in 2018 after 35 years.
It is predicted that current Deputy Leader Mary Lou McDonald will succeed Adams, but it appears he is keeping all options open when he asked Twitter is anybody was, "Looking for a job?"
"If you are a member of Sinn Féin, and are interested in an unwaged job, you now have until Friday January 19th to submit your nomination papers for the position of Uachtarán Shinn Féin."
https://twitter.com/GerryAdamsSF/status/951751749374758912
Sharing further details on his blog, Adams was particularly keen to call out media speculation over when he was stepping down, writing:
"There was intense media speculation about when this would happen. The media especially love to speculate – frequently dressing up their guessing with words like ‘it is believed’ or ‘it is understood’ and ‘sources close to the leadership’ or ‘well-placed sources.’ Not infrequently, especially by those renowned for their anti-Sinn Féin bias, it is all just invented.
"Some suggested that my departure could take up to a year or that I wouldn’t stand down until the negotiations in the North had concluded, for good or ill. I have to say that none of that played any part in my decision. My one consideration was to provide the new leader with sufficient time to prepare him or herself for the next general election in the South."
He also expressed his confidence in the abilities of the party's Northern Ireland Assembly leader, Michele O'Neill during her negotiations with the DUP, and UK and Irish governments over Brexit.
[caption id="attachment_581425" align="aligncenter" width="790"]
Adams with O'Neill, (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)[/caption]
"There are two weeks for anyone thinking of running for the job to secure the necessary support for nomination. For a candidate to be nominated they must be a member of the party for a minimum of one year and have renewed their membership for 2018.
"The prospective candidates also require the support of at least ten of the 300 plus registered cumainn across the island or the support of two registered comhairle ceantair (the next tier of middle leadership that co-ordinates the work of Cumainn in its district)."
Yes, it's a little more demanding than your typical Jobbio posting.
It's not often that the listed duties include, "the need to agree a positive outcome to the negotiations to restore the power sharing, partnership institutions in the North; the all-island bodies established by the Good Friday Agreement; preparing the party for a general election in the 26 counties and potential elections in the North; and charting a course through the madness that is Brexit."
He concluded, by observing that "this is an exciting time to be an Irish republican and to be part of the process of renewal and regeneration in the party", before adding:
"With a new leader at the helm I am confident that Sinn Féin will grow even bigger and stronger in the time ahead. So, if you want a new future, a better future, a future determined by citizens, and not by elites in Dublin or London, then join me and twelve thousand others in Sinn Féin as we write a new and defining chapter in the history of our nation."
There you go. CVs at the ready.
