Politics

John Walsh: Unlike New Labour, Sinn Féin won’t need the support of business to get into power

Not so long ago, no one could hope to govern without the support of big business, now the opposite is the case. But politicians aspiring to government should be wary of leaving enterprise out of their calculations altogether

It is unlikely that too many business leaders will come out in support of Mary Lou McDonald’s party before the next election, but then again it is highly unlikely that any will speak out against Sinn Féin either. Picture: Rollingnews.ie

Tony Blair spent the first few years as leader of New Labour trying to persuade the British business community that his party could be trusted to manage the country’s economy. Getting business leaders onside was considered a necessary precondition to gaining control of the levers of power.

And the strategy worked. Gerry Robinson, the late Donegal-born businessman who was then chairman of Granada TV, was one of the first big beasts to openly support Labour. ...