The Sinn Féin candidate, Martin McGuinness has stood down from his post as Norn Irons (Joint) Chief Minister in order to stand in the Presidential Election. It wasa surprise move an seen as “audacious” but his campaign seems to have settled down.

The Southern Media has been “vicious”. And the question is not really whether they have been “vicious” and gone beyond the normal protocols between politician and journalist…….rather the question is whether or not it is justified. I have little time for journalists who try and tell me that they have not gone overboard. I do have respect for journalists who say that they have…..and at least make an attempt to justify it.

There is an element of Hypocrisy. There always is. Journalists were cheerleaders for the Peace Process, culminating in the Good Friday Agreement (1998) which brought the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in from the cold. As the Agreement has settled in, it transpires that the chief beneficiaries are the IRA at the expense of the more moderate nationalists, the SDLP.

Sinn Féin, the political wing of the IRA is in the ascendency and increased its representation in Dáil Éireann (the Irish Parliament) from 5 seats to 14 seats in February 2011. Sinn Féin took 10% of the vote. Again this was not in the Peace Process “script”. The Northern success of Sinn Féin-IRA has spread to the South and the “contagion” is not being contained. The hysterical over-reaction o the Southern Media does them little credit.

Martin McGuinness was I think, gaining a little sympathy from ordinary voters. He has frankly not been entirely upfront about his IRA past. He claims to have left the IRA in 1974 (yes 1974!!) but few believe him. Yet the Media never managed to land a punch.

It was left to a single voter a Mr David Kelly to land a blow. In the 1970s Mr Kellys father was an Irish Army soldier, killed by the IRA as the Army rescued a kidnap victim in County Leitrim. Mr Kelly exposed McGuinness in a way that the Media had failed to do.

The Media over-reaction has I think , damaged the political process itself. To be so obviously hostile to one candidate inevitably means that the Media have been overly friendly to the other six candidates. But actually that has not worked well.

Journalists, stung by the publics reaction to their hostility to Martin McGuinness have become a little too anxious to compensate and the other candidates now seem to be fending off intrusive questioning.

For the IRA……it was a “Long War”. For Sinn Féin ….it is a “Long Peace”. They have the Patience. Its a slow process to build and keep building. In February 2011, Sinn Féin secured 10% of the votes cast. They are managing expectations, discounting talk of more than 15%. Opinion Polls put McGuinness on a lower figure than this. In reality, I see 17% as the point were Sinn Féin can claim a breakthru and the same figure cant be ignored by the Media.