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The leadership of both Sinn Féin and the IRA had developed a Marxist outlook that became unpopular with many more traditionalist nationalists/republicans; and the party/army leadership was criticized for failing to defend northern Catholic enclaves from loyalist attacks. A large segment of the party set up their own Provisional Army Council in late 1969 to address these concerns and draft a new party policy; however, at the January 1970 party assembly, the "Provisionals" failed to secure the necessary votes to change the party direction. Immediately, the Provisionals left the existing party, thereby forming the Provisional Sinn Féin and Provisional IRA. The remainder of the party became known as Official Sinn Féin. Similarly, the associated paramilitary group was referred to as the Official IRA and the movement as a whole as the official republican movement, or informally the Officials or Stickies.
The official republican movement gradually stepped down its military campaign against the United Kingdom's armed forces presence in Northern Ireland, declaring a ceasefire in 1972, and focused on electoral activity. It suffered a further split in 1974, when members dissatisfied with the ceasefire established the Irish National Liberation Army and its associated political party the Irish Republican Socialist Party.
Politically, Official Sinn Féin evolved towards Marxism-Leninism and became fiercely critical of the physical force republican tradition still espoused by Provisional Sinn Féin. Its new approach to the Northern conflict was typified by the slogan it was to adopt: "Peace, Democracy, Class Politics". It aimed to replace sectarian politics with a class struggle which would unite Catholic and Protestant workers. The slogan's echo of LeninVladimir Ilyich Lenin ( Russian: ), original name Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( Russian: ) ( April 10 ( April 22, New Style), 1870 January 21, 1924), was a Russian revolutionary, the leader of the Bolshevik party, the first Premier of the Soviet Union and the's "Peace, Bread, Land" was indicative of the party's new source of inspiration. Official Sinn Féin also built up fraternal relations with communistThis article is about communism as a form of society, as an ideology advocating that form of society, and as a popular movement. For issues regarding the organization of the communist movement, see the Communist party article. For issues regarding one-par parties worldwide. In 1977For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). Events January 1 First woman Episcopal priest ordained January 6 EMI sacks the Sex Pistols January 18 Scientists identify a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious " legionnaire's disease" Januar it changed its name to Sinn Féin The Workers Party and then in 1982Events January January 6 William Bonin is convicted of being the "freeway killer". January 8 AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions January 11 Mark Thatcher, son of the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, disappears in the Sahara du to The Workers Party. From 1982 on it had some electoral success in the Republic of IrelandThe Republic of Ireland ( Irish: Poblacht na hEireann is the common term for a state which covers approximately five-sixths of the island of Ireland, off the coast of northwest Europe. It is the western-most state of the European Union. The remaining sixt but little in the North.
In 1992, in the wake of media claims that the Official IRA was still operating and in an atmosphere of ideological disagreement after the collapse of Soviet-style socialism, six of the Workers Party's seven Teachtaí Dála (members of Dáil ÉireannDail Eireann is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland 1. Its powers are similar to those of lower houses under many other parliamentary systems. It meets, since 1922, in Leinster House in Dublin. Composition The current, the lower house of the OireachtasThe Oireachtas ( English: Legislature is the 'National Parliament' of the Republic of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of the President of Ireland and two houses: Dail Eireann and Seanad Eireann (also known as the Senate). However the Dail is by far the i or Irish Parliament) left to form a new party, Democratic Left, which in 1997 merged with the Irish Labour Party. Since the split with Democratic Left, the Workers Party has re-emphasised its Marxist-Leninist outlook, while also placing more emphasis than before on its republican tradition and origins. Since the 1992 general election, the Workers Party has had no representation in Dáil Éireann, although it has contested most recent national and local elections in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.
Provisional Sinn Féin, the other party to emerge from the 1970 split, is the party that is now commonly referred to simply as Sinn Féin. They have had much greater electoral success than Official Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland. However, their electoral performance in the Republic was poor until the IRA ceasefire of 1997.
The official republican movement was nicknamed the "Stickies" for wearing stick-on "Easter lily" badges on their lapels in remembrance of the 1916 Easter Rising. The competing badges produced by the Provisionals were pinned on, but the nickname "pinhead" did not gain much currency.