Nigel Farage gets Sinn Féin's EU policy wrong

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-22508774

Version 0 of 1.

Sinn Féin has refuted UKIP claims that the party would like to see Ireland leave the European Union.

Nigel Farage, the leader of UKIP, made the claims when comparing the Irish republican party to the Scottish National Party.

He said the goal of taking a united Ireland out of the UK and out of the EU was "logical", although Gerry Adams was his "least favourite politician".

But a Sinn Féin spokesman has said that Mr Farage got the party's policy wrong.

Asked if Sinn Féin would campaign for a united Ireland to leave the EU, he said: "No, we wouldn't."

The Sinn Féin goal is for "an independent Ireland of equals in an EU of equals", according to the party website.

Sinn Féin campaigned against the Republic of Ireland joining the European Economic Community - a forerunner to the EU - in 1972.

The party has opposed EU treaties since but dropped its opposition to the EU in the mid-1990s.

Influence

Mr Farage said that the SNP, the party of the Scottish first minister Alex Salmond, was "illogical" to want to keep an independent Scotland in the EU.

He added that on its own, Scotland would have no more clout in the EU than Yorkshire does.

"Even though (Gerry Adams) is my least favourite politician, the Sinn Féin position has always been Northern Ireland out of the UK and out of the European Union," he said.

"At least that's logical. The Salmond position is illogical.

"Scotland separated from Westminster but in the European Union will have as a big a voice as Yorkshire. (Mr Salmond) has hoodwinked Scots into believing Scotland in Brussels would somehow have a huge influence."

Mr Farage's attack on the SNP came as UKIP set its sights on a seat in the Scottish Parliament at a by-election in Aberdeen Donside next month.