Poor diddums … the Shinners are p****d off supposedly because some of us hacks have been putting the boot into them.
Judging by a few motions at the recent annual Shinner shindig in Dublin, some sections of the republican movement are having difficulty adjusting to political life without the 'RA' to hold their hands.
I nearly swallowed my sash with laughter when I saw the motion dreamt up by the self-styled Coalisland/Clonoe Martyrs Cumann from East Tyrone.
It claimed "that the press, north and south, are hostile to Sinn Féin".
It also called on Shinner bosses "to provide better communication between leadership and members by briefing them before an important announcement is made".
What the hell do these East Tyrone republicans expect from the democratic media?
During the Troubles, the IRA's notorious East Tyrone Brigade murdered as many people as the Provos' so called elite death gangs from South Derry and South Armagh.
In fact, East Tyrone butchered so many souls the British sent in their elite SAS, ending with the famous showdown at Loughgall in Armagh in which eight top IRA men were shot dead in an ambush outside a cop shop.
Then there was the equally daft motion from a bunch of Southerners calling themselves the McDonnell/O'Shea Cumann from Bantry in Cork and the West Cork Comhairle Ceantair.
They wanted to "highlight the coverage given to Sinn Féin in the national media, as we believe Sinn Féin is being discriminated against".
Are the Cork clowns for real? During the War of Independence, and even in the Irish Civil War, Cork's IRA Flying Columns slaughtered peelers, Tans and Free Staters by the dozen.
People have long memories – and the Shinners have no right to wonder why the media or unionists don't appear to like them.
It's not a case the media being against Sinn Féin. The truth is that sections of Shinners seem to find the medicine of democratic politics very bitter to swallow.
Until the IRA decommissioned, Sinn Féin didn't need to worry about opponents. Anyone who opposed Sinn Féin could be murdered.
Take Unionist politicians Rev Robert Bradford and Edgar Graham as well as loyalist activist John McMichael.
All were key Protestant political thinkers, and all posed a serious threat to Sinn Féin, so the IRA killed them.
But the Shinners can no longer call on an IRA death squad to rub out folks who criticise them.
And if Ireland as an island economy is to survive the credit crunch, Sinn Féin must work with all parties for the benefit of everyone on this island.
Maybe the Shinners should change their name from Sinn Féin (Ourselves Alone) to Sinne Aontaithe (United We Stand)?
Better still the party could support the Republic joining the Commonwealth. After all, Northern Shinners did not object to the Assembly rejoining the influential Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
Meanwhile, do Ian Paisley's Free Presbyterians support cannibalism? Most likely not. But I was amused by the title of a new recipe book advertised in Free P's journal, The Revivalist.
It's called Recipe Book: Desserts, cakes and tray bakes featuring the children of Kenya. I hope the book is to raise funds for Kenyans and not about eating them.
On a more serious note, The Revivalist has been plastered with photos of Big Ian, and hardly a mention of his Free P successor, Ron Johnston. He hasn't gone away you know.
