The battle for republicans had not ended with the re-establishment of the political institutions in the North, Mr Pat Doherty, vice-president of Sinn Fein and Assembly member for West Tyrone, told the party's annual Wolfe Tone commemoration at Bodenstown yesterday.
"I realise that there have been some steps taken by the republican leadership in the past year which may not rest well with some of you. This is understandable.
"As we have often said, we believe that we have stretched the republican community to its limits. But the steps that we have stretched were necessary in order to bring about real change, and change suits us - we should not fear it, we are the party of change.
"The only groups which have to fear change are the conservative and reactionary elements who wish to see the status quo upheld in this island."
Mr Doherty said the sectarianism used to attack the United Irishmen was similar to what had laid siege to the people of the Garvaghy Road for over 700 days.
"This siege continues with ever-increasing threats of violence coming from the leaders of the Orange Order. It is the same sectarianism which triumphantly tramples over the rights of the nationalist people in areas such as the Lower Ormeau Road and the Springfield Road and which we witnessed in Lurgan yesterday."
Mr Doherty said that the days of the Northern unionists' "one-party Orange state" were over. "But the unionists have taken heart from the lack of backbone shown by the British government in its repeated failure to stand up to them."
He added that the British government's lack of resolve in implementing the Belfast Agreement - which the vast majority of the people of the island had voted for - had cast a shadow over the whole process. "The days of the British government allowing the unionists to lurch us all from one crisis to another must end."
Meanwhile, the Sinn Fein MP for Mid-Ulster, Mr Martin McGuinness, is travelling to Washington today for a two-day visit where he will meet senior White House officials, Congressional leaders and senators, writes Gerry Moriarty, in Belfast.
Before leaving, Mr McGuinness said he was looking forward to briefing the politicians, particularly about Sinn Fein's concerns over the Police Bill and the Patten proposals on police reform.
