It had been O'Bradaigh (right) - now president of Republican Sinn Fein - who led mass walkouts from the party over 20 years ago when Sinn Fein made the decision to officially recognise the Dail.

And Adams has been wary of many present day supporters turning their backs on Sinn Fein as it reaches another political watershed in the shape of policing.

There have been deep divisions in the republican movement over the support for policing.

At least five of the party's Assembly team have been stood down or deselected, and the absence of several of those on the party's next election ticket will be directly down to the policing debate.

Among those who have gone are Newry and Armagh MLA Davy Hyland who was deselected and Mid Ulster colleague Geraldine Dougan who quit the party over its "direction".

However, even opponents of Sinn Fein believe that they will easily carry today's policing vote and still hold their position at the polls come elections, in spite of the swell of opposition.

Veteran republican Laurence O'Neill, one of those who left the party over policing, said: "Those that are going to leave the party over policing have already done so. But we are in different times, when there is a large number of the party that played no part in the struggle. Their numbers will carry them through."

Security sources have predicted that the deep divisions within republicanism will not result in a repeat of the violent bombing campaign that followed the split in 1997.

Anger at the terms of negotiations that eventually led to the Good Friday Agreement caused walkouts and resulted in the formation of the 32 County Sovereignty Committee.

Parallel resignations from the IRA resulted in the Real IRA and Continuity IRA and a campaign of dissident terror attacks, culminating in the Omagh bombing in August 1998. But in recent weeks, Adams has repeatedly urged the dissident groups away from carrying out attacks and has made offers to meet with them to discuss his policing strategy.