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A BITTER ROW has broken out among Anti Austerity Alliance (AAA) activists in west Dublin over the way in which a vacant seat on Fingal County Council was filled.
Local activist Bernadette Rynne has resigned from the party after what she claimed was a “totally undemocratic process” in which she was passed over for a council seat.
Last month, AAA members in Mulhuddart selected Tania Doyle to fill the vacant county council seat – a process known as co-option – after AAA councillor Annette Hughes resigned for health reasons.
In a lengthy resignation letter posted to her Facebook page on Friday night, Rynne claimed she had been told last year she would be first in line to be co-opted to any vacant AAA seat. She claimed the selection convention was “an absolute farce”.
A number of other west Dublin AAA activists commented on the post, accusing Rynne of misrepresenting what happened, with one accusing her of “bitter bullshit”.
The row underscores tensions between Socialist Party members who are part of the AAA and those who are solely members of the alliance.
The Dublin 15 AAA group hit back at Rynne in its own Facebook post, claiming her letter was full of “disgusting distortions, untruths and slander”. The group claimed Rynne had tried to contradict the party rules by insisting she should be automatically nominated.
Rynne, who works as a nurse, unsuccessfully contested the local elections last year, winning 490 votes in Mulhuddart where Ruth Coppinger was elected.
With Coppinger also elected to the Dáil in the Dublin West by-election, the new TD’s vacant council seat went to Matt Waine. The Socialist councillor had unsuccessfully contested the local election in the neighbouring Castleknock ward where he had served on the council since 2009 having been co-opted onto Joe Higgins’s old seat when he was elected to the European Parliament.
Rynne said this decision was insulting to the general public, telling TheJournal.ie:
I could not conceive how a person could jump from one ward to another where they haven’t got a single vote.
She also claimed that Waine came to her house shortly after the local elections and told her she would be first in line for any future co-option. Waine denied this, saying the AAA’s constitution dictated that as Coppinger’s seat was a Socialist Party seat, it therefore had to be filled by a member of the party.
Waine explained: “It was quite clear that it was Ruth’s seat and that the Socialist Party would have first refusal, if you like, for suggesting a replacement.”
Of the conversation with Rynne at her house, he said:
What I said was that if there was a vacancy in the future she would have the right to go forward for that. Bernie interpreted that as a promise, but the seat wasn’t in my gift. What she claims just doesn’t stand up.
Rynne claimed that when Annette Hughes’ vacant seat became available she was discouraged from putting her name forward for it and said that the convention where Doyle was nominated by members was “an absolute farce”.
The meeting, which took place in Blakestown on 28 May, saw Doyle nominated for the council seat ahead of Rynne by 17 votes to 6. Rynne and some of those who voted for her subsequently left the meeting in protest.
Rynne claimed that some of the members present on the night were not regular attendees at AAA meetings and included friends and relatives of Doyle’s. She also said that Waine had changed the rules to allow any member who had attended just one meeting to vote on the night.
“Half the delegates were complete strangers to me. They consisted of a young relatives and friends of the eventually successful candidate,” she said.
Waine said this was not true and insisted that each one of the members present on the night was paid up and fully active within the movement.
Each one had been active on numerous occasions and that was what was agreed at the initial meeting. The fact that she doesn’t recognise everyone is because she hasn’t been as active post the 2014 elections.
Rynne insisted that she had been dropping leaflets in schools and estates and attended several AAA meetings in recent times. She said the entire experience had left her to conclude that “politics is a dirty world”.
This is how awful political groups can be internally. They have slated and demonised me and they have cut me down.
Waine added: “This is politics, it’s par for the course that there are going to be disagreements on things. It’s unfortunate how it’s unfolded.”
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Bertie who?
oh, i remember wee Bertie all too well!
this is a “man” who sold our country out to scumbag thieving property developers who promptly put the next 2 generations of irish citizens in hock to foreign banks just so’s he could remain on as Taoiseach for a few more years.
that he has the gall to be commenting from the sidelines would be amazing, but for the fact that the chap is TOTALLY delusional, and has been for a long number of years now.
the sooner he takes himself off to Traitor’s Gate, and avails himself of some of the medicine he advised others to take in years gone by the happier i’ll be.
Bertie Bassett?
best thing to do with bertie is never mention him again. that would be his worst nightmare.
Bertie Bassett…oh he was so sweet :-)) Hmmmm, I am craving for a liquorice right now…
Luck of the Irish…
Good for him but why spread it over 20 years? OK, I can see the logic some people cannot handle money but I would prefer the $10 million up front.
The American lottery system is set up to pay out annually for 20 years so they can collect accumulating interest on money sitting in their accounts.
Also, $10 million isn’t $10 million. About 32.5% comes off the top in taxes and THEN the winner can start collecting annual payments. At $337,000 x 20 years is only $6.74 million.
Still, I wouldn’t pass up $337K a year for the next 20 years. I’d put at least $250K of it into account annually and not touch it, but also accruing interest of my own. :-)
Thank you for that tax lecture…duh! I am a Tax Accountant by the way. I just don’t practise anymore. Got fed up of City life and the rat race.
However, I am surprised that the US lottery winnings are taxed. Most other countries, especially in Europe, let you have the money free of taxes. And in some lotteries if you pay the tax when buying the ticket (peanuts compared to what you may win) that’s the end of your obligations.
I don’t think two lines account for a lecture, Dan. And unless you go around with a sign on your head that says Dan the Accountant, who’s to know?!
I’m not surprised the US lottery winnings are taxed. America taxes everything. They even have the right to tax American’s living and working in Ireland if their annual income covers over a certain limit. But I don’t have to tell you that. You know everything! ;-)
Hahahahahahahaha! Bloody ha!!!!!!
Happy Valentine’s Day, Dan! :-D
9.; Who gives a flying toss, I don’t. Are ‘celebrities’ really news? Who decides?
We always try to make the 9th item in the 9 at 9 something a little off-beat and less serious – sorry if it’s not to your tastes… 8 out of 9 ain’t bad?
Oh! Didn’t realise that! Fair enough I suppose, to distract us from all the bad news. Point taken!
PS – given your reasoning, maybe you should rename it the 8 1/2 at 9 :-)
Shootings , shootings and more shootings… great to see how effective our criminal justice system is!
have your say