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SINN FÉIN HAS expelled three councillors from the party following an unresolved row at Wicklow County Council.
Gerry O’Neill, John Snell, and Oliver O’Brien have been confirmed as the three councillors who have been expelled as of 11am today.
In a statement released this afternoon, Sinn Féin said that it had “sought over the past 18 months to resolve a dispute in the Sinn Féin council team on Wicklow County Council”.
A resolution has not been possible and the Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle has moved to expel from the party three councillors who have failed to attend council team meetings over the past 18 months.
But Gerry O’Neill, councillor for Baltinglass, told TheJournal.ie that this was a “barrage of lies” and “codology”.
He said that he along with other councillors had been rowing with the party over the process for appointing who would replace John Brady on the council after he was elected as a TD in 2016.
“After John Brady was elected, there was a vacancy on the council and everyone assumed Rossa Murray would be the candidate,” he said.
He said that at two separate meetings of Sinn Féin members, Murray was proposed as one of three candidates, but Murray only got three votes.
“Another chap got one vote, and another got 23 votes.”
Councillor Nicola Lawless received the 23 votes and was appointed to the position, but concerns remained among party members about the vote, which was held in secret.
Since then, O’Neill and others have raised the issue with the party; O’Neill says he’s written to Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams and deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald raising his concerns but hasn’t heard back from them.
“Bit of a surprise that I get a phone call from RTÉ saying that I have been expelled from the party. I’ve seen the email [sent by the party to the press] and it’s a barrage of lies that say I didn’t attend meetings – codology. None of the issues that we had raised were referred to.”
As far as O’Neill knew, the three councillors had lost the party whip, but there was no mention of expulsion.
O’Neill says that the Sinn Féin member who is quoted in the email making the announcement, Waterford TD David Cullinane, has “never been in contact with me, never lifted the phone”.
When Sinn Féin was asked about whether the three councillors had been notified before the email to the press was sent out, a spokesperson said they had been notified through a letter.
This adds to the number of public resignations, retirements or expulsions from the party in recent times. Two weeks ago, Sinn Féin’s youngest councillor Lisa Marie Sheehy resigned from Limerick’s council, claiming that bullying within the party had forced her to leave.
In April, five Sinn Féin members resigned over bullying allegations; in February last year a Cork TD Sandra McLellan gave a similar reason as Sheehy as to why she didn’t seek reelection.
O’Neill says that morale has been low within the party as a consequence.
“It’s huge. Fifty members have resigned in Wicklow since this all started two years ago,” he says.
I joined Sinn Féin in 1971, I’m 46 years there. I was there when it wasn’t popular, and I was their only candidate in 1985.
He said that he’s “surprised” and “disappointed” with what has happened, and is still trying to get his head around it.
We tried to do it through the proper channels. So disappointed with what has gone down.
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Can you just imagine the lads in SF, lads in their 40′s, 50′s and 60′s? The worst type of working class bully.
The youth support for SF would want to have their heads examined. But the comforting fact is as they mature the vast majority will turn their back on this toxic mafia style hard left populism.
@Fred Jensen: I think the peace process needs to extend all the way South of the border. We’re never truly going to have peace on this island until a stop is put to the political football game that’s being played with Sinn Féin’s reputation in order to keep votes from them.
@Patrick Kearns: Patrick they’re their own worst enemy. The amount of councillors resigning is remarkable, what that young councillors gave as her reasons last week was actually quite shocking. It’s not a conspiracy, it’s of their own making.
@Fred Jensen: yep. You can see it in action with our resident shinnerbot on this comment section.
@Patrick Kearns: Until SF/IRA come clean, help find the missing bodies and stop comemorating dead terrorists, child killers and cop killers then their is every reason to stop them gaining power. Plus their policies currently would be similar to the looney left so for that reason along they should be stopped
@Fred Jensen: Amazing how people who were never members of sinn fein know so much about the internal workings of the party. Ive been a member for years now and have never even once witnessed an argument, let alone bullying or anything else. Never had any problems but lets face it, if this was another party, it wouldnt even be reported. I know these problems happen in other parties as i was a member of fg and witnessed quite a bit of corruption, lies and bullying which ultimately lead to my own departure.
@Seamus Og: in fairness the glassing in a bar and the what’s in it for me lad got a few column inches
@Fred Jensen: they did explosions now they’re trying an implosion. The party needs to figure out what it is.
@lavbeer: aye but the guy in the bar was a td and the other guy was caught red handed looking for a bribe.
@Fred Jensen: Your characterization of older male bully is way off the mark. Quite the opposite. The root problem with SF on the last ten years has been the promotion of women elected officials, imposing contentious people on local parties by diktat from the central office. Not all of them are capable like Mary Lou and their über pc politics is distinctly not in sync with the typical SF voter.
@Jane: It is not a conspiracy, worse it is an ingrained culture which has its roots in violence.
@Fred Jensen: Nothing ‘hard left’ about any party willing to support either FF or FG; Sinn Fein = Fianna Fail Nua!
@Patrick Kearns: Are you the same Patrick Kearns that has been all over different pages on facebook , Claiming that Politics Is A Rough Game and if ye cant take it , Then you shouldn’t join SF ( this was a reference to the people leaving SF over Bullying and Intimidation).. If it is the same Patrick Kearns (as on FB ) Then its OK to Bully and Intimidate other people … That’s if it is the same Patrick Kearns ??
Shameless carry on by SF
Eclipsed by the shameless carry-on of this FF/FG government.
@Rory: bang on Rory.was a member myself but withdrew recently,some heads were more concerned about organising bus trips to help canvass up north than do anything at local level.glad to be away from it
@David Huston: 2 different issues
@Rory: Considering that they were elected by constituents of Wicklow they have every right to remain on as independent councillors. If Sinn Fein don’t want to take part in constitutional council business then that is their failing to the communities they purport to serve.
@Chris Kirk: According to the article, it’s the three councillors who are refusing to accept the democratic will of the party to appoint Nicola Lawless.
@Patrick Kearns: According to the article they raised concerns about the voting and if you read between the lines the word FIXED comes to mind.
@j lad: Imagine having to canvas in a political party
@Breandán O Conchúir: j lad commented “more concerned about organising bus trips to help canvass up north than do anything at local level.”, I don’t think he minded canvassing, I think he just had a problem canvassing in the U.K.
@Breandán O Conchúir: no prob canvassing but when your calls,emails and texts are ignored with no reply and then get texts when it suits to get up North?
@Patrick Kearns: What about the democratic will of the constituents who put them into office.
It appears that there is an intolerance of internal dissidents.
In FG , a councillor can engage in shocking remarks with only mild threat of disciplinary process and likely no outcome.
@Fiona deFreyne: This intolerance is so shocking to you that you devoted twice the length of your outrage to a comment on FG. lol
It’s still double the amount of intolerance shown by any FG /FF loyalist on any subject their party inflict on us.
@David Huston: So FG/FF loyalists are only half as intolerant as SF loyalists? :)
@Honeybadger197: it’s a political party, they are meant to have the same ideals. If not ship out. FF and FG politicians are too busy on the gravy train to upset the apple cart, and when they do, sure isn’t it so and so’s relative? Sure we can’t kick them out.
@Dave O Keeffe: That kind of sympathetic whataboutery could land you with a SF membership form. Be careful :)
@Fiona deFreyne: FF/FG councillors can get up to all sorts of skulduggery with zero threat of discipline.
More women in government = less corruption.
@Patrick Kearns: bring back Auntie Mary O’Rourke.
@Honeybadger197: ha, over my dead body
@John Considine: You’re right there is a caveat to that, women don’t make any difference if they’re part of the climate of corruption.
Not often I agree with you Fiona…..SF still have the old millitary discipline where the party policy is always right and you never criticise the leader….Still to be fair to SF don’t get punishment beating for being disloyal to party anymore….
@John003: How about loyalty to constituents for a change…..
Cracks appearing all over the gaff
@billy Dorney: like a FF built pyrite house
@billy Dorney: this is what happens when you get elected year after year and then you do nothing ,they don’t take up their seats in London ,they collapsed the assembly no work there ,they sit on their hands in the Dail whinging but doing sweet FA , they are stagnant in the polls, pretty soon the rot sets in and the reptile turns on itself,as for their leftist spiel i always got the feeling SF are left because a bunch of party strategists sat in a room and said right what is our path to power ,not because they really believe in Karl Marx,most of them think he’s the brother of Groucho,Chico,and Harpo
Liars in Sinn Fein? Christ is this supposed to be news?
Truth tellers in Sinn Fein…..now that would be news.
@Arnold Lane: Truth tellers in politics would be new and you know it.
@Arnold Lane: Think most would agree the current FFFG government party have the biggest track record in lies.
@Toon Army: I don’t disagree with you there. I trust Sinn Fein as much as I trust FF/FG, which is not at all.
@Arnold Lane: haaaa… When you think that the Prince Of All Liars is The Dear Leader Gerry … Then one wonders how Truth could survive in such a Toxic and Hostile Atmosphere ?..
Not content with causing chunks of their own country to explode, they’re causing their own organisation to implode.
@JJ O Riordan: What? Maybe it’s just me but haven’t they been working on the peace process for a couple of decades now? I’d say the significant drop in the amount of bombs going off might point to a degree of success on their part and to their commitment to peace.
@Patrick Kearns: so all their victims are un-murdered? That’s grand so.
@JJ O Riordan: If they were what you pretend they are, there’d still be murders going on, but there aren’t so your narrative doesn’t stand up to even the slightest scrutiny.
@Patrick Kearns: what I pretend? How dare you try and sweep your organisations murderous past under the carpet? Nobody’s forgotten what they’ve done. Nobody.
Maybe some of the younger idealistic SF members who are being bullied in the party will see that they are getting off lightly compared to SFs opponents, members of security forces & innocent civilians that they used to have no qualms in murdering to advance their agenda. Maybe it will lead some of these younger SF members in abandoning SF’s historical narrative that glorifies the paramilitarism of the past as somehow neccessary.
@AR Devine: spot on.
While all parties are rubbish, Sinn Fein are a different level of dog sh^^
I’m not a Sinn Fein supporter but this is very poor form from them.
@Honeybadger197: Getting more women in to politics? Poor form only if it endangers your gravy train:
https://www.transparency.org/news/pressrelease/gender_and_corruption_are_women_less_corrupt
No longer calling for independence and all pro EU has a lot of SF supporters walk away.like labour,party founding principles are dumped for power and wealth.
@@mdmak33: it seems they aren’t walking away but are getting turfed out for any questioning of the top table.
@Jane: for all their left wing posturing, Sinn Fein are in reality somewhere to the right of Fianna Fail on the political spectrum. They are also run along the lines of a cult, one Glorious Leader and dissent shut down.
@Jimmyjoe Wallace: Ah Dermot, pull the other one! The only cult is the one that parrots out that line of spin in the first place.
Shock & horror! A party who since the N.Ireland conflict ignored the wishes of vast majority of Irish people & murdered their opponents are not very tolerant of dissent. Hard to imagine how all this bullying & internal strife could occur.
They’ll be bringing back the beatings soon if they can’t restore internal discipline. Everything is cyclical, not just economics.
No defender of Sinn Fein but seems unlike some other parties they hold quite high standards of their members who by all accounts put a lot of hours in for their constituents, so maybe it’s just a case these weren’t pulling their weight. Am sure the story will unfold in due course.
Although I’m not a member of SF, I know Gerry O’Neill and Oliver O’Brien personally and they are honourable men. And according to friends of mine who know John Snell, he is also a good man so I’m very sorry to read all this and wish them well going forward.
Its still a case of keep telling lies or get out (sorry Jerry)
The peasants are revolting.
@Pat Troy: Now that’s just plain offensive.
I’m sure everything will be fine once they raise a flag in solidarity.
At least you could have got the actual photo of the County Council building here in Wicklow Town
The problems inside this political party ” Run Deep”…
If they think that by expelling a few councillors ( here and there ) will sort things out, Then they are Deluding Themselves ..
Its quite obvious now that this is “Not” a Normal Political Party ?
Judging by newspaper/Tv/Radio reports lately, Then I can see many more councillors – Either Leaving or Getting Expelled – And I can see very similar happening in relation to a lot of party members ..
It must be an Extremely Hostile And Toxic Atmosphere Inside This Party ..
It proves that Sinn Fein is just a manipulated political front for an inherently undemocratic faction in this Republic, & those who give their sacred votes to SF are betraying the generations of democrats since 1921 who built the 26 counties into a stable independent state, despite the repeated attempts by these dissidents to impose their brand of nationalism.
The actual controlling power council have never accepted that this state is authentic, & will resist any dilution of their blood stained creed, even if it requires the expulsion of any of their own front who drift into heretical practise, like true local democratic interaction.
Judge them not by what they say, but what they do, & have done.
@Patrick Kearns: Noreen O’Sullivan, Joan Burton, Jan O’Sullivan, Máire Whelan, Frances Firzgerald
It’s a very sad day for Wicklow Sinn fein.
@Eoin: Similar problems in other surrounding counties Tipperary, Westmeath, Kilkenny ect, ect .. Its reckoned that at least 12 Counties in the 26 counties , have serious problems within this political party in those counties..
@Eoin: Sad day for democracy and the people who voted for these councillors to find that they are getting turfed out by their own party.
Its sad day when councilors voted in by the people are expelled ,and not informed In Naas another Sinn Fein councilor resigned due to bullying . In Kildare south many of the members were told that they stabbed Sinn Fein in the back when they did not vote for a candidate parachuted in to stand in the last general election .Members voted for a local candidate when Sinn Fein councilors were not allowed to put their names forward because they were male .One particular Sinn Fein councilor from Kildare North has a habit of abusing members on line .Despite complaints no action was taken she is a right nasty piece of work .
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