Sinn Féin have found themselves amidst a number of controversies recently. Augmenting their difficulties, the party is now dealing with the resignation of TD Brian Stanley, who formerly led the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC). This event intensifies the issues the party is already grappling with across the Border.
As of recent Monday afternoon, two public addresses have been released by Brian Stanley (one on Saturday and another on Monday). Additionally, Sinn Féin has delivered a statement on Sunday, and the leader of the party, Mary Lou McDonald, has made several media appearances on Monday morning. From these events, we can gather the following concerning the resignation of the Laois-Offaly representative.
The specifics of the date remain unknown, however, the circumstances surrounding his resignation are claimed to involve an incident with Mr Stanley which led to a long-term Sinn Féin member issuing a grievance against him within the party.
Between July 26th and August 3rd, Mr Stanley stated on Monday that the grievance was filed on July 26th, the opening day of a 10-day window to nominate candidates for the general election. He argues that the complaint had prevented him from positioning himself on the Sinn Féin ballot.
Sinn Féin mentioned in a Sunday address that the grievance was lodged at the end of July, although Ms McDonald mentioned Monday on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme that the complainant’s statement was obtained on August 2nd.
Mr Stanley, however, has denounced this as “false information,” stating he personally informed her about the complaint on July 29th, adding that party members had been discussing the details of the incident. He claims that he had to secure his lawyer to write to the party on July 31st in order to establish the contents of the complaint.
Ms McDonald relayed that Mr Stanley was informed of the complaint on August 3rd, at which point he dismissed it.
Sinn Féin is now being asked to give absolute clarity on when they first learnt about the allegations against Mr Stanley. The party insists it didn’t alert An Garda Síochána due to the absence of any criminal implications from the information initially received. They have however stated that they would have taken it to the police if there had been any sign of a crime.
A disciplinary procedure was started, under the supervision of a Sinn Féin-affiliated barrister and two non-official members. Party chair, Declan Kearney MLA, is in charge of overseeing the process, according to Ms McDonald.
Ms McDonald has revealed that she was informed about the complaint in early August but was however not made aware of the specifics. She maintains this is essential to uphold the integrity and independence of the disciplinary procedure. This claim stands in contrast to Mr Stanley’s assertion that she was informed on July 29th.
The timeline of certain events is still uncertain. A short conversation occurred between Ms McDonald and Mr Stanley, wherein Mr Stanley stated that a complaint had been lodged, and Ms McDonald responded that she was aware and underscored the need for the disciplinary procedure to proceed. Mr Stanley’s account implies this discussion could have happened as early as July 29th.
From August through September, the investigation took place with Mr Stanley participating via written representations and in-person meetings, accompanied by a solicitor and barrister. Mr Stanley has since compared the inquiry to a ‘kangaroo court’, alleging that a specific group within the party aimed to harm his reputation severely. The party has continued to underscore the investigation’s authenticity and fairness.
Sinn Féin disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday, that they became aware of additional information and a counter-accusation at the inquiry’s preliminary stage. According to Mr Stanley, he and his solicitor put forward “grave matters” to the inquiry committee on September 11th, which he believes should have been escalated to the Gardaí.
In the thick of events unfolding, Ms. McDonald announced on Monday that further legal guidance was procured. Nonetheless, Sinn Féin, in its official statement, claimed that concurrent to the issuance of the report to the plaintiff and Mr. Stanley, additional legal advice was taken—that was not in place until early October.
On October 4th, the preliminary outcomes were composed and the drafts were disseminated to the involved faces, elucidating the contested and uncontested details, the complaint’s essence, and the counter-accusation nature. Sinn Féin has been enquired about the exact date of report distribution and whether any additional substantiations have surfaced post this date, which might have triggered a referral to the Garda.
The party was requested to disclose precisely when the new legal advice was requested, who it was obtained from, when it was provided, and whether either the new information or the counter-claim included data or allegations with criminal implications.
On October 12th, expecting to get responses back by October 14th, Mr. Stanley dissociated himself from the party. Subsequently, the issue was committed to the party chair, Mr. Kearney. Ms. McDonald contended that she was privy to the full rundown that night for the first time. The disciplinary action was halted due to Mr. Stanley’s disaffiliation, with no formal conclusions documented.
On October 13th, Sinn Féin declared that the process had been halted and the case forwarded to the Garda. The resolution to send the entire case to the Garda was made out of “an excess of caution,” as stated by Ms. McDonald on Monday. She claimed to be instrumental in this decision-making process.
Moreover, Sinn Féin has been asked to reveal the individuals involved in the unanimous decision-making, and whether the ultimate decision to shift the case to the Garda was made by Ms. McDonald.
What comes after this?
Sinn Féin is reportedly planning to strip Mr. Stanley off his position of PAC chair. The party has been asked for more details about the procedure and its anticipated completion date. There’s optimism that it could occur soon. Sinn Féin, as the biggest opposition party in the Dáil conventionally selects the chair of the committee, has the right to assign another TD to the position.
Ciaran Cannon, a committee member and representative of Fine Gael, has refused to collaborate with the newly elected Sinn Féin chairperson of the PAC, unless the party leader, Ms McDonald, provides a comprehensive statement on the severe issues regarding her party that are currently surfacing.
The House of Representatives, or the Dáil, is scheduled to conduct hearings on Tuesday related to child safeguarding. It was perceived as a platform for the opponents of Sinn Féin to criticise the party about a separate scandal linked to their misconduct in the Michael McMonagle case in Northern Ireland.
The recent exit of Mr. Stanley, coupled with the resignation of Patricia Ryan, a South Kildare representative, from the party, is expected to be highlighted. Noteworthy are the reports that have emerged in the past few days about a former party member who allegedly sent inappropriate texts to a minor and subsequently left the party.