Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley resigns from party

Brian Stanley has resigned from Sinn Fein, the second TD to quit the party in the last week.

He has been a TD for Laois-Offaly since 2011 and was first elected to Laois County Council in 1999.

Mr Stanley, who is also chairman of the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee, said he is ending his 40-year association with the party and will remain as an independent “Republican TD”.

In a statement issued to Laois Today on Saturday night, Mr Stanley said his decision follows a “complaint” that was made about him that led to an internal party inquiry.

He questioned the party’s process, claiming it “lacked objectivity” and was “seriously flawed”.

“This ‘inquiry’ has been shown to have lacked any shred of credibility, not least due to a significant abuse of process,” Mr Stanley said.

“In many ways it resembled a type of kangaroo court. Legal examination of this matter will continue.

“Considering what I have experienced and how Sinn Fein has dealt with this and other matters across the wider party in recent months, I can no longer have confidence in it.”

His resignation comes days after Kildare South TD Patricia Ryan announced she had left the party.

Ms Ryan said that her resignation was in response to the party “undermining” her.

Sinn Fein TD Pa Daly said he first became aware of Mr Stanley’s resignation on Sunday morning.

“I was disappointed to hear that Brian had tendered his resignation,” he told RTE’s The Week In Politics programme.

“For all his colourful colloquialisms, and he had a good politics and he had a good sense of humour, and I was disappointed to hear that was what he was doing.

“I’m getting most of my information about it from what Brian actually said to the Laois website.”

Asked if he was not given more information about the latest resignation from party leader Mary Lou McDonald, the Sinn Fein justice spokesman said: “Not yet anyway. I think the party will be issuing a statement later on today.

“But I do understand that he, from his statement, he said that he had legal representation.

“A complaint was made against him, and it’s important to reflect and understand that whatever went on there, and I don’t know what went on there, I haven’t seen any details of any complaint.

“Everybody in the party, if there’s a complaint put in against you, there is a process that has to be undertaken, that was being undertaken, and Brian, I presume, attended that in the company of his legal representation, with a solicitor and the barrister.”

Asked about claims by Ms Ryan that she had social media posts censored and that questions to the party leadership at meetings were vetted, Mr Daly said that was not his experience within the party.

“All I can say from my own point of view is that I think Patricia mentioned something about a Facebook post that she has put up. No one has ever come to me and said, you know, you have to take down a Facebook post or anything like that,” he added.

“Mary Lou McDonald attended the Midlands Hotel, for example, a number of years ago, and there was probably 300 or 400 people there, and anyone who wanted to ask a question could ask a question, and she has been to the county on three or four at least occasions over the past two years.

“There’s absolutely no difficulty with anybody asking her any questions and indeed, somebody, a party member came up and spoke to her when we visited St Vincent de Paul, and that person wanted a quiet word with her, and she facilitated that. Absolutely no problem.

“I think that internal difficulties, whether it’s on a constituency level or broader political level to do with certain topics, they happen in all parties.

“I don’t think there’s any question of any cliques. And significantly, the two resignations have occurred with an election happening next month, I presume. So people decide, how are they best going to get on the ticket? How are they best going to stand for election and win the seat.”

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee highlighted controversies that have engulfed Sinn Fein in recent weeks, including the fallout around former party press officer Michael McMonagle and revelations that a Sinn Fein member resigned from the party after allegedly sending inappropriate messages to a 17-year-old.

“What you’ve spoken about here with Deputy Pa Daly is a party that is not fit for government because of the structures that they don’t have in their organisation,” Ms McEntee said.

“You have, in the last number of weeks alone, a senior member that gave an individual who has been investigated and has now since admitted to child abuse, references, and we have a party leader saying they knew nothing about it.

“You have another party member who has left because they were sending inappropriate messages. Again, a party leader who apparently knew nothing about it.

“You have structures in there that have not dealt with it properly.

“You have a party member who’s leaving because she says she’s been silenced. And you now have a fourth person who’s saying that they were subject to a kangaroo court.”

Sinn Fein has been contacted for comment.