Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Exclusive: Sinn Fein councillor ‘suspended without prejudice’
Slugger understands that Fermanagh Sinn Fein Councillor Bernice Swift has been suspended from the party ‘without prejudice pending review’. Ms Swift’s offence? It would appear speaking out against the party line on policing and District Police Partnerships. Pete blogged her fairly cogent arguments, originally carried in the Impartial Reporter, earlier in the month:
The DPPs possess significantly less influence than the limited powers of the policing board. The Patten recommendations, (and indeed subsequent similar legislation), states that the views of the DPPs would only be ‘taken fully into account’ by the police and it also makes clear that these bodies would have no power to investigate police activities or to approve policing plans for their areas?
The lack of powers possessed by these boards and sub boards means that meaningful control and accountability by the community is impossible, as the control and accountability mechanisms rest elsewhere. These accountability mechanisms may have been tweaked recently but it is quite clear to me that such activist as those of MI5 will not be subject to any interference from these boards.
This interesting for a number of reasons. It is absolutely true that political parties are in effect collective enterprises all be it made up from lots of different minded individuals. They have a right to expect members to toe the line. The trouble here is that Ms Swift’s arguments reflect the feelings of those in other parties and are borne out by the fact that DDPs have struggled to retain the interest and enthusiasm of represents from as far apart as Fermanagh and North Down. Though Ms Swift’s arguments take a much wider purview than the usual grumblings about DPPs just being ‘pointless talking shops’.
That her remarks have warranted such a censorious response may be because her critique goes to the heart of misgivings shared by a lot of people in Republican heartlands: that the deal brought Sinn Fein back from St Andrews was no better, and indeed possibly a good deal worse than the previous deal the party so heavily criticised the SDLP for, which at least gave local politicians some sense of what the Intelligence Services might be up to.
What should worry insiders is the potential loss of a talented local councillor. No party (on any of these islands) is so awash with talent that it can let go of its best people cheaply. Indeed, as last week’s poorly managed parliamentary attack and the disappointing performance of some of its key Ministers demonstrates, such top down micro management of dissent is not necessarily the best way to build up a coalition of talent, never mind a new generation of leaders.
As one commentator suggested to Slugger, it is as though the party has no coping mechanism to help it manage the enormous changes it’s going through.
Mick Fealty @ 06:34 PM
he potential loss of a talented councillor” is not going to overly worry “insiders”. There is a raft of young, up and coming talent in Sinn Féin at both council and Assembly level, particularly in comparison to some of their political rivals - The UUP and SDLP are rather lacking in comparison.
Lamaria
True, Orgra Sinn Fein has many truely wonderful and enlightened members in it, just make sure they stay off the roofs of Orange Halls.
Posted by on Oct 24, 2007 @ 11:06 PM“Wasn’t Francie Molloy chastised recently without any major effects?”
“Yes, in his case he was opposed to the 7 council model, whereas SF were in favour.”
Aye...and where is it now? Promotion rather than relegation for Francie should be the order of the day, methinks.
Posted by on Oct 24, 2007 @ 11:12 PMBTW: Miss Fitz, your challenging blogs are greatly missed, any chance of you getting well enough to start blogging again?
Posted by on Oct 24, 2007 @ 11:13 PMOUTSIDER
I think the organisation you are referring to is Ógra Shinn Féin but I will forgive your spelling as well as your sarcasm. It surprises me that you choose to bring them up as they, as an organisation, voted against policing at the Special Ard Fheis although they maintained they would accept the result of the vote.
I think if you read my comments again I say there is a raft of young, up and coming talent in Sinn Féin at both council and Assembly level. This does not necessarily refer to Ógra members, but rather elected representatives such as Daithí McKay MLA, Michelle O’Neill MLA, Paul Maskey MLA, John O’Dowd MLA, Carál Ní Chuilín MLA, Tierna Cunningham etc etc
Posted by on Oct 24, 2007 @ 11:31 PMThose members are a pretty sterile bunch who simply follow the party line, O’Dowd being a classic example (and hardly young).
BTW my spelling of Orgra Sinn Fein was intentional and I have read several letters in the Irish news from them claiming they are the future of Sinn Fein so.......
Posted by on Oct 24, 2007 @ 11:36 PM“Much as I reject the provisional analysis, one has to hand it to the leadership for the way they have successfully managed to change utterly everything their organisation once stood for.” - El Matador
Sure, but as old time republican said of PIRA, “Those fellows weren’t republicans; they were just fighting for control of the streets.” It helps the process of discarding all of one’s principles if they weren’t held as principles to begin with.
As you pointed out, PSF and its members cynically criticised the SDLP’s qualified support for the PSNI and then did a u-turn, not only endorsing the PSNI, but endorsing a deal that gave MI5 the freedom to operate sans the scrutiny of the Police Ombudsman or any other public scrutiny. PSF managed to persuade a staggering 95% of its members to vote at the RDS to endorse the party’s endorsement of an organisation that many of those members spent the previous 30 years murdering as “the Crown’s forces of occupation.” So, was that down to the leadership awesome debating skills in overturning deeply held convictions or down to the absence of deeply held convictions and an absence of a debate?
You can only explain it by seeing PSF as a sectarian cult, wherein the members are encouraged to have absolute faith in the ability of the leaders to deliver their supposedly shared goals and are discourgaed from thinking independently or critically about the actions of the leaders. PSF always encouraged its members to dismiss any criticism of the leaders or the ‘movement’ as being hostile propaganda from the enemy that had the ulterior aim of dividing and conquering them. That encouraged great solidarity and ensured that only the leaders’ version of events would be accepted to by the members. They always considered that “Ourselves Alone” mentality to be their greatest strength when in reality it was their greatest weakness. All the ‘enemy’ had to do was control the leaders in order to control the members, for whoever led the leaders led the movement. And that’s where they led them: deeper and deeper into the United Kingdom without even realising it. To say that British Intelligence won PIRA’s phoney little sectarian ‘war’ is rather pointless because in that masterful chess game the ‘republicans’ don’t even know that they’ve lost.
Posted by on Oct 24, 2007 @ 11:41 PMOUTSIDER you surely are an outsider of fermanagh, your character assassisnation attempt on cllr swift is disgraceful, she is an excellent cllr for the people of fermanagh and has represented all people of all areas in fermanagh. im suprised you can get the internet in that cave that you are living in, the only thing thats PATHETIC was your last two posts. put up a good argument or just SHUT UP.
truth,hurts
I may be deamed to be living in a cave but you must be living in cloud cuckoo land if you think Swift has done a good job in Fermanagh and has represented all the people. Her failure to accept the police force immediately isolates herself from the constituents she claims to represent especially those victims of crime.
I would be surprised if any Unionist in Fermanagh felt she was doing a good job, I’d actually be surprised if anyone outside of slugger felt she was doing a good job.
Posted by on Oct 24, 2007 @ 11:49 PMEl Mat “I wouldn’t say that. The provisional leadership, over the course of 25 years or so, has managed to turn the ship around completely in every respect, successfully bringing the bulk of the leadership with them and managing to do extraordinarily well in northern elections. The mark of failure will be if there are many more ‘Swift incidents’, defections and a drop in support at the polls.
Much as I reject the provisional analysis, one has to hand it to the leadership for the way they have successfully managed to change utterly everything their organisation once stood for”.
We must never forget Adams’ words “we cannot win this struggle with the south tagged on- it must be an all Ireland revolution”.
SF have been crushed beyond all belief and expectation in Dublin- a 47% vote drop in just 3 years- with Dumbo and Mary Lou on death row to boot!!
The loss of other councilors throughout Ireland is a clear sign that Adams’ warped influence now is coming to an end after 40 years of reckless butchery, dictatorship and Basil Fawlty style incompetence....
Posted by on Oct 24, 2007 @ 11:58 PMCTN
As much as I agree with what you have said Sinn Fein have not fallen apart in the South as of yet, I feel the next election there will be the real acid test.
Besides in NI they just get stronger and stronger.
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 12:04 AMDont forget their rise down south helped them rise up north and they certainly have fallen apart in Dublin with scores of members leaving- even an economic downturn wont help them like it used to after Adams’ smackdown by McDowell on PrimeTime together with all these resignations and the rise of the People for Profit campaign.
Fine Gael and the new lefter than ever Labour party under Eamonn G won’t help their attempted recovery either.
All and all they’re Adams is in it big time- right place for the obnoxious buffoon…
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 12:14 AMsorry typo should be All and all Adams is…
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 12:15 AMmissfitz - “I know Bernice to be an articulate, intelligent and gifted individual.”
Having read some of Ms Swift’s previous comments, she is a sectarian bigot who has no desire to make peace with her Protestant neighbours. I have to agree with ‘Outsider’: “it seems she would much prefer to go back to old Sinn Fein policies of simply killing police personnel.”
As I understand it, Ms Swift’s group Firinne represents 12 families yet employs 3 people. The Protestants of border areas such as Fermanagh have suffered much bigger losses and have very little resources. As Mr Swift’s friends in the SF IRA death squads were responsible for most of the murders, she is not concerned about the welfare of Protestant families.
But it’s a positive step that she has been suspended from SF IRA.
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 12:33 AMI’m worried as a republican that all the invective against Bernice is coming from unionists!
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 12:44 AMhib- do you support PSF?
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 12:51 AMCTN
Like yourself and many others I will when they appoint a new leadership sufficiently distant from A & McG
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 12:53 AMI believe councilor swifts comments on policing partnerships were justified and a true reflection of the grass roots of Sinn Fein in the Northwest. I feel it was a mistake for the party to suspend her. There must be no room for debate in the party anymore.
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 10:06 AMIs it a question of no room for debate or no room for debate internally? Those are two different things. Doing this type of thing every so often makes them look really hard and disciplined. But of little practical value.
Frank Sinistra says this is democratic centralism. As I said before, this is more just centralism.
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 10:21 AMAs interesting as many of the above comments are most really have no real import whatsoever since it is only the opinions of Sinn Fein members that really matter in any discussion on the potential breach of party discipline by the councillor and while it would be nice to know their opinions it would be unrealistic to ask for public comments from those ranks at this stage while an internal party investigation is pending.
Still, a little bit of pointless gossip is always a pleasant way to pass the time before luncheon.
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 11:08 AMImminent implosion?? Where will the votes go? to the SDLP...? to a new Republican party...? There is absolutely no sign or evidence whatsoever of either of these situations happening and for anyone to infer that it will happen from recent events is to seriously underestimate the strength of Sinn Féin’s party political machine.
Posted by Lamaria
Lamaria,
I’m sure I saw Bertie licking his lips when looking through your window the other day ;)
Frank S
Whilst it is fine to be a Bolshevik when a revolutionary situation prevails, I agree when the moment passes more can be gained from taking a Menshevik stance. It is just that the Shinner leadership still don’t seem to have got the hang of internal party democracy, preferring to follow the example of Uncle Joe, less the Lubyanka prison of course.Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 11:33 AMLamaria;
“Sinn fein’s party political machine” What machine, this is a pure myth. Did you not see the recent election results in the 26 counties. Do you think adams and mcguinness have some machine hid away in stormont. The SF leadership is in total disaray and it is time it was changed in my opinion. Its more like a dictatorship than a leadership. Grassroots members need to take the lead in this.
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 01:19 PMHmm..very different assessments of the quality of this individual, whom I don’t know personally.
I think, though, on reputational grounds, I would go with Miss Fitz’s assessment.
I wonder, given Mick’s view above, where Ms. Swift will go now?
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 01:33 PMBog standard party politics that once a party adopts a policy all elected reps and spokespersons publicly follow that line. Dissent on the policy is for internal debate.
If SF grassroots were opposed to the policy they had their opportunity to debate it and vote it down at the extraordinary Ard Fheis.
When’s the next Ard Fheis? Because there’s another chance for those opposed to any policies to put forward their own policies and let the delegates debate and vote.
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 02:49 PMi would be very surprised if the sinn fein leadership would allow anyone to put forward any motions against the policing position at next years ard fheis. as the ard fheis as now live on RTE sinn fein would be trying to put forward a strong show of support for the recent change of policy to support the PSNI. Cllr swift has made the front of the impartial reporter today and by the sounds of it she isnt going to go away, fair play to her. Dont let anyone be fooled there was no debate within sinn fein on policing this decision was leadership driven and those opposed but who stayed in the party were sold it on lies and empty promises they got from the out going prime minister Tony Blair. This dictator leadership has got rid many good republicans in recent years just because they could not reform them into a head nodding moran, i would prefare to be suspened for having my own mind and views than to be forced to reform into something that i wasnt.
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 03:27 PMIt must be taken on board this lady has not resigned of yet nor been found guilty of a breach by SF.
The main point is that the autocracy’s overreaction will engender more sympathy for her standpoint rather than their’s within SF and we are entitled to look on at developments, passing comment if we so wish.
Her points of criticism were within the bounds of the standard double gamed republican stance whereby one infiltrates their enemies structures but also argue for further positive change to be made to those structures.
In failing to give Bernice even the slightest latitude for her personal opinion by way of this Berlin bunker style display of control freakery and desperation the autocracy have opened themselves up to more grass roots discontent than if they had simply discussed things in a quiet and respectful manner.
Then again what do you expect from pigs but grunts…
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 04:44 PMand in my opinion the leadership, lack of debate within the party the over emphasis on unionist outreach projects within the party has alienated by good republicans.
example being, Alex Maskey tribute to the British War dead on poppy day. yet SF boycott a Frank aiken commemoration in Camlough, cause Aiken turned on them in the civil war.
what do they really expect people to do, tramp the roads canvasing for nothing, while the party coffers swell with expenses. tell people lies on the doors about water charges and dress it up in new laboursque spin.
endlessly attended commemorations for fallen vol.s year after year and every year the party moves further away from what they died for.
Remember the Hunger Strikers, they died for a slight change in the way we bill water?
i would shudder to think what membership of local cumann is at the moment.
Posted by on Oct 25, 2007 @ 05:55 PM
