19 Comments

  1. Organic-Book-5373 on

    Seems inevitable now that FF/FG will return to government after the next election.

    I hope we learn our lesson, Sinn Féin is not fit to lead a change government that many of us want to see.

  2. This is a bit of a shock, Stanley is one of Sinn Féin’s most prominent TD’s having being elected way back in 2011 when SF had just 4 seats prior to that election. Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee too. This is the last thing Sinn Féin need heading into a General Election.

    Sinn Féin may struggle to hold a seat in Laois-Offaly given Carol Nolan also resigned from the party in 2018 and currently sits as an Independent TD. Stanley should comfortably top the poll as an Independent – unless some seriously damaging news is set to emerge.

  3. IntentionFalse8822 on

    It’ll be interesting to see how Mary-Lou spins this as being the government’s fault.

    She has to go if the party is to have any hope of ever being in power.

  4. His statement “I am announcing my resignation from Sinn Féin with immediate effect. After 40 years of service to Sinn Féin, I will now continue working as an Independent Republican TD of behalf of constituents, who have always treated me in a fair and respectful manner. In recent months a certain clique within the party have gone to extreme lengths to damage my reputation and character. No efforts have been spared by them in this regard.On foot of a ‘complaint’ I was recently brought before an internal party ‘inquiry’. Given what has transpired and the work of my legal team, what is very clear, is this process lacked objectivity, was seriously flawed and was devoid of impartiality. This ‘inquiry’ has been shown to have lacked any shred of credibility, not least due to a significant abuse of process. 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 Féin has dealt with this and other matters across the wider party in recent months, I can no longer have confidence in it”.

  5. Tayto-Sandwich on

    Brian Stanley is the only politician in Laois worthy of a vote as he is the only one I can attest for ever having done anything for anyone I know.

    Most of the people around do not want Sinn Fein in power but Stanley got all of their votes as no.1 due to voting for the man regardless of his party. If anything he will be more popular as an independent as those that begrudged him before should now be converted (except for the FG/FF stooges). Big big hit for Sinn Fein!

  6. Accomplished-Ad-6639 on

    The most concerning thing to me as a somewhat floating voter is that when a SF politician leaves the party there always seems to be all kinds of allegations of bullying, censorship etc.

    They are obviously not run like any other party. Seems to me that their party structure is still based on some sort of strict hierarchy and authority that is more like an IRA army council led party rather than a grassroots member run party.

  7. >As it stands, Brian Stanley’s wife, Caroline Dwane-Stanley is the only Sinn Féin elected representative now in Laois. She is a councillor in the Portlaoise Municipal District

    Frosty night in the Dwane-Stanley household.

    Sf losing two sitting tds in a week. Which will at a minimum split their vote, and possibly lead to them having no td in laois or kildare. Both areas they need numbers if they have any hope of getting near power.

  8. Jaysis! Hilarious. More kangaroo court bullshit and shadowy disciplinary processes run by the boys from Belfast. Will there be any of them left in a few weeks.

  9. Speaking as a constituent of Brian Stanley’s who still holds to the belief that FF/FG have had their time, he was a major disappointment after the last election. Seeing him and others singing IRA songs at the count center after getting the news that he had made it was massively disappointing.

  10. theperilousalgorithm on

    Genuine question – how is SF faring with the split in its tent between far left and far right? It seems such a wide tent as to split down the middle, but I would (genuinely) invite SF supporters to explain the path forward.

    I’m an FF/FG, FG/FF voter for pure transparency, but am genuine in understanding how the mechanics will work as I want Irish democracy to be healthy.

  11. Charming-Potato4804 on

    Ah, the old fake investigation to destroy a reputation!

    Its an old one, but a classic.

    ![gif](giphy|9ynrMLS0FrcGmfe93n)

  12. Such_Technician_501 on

    Given the low calibre of the 2020 intake SF can ill afford to lose one of their number with a functioning brain.

    Even as someone who won’t vote for them I can recognise Stanley as an excellent public representative.