Sinn Féin members told not to ask leader ‘negative’ or ‘inappropriate’ questions – The Irish Times

Sinn Féin members were told not to ask Mary Lou McDonald “negative” or “inappropriate” questions at a recent party event, sparking a major row over alleged “censorship” amid nearly a dozen resignations.

Eleven members of the Monasterevin Kildangan Sinn Féin cumann have now quit as fallout over the resignation of Kildare South TD Patricia Ryan grows on Thursday.

In an interview with KFM on Friday, Ms Ryan cited dissatisfaction with the handling of local tensions as one of the reasons she left the party, in addition to the fact that questions to the leadership had been “vetted”.

The Irish Times has learned that ahead of an event to “rally the troops” at the Osprey Hotel in Naas earlier this week, the Kildare Sinn Féin district council, known as the comhairle ceantair, told grassroots members of local branches their proposed questions in to be submitted in advance to a WhatsApp group. The chairman of the comhairle ceantair said they did not want anyone to abandon the group with “inappropriate negative questions”.

Members of Ms Ryan’s local cumann in Monasterevin Kildangan objected to the requests, asking what was meant by “inappropriate” and “negative” questions.

They were told that this was to ensure that the questions were “relevant”. The Cumann members objected again, asking who would ultimately decide whether a question was appropriate. One member said there was “some concern” that the district council was “trying to stifle freedom of expression by investigating or otherwise restricting what can be asked”.

In response, another party member said: “This is not about freedom of speech, this is about respect for our party chairman.”

Nick Greaves, who has now resigned as chairman of the Monasterevin Kildangan cumann, confirmed that 11 people, including Ms Ryan, had handed in their letters of resignation.

Asked about Ms Ryan’s comments about KFM that questions were being “vetted” to management, Mr Greaves said: “There was a meeting at the Osprey Hotel in Naas where Mary Lou McDonald was due to be present, a ‘rally the forces’- exercise to increase morale. among the activists. The comhairle ceantair asked who was going, but then they wanted to know what questions we would ask so that no one would ask inappropriate or embarrassing questions. We questioned that because it came across as censorship.”

Cumann Secretary Aaron Sheppard, who has also resigned, said the request struck him as an attempt to “silence” members of the base.

In response to questions, a Sinn Féin spokesperson said: “We were aware there were issues in the constituency. No formal complaints have been filed. The party attempted to resolve the issues that arose through mediation and discussion. This was unsuccessful. We do not believe there was any vetting of the questions.”

When the content of the messages was submitted to the party, a spokesperson said that “if what is alleged did happen, it was inappropriate.”

Mr Sheppard said a “disconnect” had developed between the party and grassroots members in recent months and claimed a “nasty” environment had spread throughout Sinn Féin structures in Kildare South.

Supporters of Ms Ryan, who was elected to the Dáil in 2020, also believe she was forced out by the party in favor of other candidates for the upcoming general election.

The TD has denied that she resigned when she heard that it would be a controversial selection convention. She said she felt “pushed out” by the inability of Sinn Féin leadership to tackle local issues.

Asked why he quit, Mr Greaves said: “The atmosphere had become so toxic. My feeling was that Patricia is not a perfect TD, but she was a more than adequate TD and it makes strategic sense to put the incumbent president forward again. She did the work, she was chosen, it made sense.