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COUNCILLOR JONATHAN DOWDALL has claimed he resigned from Sinn Féin after a “small element” in the party in north inner city Dublin spread negative rumours about him.
It’s emerged that Dowdall has not officially resigned from Dublin City Council but has instead quit Sinn Féin. The party had said on Tuesday he was stepping down from “elected politics” for health reasons.
Last night, Dowdall said that he has not officially notified anyone in Dublin City Council that he was going to resign from his seat. He said he intends on leaving Sinn Féin, even though he supports the party and its policies.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, the 34-year-old father-of-four said that alongside health concerns, a “small element” of the party in the inner city has been “causing nothing but havoc spreading rumours” which led to a stressful situation that caused him to say he was resigning.
“I think the people in the area need to know the truth,” said Dowdall, adding that he took the decision to speak out due to comments online speculating about why he decided to resign.
He pointed out that he grew up in the inner city of Dublin and was a member of Sinn Féin when he decided to run “solely for reasons to better the area”. The married father-of-four said he runs his own business, employs locals and has also sponsored football teams in the area.
“I have a health issue that came on through the end of the elections,” he said.
That isn’t the main reason I was standing down. Sinn Féin itself is an absolutely super party and I strongly believe in Sinn Féin’s politics. The councillors in Sinn Féin I believe are the best councillors out there. [Deputy Leader] Mary Lou [McDonald] I have the height of respect for.
Of the negative comments, Dowdall said that he had heard comments from people saying they heard that Sinn Féin didn’t want him and that they wanted another candidate.
He also said family members and some members of other political parties had told him they had heard negative things about him from others in social situations.
He thought that the rumours would end after the elections, but said that they didn’t.
He said that between these stories he was hearing, and the “trying to get back and forth to get to hospitals and rear a young family and run a company”, he thought “what is the point?”.
He said that after news of his resignation broke, people were unhappy “because I did do an awful lot in a short period of time”. He described what happened as “stressful” and said he told Sinn Féin what had happened.
Contacted for comment yesterday, a Sinn Féin spokesperson said the party was not aware of any negative rumours or comments about Dowdall.
“I still will be involved in the community,” said Dowdall, adding: “I don’t believe in backstabbing people.”
Dowdall said he is “really disappointed for the area” that he has stepped down, but that “at the end of the day my family is first” and he had been “constantly stressed out” over the situation.
When news broke that Dowdall was stepping down, Mary Lou McDonald expressed her regret. She described him as “a hard worker who will be missed in his elected role by local constituents”.
At last May’s local elections, Sinn Féin made massive gains on Dublin City Council, making it the party with the biggest representation.
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Don’t cut their pay, completely remove the DUP’s pay. Let’s see how long they want to sit on the sidelines when they are flat broke. They can have sectarianism or a salary, they can’t have both.
@Seán Ó Briain: Rumours are rife that the DUP said yes for the first time since the Old Testament, they say God and country are important but cash is king.
@Seán Ó Briain: And make Brandon Lewis redundant too.
@Seán Ó Briain: their pals in the UVF could spot them a few quid from their drug money. Removing the protocol would be a giant carrot for them.
@Gerard McConnell: Always said: Loyal to the Half Crown.
Why ‘soon’? Why not now?!
I heard that interview where Brandon Lewis said that Jews were being prevented from practicing their faith. What kind of interviewer let’s him get away without explaining that.
We are allowing politicians and media influencers of all shades to make daft claims without being called to account.
@Pat Duggan: and orange one
@Stephen Walshe: This is just one example of the influence being wielded by probably less than 20% of the population. People with media influence capability are being allowed to convert the other 80% who do not use their critical powers to test the accuracy of what it being promoted. It used to be called propaganda.
Why is the Journal repeating the lie that the protocol is preventing the jewish community from practicing their faith? This has been proven to be untrue!
@Niall Power: Never heard that! What is meant to be the reason?
@Niall Power: Had a few have you?
@Niall Power: — They’re only quoting Brandon Lewis’s lies above, but they should actually point out that he’s blatantly lying through his teeth, which seems to be on a par with most of the Tories in high office. They all spout real howlers, like Suella Braverman, who announced that NI is way behind the rest of the UK in the trade and economy area, which is the complete opposite of what the situation really is. The problem is that a lot of people believe the nonsense they come out with.
@Sean D: a few Jews??..
@Sean D: I don’t drink!
@sean o’dhubhghaill: lack of access to kosher foodstuffs.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: Most of the Kosher goods came from the UK however, the shops and community have since found EU suppliers to deliver.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: there is a community of 75 Orthodox Jews who are facing DELAYS on kosher foods from uk. Yet there is an orthodox Jewish community in Dublin who are not having issues sourcing produce from uk. Hardly an insurmountable issue.
@Niall Power: sure look it, anyone who has an IQ in double figures know that anything coming out of a Tory/DUP is likely to be BS
Haha the DUP will prove they are far more loyal to the half crown …then the crown
@David cotter: all parties up there take the queens shillings. Cash is king for them all
The DUP won’t play “in protest over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol”. Also because they lost the election to the Taigs.
Proper bloody order! About time too. We’ll done Brandon Lewis.
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