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SINN FÉIN PRESIDENT Mary Lou McDonald has said that the three-month suspension given to a party Senator for an “unacceptable” retweet is “more than a rap on the knuckles”.
Senator Máire Devine retweeted a tweet from a parody government account which referred to prison officer Brian Stack, who was shot dead by the IRA in the 1980s, as a ‘sadist’.
After initially defending her actions, Senator Devine issued an apology and said she “deeply regretted” what happened.
Stack’s son Austin Stack has said that suspension of the senator was not sufficient and that she should be expelled from the party and should resign from the Seanad.
Speaking today on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Sinn Féin leader McDonald said that Devine “is [in] no doubt that she has been severely and definitively punished”.
“The retweeting of this material was entirely unacceptable. It represented the poorest of poor judgement on behalf of Senator Devine. She has of course and quite correctly fully apologised for the matter and we acted swiftly,” McDonald said.
She has been disciplined and been left in absolutely no doubt as to the gravity and the seriousness of her actions, and a three-month suspension for anyone in political life is a serious sanction. The whip has been removed and her party membership has been suspended.
“And for anyone in a profession to receive such a sanction is a very open and public rebuke, it is certainly more than a wrap on the knuckles,” the Dublin Central TD added.
Asked about whether Devine should be removed from the party, McDonald said this would not be appropriate.
“You don’t arbitrarily dismiss anybody from any organisation that is a rule-based organisation. You work the procedures, we have worked the procedures. And the Senator is in no doubt that she has been published.”
Speaking later this morning on RTÉ’s Sean O’Rourke programme, Austin Stack said that Senator Devine had “brought the Oireachtas into disrepute” and should resign.
“What she has done is well below the standards of any public representative, ” he said.
Brian Stack
Brian Stack (48) was the chief prison officer at Portlaoise Prison when he was shot while leaving a boxing match in Dublin in 1983. The father-of-three died 18 months later from his injuries.
No one has ever been convicted over the attack that was carried out by the Provisional IRA.
Austin Stack and his brother Oliver have led a campaign to find out who killed their father. After being critical of the original investigation, the Stack family sought the help of former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams in order to find answers.
Following that contact, Adams facilitated a meeting between them and a former IRA leader who told them that the perpetrators of the attack were still alive and that one of them had been disciplined.
Adams has faced calls to identify this ex-IRA leader and Austin Stack has previously accused Adams of lying about their interactions.
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The sad situation is if you are on an average wage and live in Dublin you will NEVER be in a position to purchase a house.
Ireland is a failed society unable to elect a Government that can put a framework in place to deliver affordable homes for ALL groups in society. Political musical chairs or political reform probably not enough! …. !
France starter homes €164,000.
Land purchased by state at agri price per acre + 25%.
Contracts given for services.
Contracts given for builders or individuals.
Saying state cannot acquire land for housing because of a constitutional issue is a lie .. to keep you a serf.
Land can be compulsorily purchased for road widening in Ireland… if issue for housing, hold a referendum.
Daft planning, legal, taxation, financial, land, zoning issues all need to be addressed for future kids to make Ireland home instead of OZ. Ireland a disgusting place to live for young people.
I humbly earn a smidge more than the average but I’m still not going to be able to afford a house in Dublin. If you are in a couple both earning 35k, your max mortgage will be 245k. I agree with having to stump up about 30k deposit though, begrudgingly. Too made people rush or were ushered into mortgages and house that didn’t suit them.
You could easily get a decent gaff for 275 grand- your deposit and Max mortgage combined
Avoid banks like KBC. Go to a lender like Ulster Bank that pass variable rate reduction to their existing customers, not only to new customers.
You could get a cottage with an acre of land for you’re deposit in kerry!
Joe as a wise holder of a KBC bank mortgage if you ever buy a house stay away from KBC bank because they are the worst bank and have very inequality policies towards existing standard variable rate customers. Currently every standard variable rate customers is paying the mortgages for the new business at KBC. I am voting for sine fein and Finna fail who are going to pass laws to cap interest rates.
Fine Gael and labour voted against this in favour of the banks. Do not touch KBC bank for a mortgage.
If the banks were really nationalised we’d not see this blatant theft & not passing on the ECB interest rates as low as 0.25% – Sponsored by KBC, & FG ,FF & Labour and our legal system the eviction specialists
Do you mind if I pass on advice from a bondholder bank?
http://www.irishcentral.com/news/list-of-bondholders-in-anglo-irish-bank-leaked-110903209-237728261.html
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/you-still-owe-us-17000-bank-letter-to-suicide-widow-29561358.html
Emigrate.
Good business get money from ECB at 0.5% and lend at 3.5% variable Great profit margin
I’m not a 1st time buyer, I bought in the so called Boom time to put a roof over my families head and despite every citizen of this country bailing out the banks and in debt information ourselves and our children for the nxt 30 years, incredibly we find ourselves STILL being screwed with these rip off rates by the very same banks who are now rolling in money and Noonan is more than happy to let them do so…well I’m afraid it’s gona cost them the election..you only have to look at the opinion polls to see that!.
Dont buy next door to the inlaws!!!! Mistake of a lifetime. …..
As I’m on less than €25k a year I’m never going to be able to afford to buy.
Tip 7. Go to bank of Ireland and get 2% cash back
A lot of them have short term gimmicks to get you to sign. Some other banks do 2% cash back but this pales in comparison to the discounted rate KBC current account customers get over the life of the mortgage. Shop around fully. It’s the biggest financial decision of your life.
And the highest variable interest rate in the county at 4.4%… don’t be lured by short term gimmicks
Shop around for your mortgage. The difference in some banks can actually be in the €100′s of euro on monthly payments.
And watch out for being gouged by KBC and other banks with their outrageous variable rates!
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