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LAST UPDATE | 19 Jun 2018
SINN FÉIN TD Carol Nolan has confirmed that she will not be returning to the party after being suspending for voting against legislation to allow for last month’s referendum on the Eighth Amendment.
Sinn Féin Whip Aengus Ó Snodaigh told Nolan that she had been suspended for a period of three months on 21 March.
Nolan was the only one of the party’s 23 TDs to vote against the bill passing.
In a statement today, Nolan said that she feels that “as a pro-life republican woman” that she “no longer has a place in [Sinn Féin]“.
At the party’s Ard Fheis in Belfast last weekend, Sinn Féin passed a motion that directs its TDs to vote in favour of abortion on request when legislation comes before the Dáil.
Another motion which sought to allow members to vote according to their conscience on the issue was defeated.
“It was disappointing that at the Ard Fheis which took place in Belfast at the weekend, the party’s delegates voted against the motion to allow members to have a conscience vote on the issue of abortion,” Nolan said.
I feel that it is unethical to force TDs who are strongly opposed to abortion to vote against their conscience.
Every TD in Leinster House is directly responsible for the laws that they enact. If a TD votes for abortion they are responsible for all abortions that happen in this state.
I do not want to have, act or part in bringing about the end to the life of an unborn child, the most vulnerable in our society. It is not for politicians or society in general to decide who lives or dies.
“I cannot and will not support abortion and for that reason, I have made a decision to leave Sinn Féin.”
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has described Nolan’s resignation as disappointing but not surprising.
“I very much regret Carol’s decision to resign from Sinn Féin. Her resignation is disappointing but not surprising,” McDonald said.
“Sinn Féin made every effort to give its members space and latitude to articulate a position contrary to the party’s position in the recent referendum campaign on Repeal of the Eighth Amendment.
“The people have spoken on this issues. The Sinn Féin Ard Fheis has democratically agreed the party’s position to support the forthcoming legislation. I wish Carol and her family well.”
Speaking during the debate on the above two motions, Michelle O’Neill MLA told members that everyone is entitled to have a conscience but that “there is a distinct difference between our own personal views and our role as legislators”.
The motion directs that elected members “act in line with the view of the Ard Comhairle”, effectively reinforcing Sinn Féin’s stance that members face censure if they vote the against the party.
Party whip Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD said that elected members must obey the whip when it is applied and that they must reflect policy as set by the Ard Fheis.
“When you are elected for Sinn Féin you will stand for the policy of the party as decided by the members here,” he said.
Other suspensions
Nolan’s suspension wasn’t the first the party has implemented due to their voting record on issues relating to abortion.
Sinn Féin TD Peadar Toibín was suspended back in 2013 for voting against the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013, which Sinn Féin was supporting.
Meanwhile, Senator Máire Devine was been suspended in March for retweeting a post which called Brian Stack, a senior prison officer shot dead by the IRA in the 1980s, a ‘sadist’.
Devine returned to the party today following her suspension.
With reporting by Ronan Duffy
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He deffo needs to set himself aside from the torys on this or he will be sent to the waste bin also
@JG: he’s appealing to the uk public. They don’t like strikes or union leaders and politicians on picket lines waving copies of socialist worker about. Its why Corbyn lost in a landslide.
@Tom Quin: Every poll on the rail workers strikes had the public in support of them.
I take it back a YouGov poll didn’t. Savanta Comes poll of 2,300 58% of the people questioned said the strikes are justified, with 34% deeming them unjustified.
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: No it doesn’t.
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: The only ones showing support I can find are the ones carried by or for the RMT. No suprises there.
@Tom Quin: The Savanta ComRes poll wasn’t Carrie out for the RMT. Its funny how we only see what we want to see isn’t it Tom?
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: It must be the only one then, an outlier. An online one rigged by activists probably.
@Tom Quin: The IPSOS one was equal support at 35% to opposition at 35%. Doesn’t show the British public detesting unions. The only reason the Tories do so well is because the Brits use FPTP elections. It’s well established UK Labour would come out on top with PR voting. So no the British people don’t hate the left.
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness:
Keeping in mind that, despite the name, YouGov is a private polling company founded by a conservative party member who is now a conservative party MP.
@David Bourke: Absolutely, good point that!
They sabotaged their party from within with their revolt on Corbyn. It’s no wonder they’re a bit lost for direction these days when they promoted a fence sitter to party leader.
@Rochelle: With FPTP electoral system and a very hostile media, Corbyn was never going to get in.
@Rochelle: Corbyn handed the Conservatives their biggest majority in donkeys years. He let Boris off the hook when he was suffocating to death through the pressure of brexit and a minority government. Corbyn showed the worst judgement of any leader in modern history when he agreed to that election. He then bombed out un the election campaign. He will be remembered as one of the worst Labour leaders in history. His decisions, scandals and his unprecedented unnecessary election defeat will ensure that.
@Rochelle: Corbyn lost to a Tory landslide, the uk public do not want left wingers. Starmer is trying to win an election in the real world.
@Tim Dawson: Corbyn was utterly railroaded by the media.. Even the BBC photoshopped a Russian style hat onto him on their backgrounds. He was absolutely hounded out of his position. The recent report shows how much the New Labour (Blairite) side of the party and the NEC completely shoehorned him. 100′s of thousands of people joined the Labour Party because Corbyn was the leader and the NEC screwed that membership over.
@Tom Quin: The UK public are too easily led by their right wing media barons.
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: the british public have only ever once voted for a socialist government that was after ww2. The media did not give Boris that huge landslide.
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: that’s very, very weak. you thinking the uk public are so thick because they did not vote for the guy you wanted them too is the sort of arrogance that switches people off the left.
@Tim Dawson: To be fair he didn’t get the support of the higher up’s in the labour party,the papers were all against him,his own wanted him to fail,he was elected by the people on the ground in the labour party,not saying he was perfect but he never had a chance,look at the head of labour now.
@Tom Quin: They voted for to leave the EU,yes they have a huge amount of badly informed people that believe lies and think the empire is still alive.
@Daniel Roche: No they just voted the way you didn’t like. It’s not a crime to leave the EU.
@Tom Quin: Who said it was a crime? Clearly you’re just a troll.
@Tim Dawson:
I’d love to hear about the Corbyn scandals. Please provide the details
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: So people who disagree with you are not just thick and gullible but also trolls?
Forgetting that working conditions would still be in the dark ages if it wasn’t for Unions. This isn’t simply a matter of one mp not abiding by party protocols, starmer has been on the fence all along. His fear of the electorate and the right wing press could be considered cautious and prudent but not at the cost of handing everything to the Tories on a plate. Surely it is easy enough for him to highlight that transport issues are created initially by the govt and not by the unions?
@alan: the brit public do not support unions and lefties like Corbyn. Starmer needs to win them over to get the Tories out and going full on Corbyn will give tories another landslide.
Starmer must’ve thought, the Tories are ripping themselves apart with this leadership contest, we can do better than them!
Labour party for the working class there’s a joke
If I understand it correctly, he wasn’t sacked for supporting the strikers, but rather because he said it was Labour policy to advocate for a pay rise in line with inflation. Which would a) would make no economic sense – increasing wages in line with inflation will only lead to further inflation, and b) clearly would be a major policy proposal, and as such if someone just says it is the party position when it isn’t, that person should be sacked. Such a proposal is ludicrous, and would just give the Torries the chance to portray Labour as some kind of looney left part that would end up bankrupting Britain, hurting small business owners, etc. etc. Right now, Labour just need to sit back and quiet while the Torries destroy themselves.
Always the same with Labour, when the Tories are on the ropes they proceed to shoot themselves in both feet. Fairly much unelectable as they’re perceived as differing factions all adopting opposing views. Should just split into three different parties and be done with it.
Starmer did the correct thing to sack him. What are all these whingers going on about?
Shouldn’t Labour ya know, be on the side of workers. I’m guessing that day has long since past since Tony Blair and ‘new Labour’. Moderate Tories in disguise
Unable to govern themselves anymore over there…Maybe we should tie in with India and jointly go in to save(colonise) them and restore good governance … ;)
Bye bye Keir
Like our own labour party. Labour supposed to be pro worker.
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