Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THREE PEOPLE HAVE resigned from the Social Democrats’ National Executive board over the weekend in response to how the party has reacted to revelations about their local election candidate Ellie Kisyombe.
Kisyombe was selected as a Social Democrats’ candidate for the North Inner City Ward for the 2019 Local Elections. Originally from Malawi, she has applied for asylum in Ireland, and is in the Direct Provision system as she awaits a decision.
But this weekend, the Social Democrats announced a review into Kisyombe’s story after The Sunday Times reported a week previous that there were alleged inconsistencies in accounts she gave in a number of media interviews.
The move was taken after the party’s co-leaders, TDs Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall, wrote to the National Executive to highlight their concerns.
The newspaper outlined how she first arrived in Ireland on a student visa in 2011, then applied for asylum in the UK before returning to Ireland in 2014.
The SocDems’ website says Kisyombe “came to Ireland from Malawi in 2011 and has spent several years living in Direct Provision”.
The party’s review into the Dublin candidate’s ‘backstory’ has prompted three resignations over the weekend, with one of those who resigned claiming that “irreparable damage” and “irreconcilable gaps” have occurred due to the incident.
The Social Democrats Dublin Central’s Twitter account said that for legal reasons, Kisyombe remains unable to clarify any remarks given to journalists and broadcasters until a final decision in her application process is made.
An initial Sunday Times piece earlier this month had raised questions about Kisyombe’s previous public comments on the issue, and the asylum-seeking process. However, many people since have also questioned whether covering the story itself was fair.
Resignations
On Saturday, a spokesperson for the Social Democrats confirmed that the party chair Joe O’Connor, vice chair Carly Bailey, and also National Executive member Chris Bond resigned over the party’s decision to carry out the review.
The Irish Times, which broke the news of the resignations, said that emails they have seen show O’Connor and Bailey’s dissatisfaction with the direction the Social Democrats had taken to review the case in response to media reports.
“I joined this party in the belief that the Social Democrats were different,” one email said.
In a statement released on Saturday, the party said:
“The co-leaders wrote to the National Executive and expressed concern at the allegation that there may be some inaccuracies in Ellie’s backstory, while also appreciating the complexities and severe difficulties posed for those caught up in the asylum process.
“As a result, the National Executive subsequently met and has decided to carry out a review to work through this with Ellie.”
In a statement on Twitter, the Dublin Central branch of the party thanked O’Connor, Carly Bailey and others “who’ve demonstrated immense leadership in preserving the values upon which our party was founded”.
It said that Kisyombe had been placed “in an extremely complex situation”, but that “she looks forward to being able to clear her name once leave to remain has been granted”.
“Living in Direct Provision, Ellie has spent many years living with less rights than others and having her privacy violated,” it added.
Dublin Central Soc Dems remain dedicated to supporting Ellie Kisyombe’s candidacy, alongside Carol Deans, for local election and would be both honoured and proud to have such fine candidates represent the North Inner City, as new and diverse voices for transformative politics.
They also thanked people “for their overwhelming support” for Kisyombe.
In an interview on RTÉ’s Ray D’Arcy show in January this year, Kisyombe said that she is in limbo waiting for her application to be processed.
She said that she was living in Dundalk in a reception centre where she cannot cook, and where she shares a bedroom with her daughter. Her son has a room of his own.
The Social Democrats party was founded in July 2015 by three independent TDs who then took joint-leadership of the party: Stephen Donnelly, Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall.
The centre-left party had three TDs; Stephen Donnelly left the party in 2016 citing leadership difficulties, so the party now has two TDs – Murphy and Shortall.
A Sunday Business Post/Red C poll put the party on 2% support; in the 2016 general election that support stood at 3%.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
How can you stand for election while not a citizen?
@Paul Murphy: EU and British citizens can stand for local elections, why not? Yer one on the other hand…
@Goban Saor: nope. Any resident can stand for local election. Any resident can also vote in said elections.
@Goban Saor
She is not a EU citizen.
@Power Aine: Her citizenship is irrelevant. She’s not running for president. This is a local election. She only needs residency. People need to learn the rules.
@Power Aine: Anyone resident in the country can both run and vote in local elections. You don’t need to be a citizen. You could be from Mars and run / vote. All you need is to live here
There are no legal reasons why the truth can not be told,surely that is the basis of an application for asylum otherwise we are giving residency to the wrong people. I am actually puzzled as to how or why any local election candidate would be nominated by any party if they do not hold legal residency, what is the point ? it is not a given (or is it) that she will be granted this right, strange.
And they wonder why they are on 2% of the vote.
@Niall Power: What on earth has this story got to do with them being on 2%?
How has this story affected the percentage considering it is only coming out now?
@Niall Power: and that doesn’t look likely to improve. Any such questions need to be addressed and put to bed before selection.
Small inconsistencies. One of the TDs in my local area tried to turn a 3 bed terrace next door into 6 “apartments” whilst doing nothing for the housing crisis. The Dublin Lord Mayor found 1 million to pay off his debts. It’s a pity the media wouldn’t investigate some of the more established parties.
@Bryan Yelahw: so are you for or against that kind of thing? It sounds as if you’re saying that if it’s okay for your local TD it’s okay for her.
@Timothy Cussen: no she’s saying that there are worse things going on in this country than inconsistencies in this lady’s story….. that didn’t make front page. The same week it came out that Junior Minister Ciaran Cannon refused to pay his taxes. Not a peep out of newpapers….
@Jessie Ginger: Two wrongs don’t make a right
‘Came here on a student visa in 2011′ its 2019 now WTF is she still doing here…. Playing the system like the rest of them…
@Alan Foley:
Playing the system?
The fact that it takes the State 8 years to process her application is a disgrace and absolutely not her fault.
And in the meantime she is in Direct Provision – absolutely NOT entitled to Social Welfare.
But don’t let the truth get in the way of your bigoted comment.
@Brinster: she was denied asylum,so she appealed with our tax money.
@Brinster: She hasn’t been waiting on the state to process her application for 8 years. I think that’s the point. She’s telling porkies.
@Alternative for Ireland: careful now, won’t be long before Brinster starts calling us all ‘racists’.
@Brinster: It hasn’t taken eight years to process her application ,and well you know it.She has been found not eligible and is appealing,for,I think, the third time.What do you call the payment she gets from the State every week,and the free bed and board and medical expenses? Of course it’s social welfare.This woman and her children have cost the taxpayer many thousands of Euros. Who do you think pays for her Appeals?It’s quite obvious that she has been very economical with the truth
@Brinster: yawn yawn… Why is it bigoted of me to ask the question how someone from outside the EU arrived here on a student visa at the start of the decade and is still here at the end of the decade playing a game with our softly softly legal system all the while using mine and everyone elses hard earned taxes to fund her ‘appeals’ …The question is how many more ‘students’ are playing the same game….
@Brinster: The State hasn’t taken 8 years to process her application. That is the incorrect impression she was trying to give in the interviews she gave to the media. All of the very indulgent and uncurious journalists she gave interviews to took her claims at face value, and none challenged them for factual accuracy until the article by the Sunday Times journalist.
The second thing to note is that even though she herself breached her confidentiality by putting the actual grounds of her claim for asylum in the public realm, the Sunday Times didn’t challenge her on these substantive matters and confined itself to her claims in relation to the length of time she claimed she was in direct provision, and her claim that she didn’t know the reason for such a lengthy stay.
As a result of the Sunday Times article, we now know she was “asylum-shopping” and was outside Ireland for a substantial part of the time she claimed to be in DP.
What the Sunday Times didn’t reveal is even more damning. Ms Kisyombe is not in fact awaiting final determination of her asylum application, and the reasons she is still in DP are entirely her own fault. Her asylum application was dealt with several years ago and deemed to be without merit. She appealed that finding, and on legally aided appeal, her application was again deemed to be without merit. In other words, Ms Kisyombe is a failed asylum-seeker, and the only reason why she is still in this country, and still in DP, is that instead of going home when her asylum claim was deemed to be unfounded she embarked on a strategy of bringing judicial reviews in the High Court to delay or frustrate her deportation.
Sounds like someone got caught telling porkies…
It’s very simple she’s either here legally or not ….don’t what the problem is except maybe they should have found out before they announced her as a candidate
Catherine Murphy was great on the DOB stuff. Everything else was a snooze fest.
Roisin Shortarse hasn’t said anything of note ever.
You don’t have to be male to be pale and stale.
@Goban Saor:Why are some commentators so intent on trying to demean these two impressive respected politicians who came together to form the Social Democrats and stuck with it,I wonder?!
Catherine is excellent in Dail &PAC&Roisin excellent in Dail & was chair of cross party Oireachtas Committee on Future of Irish Healthcare which produced Slaintecare!!Last week in Dail she brought up fact that she received 2 contradictory Dail replies from Minister Harris&Minister O Donohue re New Children’s Hospital Board!
@Goban Saor: They’re politicians, not entertainers….
@Goban Saor: you’re obviously ignorant of their respective track records.
Had such hopes for them, really thought they were a genuine threat to FFFG.
@Bill Clay: The fact that the Social Democrats leaders Roisin Murphy and Catherine Murphy who I 100% trust and respect are holding a review once information in media shows they are taking leadership in their party seriously,they had no option as responsible leaders once that article was in media.
Im very disappointed with the three that resigned over a review been held when it’s what any responsible party would do in the circumstances!
Social Democrats will get my number 1 vote!
I believe they are the dark horse of the next GE.How was personal information about the candidate get into public domain &why?
@Dean Anderson: Very well said Dean.
I’ve a pain in my #### hearing ” My father is a FF man and so was my grandfather”
Inbred politics is alive and well in Ireland, I don’t think singular thought has landed yet in certain parts of Ireland.
@Dean Anderson: not enough registering to vote. They generally don’t know they have the right, and if they do, they tend to vote for the parties they recognise.
I have ZERO issue with any party leadership showing due diligence with regards to an election candidate on foot of such a media report.
Looking forward to voting for the SocDems Anne Marie McNally moving forward. She is an excellent candidate…..
@The Risen: is that allowed by SF?
Not sure that your best elected representative is one who hasn’t an established right to reside in the country. Poor judgment on SocDems part. We’ve some great ex asylum seeker candidates and it really isn’t going to help them if people on doorsteps start challenging their residential status. Terrible selection.
No fault to the woman,but if the truth has not been told then its unacceptable,and if not a resident doesn’t make sense as my understanding is she cannot vote in elections so how can she be a candidate. As I said, no fault to the woman,these direct provision centres should be wound down and people treated like human beings.
@@mdmak33: On the contrary. Very considerable fault to the woman. She provided false information both to the SDP and in the course of several media interviews.
On your second point: We allow residents to stand for election, even though they may not be citizens or have full voting rights.I see no reason why this right should be refused to non-nationals per-se. However, I would question the appropriateness of allowing asylum-seekers, who are by definition liable to deportation if their claims prove unfounded, the right to stand as candidates because they might well be deported during their term as a public representative, thereby leaving their electorate unrepresented.
Infighting is a big problem in these smaller parties. It is a pity none would grow enough to seriously challenge the incumbent crowd
The judgement against her explains more in detail, why is no one highlighting this?
‘the applicant’s statements were found to be lacking in coherence and plausibility.Accordingly, it was considered that the applicant had not demonstrated a well-founded fear of persecution in Malawi’
http://www.courts.ie/Judgments.nsf/0/CCFD0D0194D18C8F80257FD4004F7C99
Malawi has population of 18 million
@oppenheimersghost: Actually you should read no 64 of Decision,it says ” I am satisfied that an ORDER of CERTIORARI is MERITED and the matter is remanded to the Refugee Appeals Tribunal for De Novo consideration.”
An Order of CERTIORARI is “a type of writ,meant for rare use,by which an appellate court decides to review a case at its discretion”
Dr Novo consideration is defined “as a new,a fresh,from the beginning without consideration of previous instances, proceedings,for determinations”.
Thanks for the link,maybe you should have read the whole judgement!
@Nuala Mc Namara: I read the judgment. The original refusal of refugee status was quashed on a legal technicality rather than because the refusal was unmerited.
The timeline is significant.
Ms K arrived here on a student visa on 30/04/11
She traveled to the UK where she applied for asylum on 21/07/11
Having been “returned” to Ireland, she applied for asylum here on 09/11/11
Her asylum application was found to be without merit on 12/01/12
She took court proceedings to challenge that refusal which was settled.
She appealed her refusal of asylum. The refusal was upheld on 16/07/13
She judicially reviewed the appeal finding, and her application was returned for re-hearing on 27/05/16 on a legal technicality.
Ms K said to the journalist, Ms Jennifer O’Connell of the Irish Times that she was in the asylum process since 2010, and she didn’t know why the final determination of her application for asylum was taking so long.
You will note from the above how quickly asylum-cases are dealt with nowadays, so I suspect that Ms K is still in the asylum-system and in DP in 2019 is because the re-hearing of her application has long ago been heard, and has yet again found to be without merit (Even though she has been allowed change her grounds of application), and that instead of returning to Malawi, she is again taking court cases to frustrate her deportation.
@Nuala Mc Namara: Oh but I do, Catherine is from my constituency, quite proud of her gutsyness a couple of years ago but seems to have suspiciously mellowed.
How lucky are FFG that none of the others can get their act together…
@MickN: I have a feeling a lot of the public agree and would have wanted the social democrats to have developed better as a party over time rather than disintegrate. They had ideas and potential to grow and be a serious alternative to the constant cycle of muck that is FFG over a few years. Instead its a one party system with no vision among anyone.
@Paul Cunningham: I actually think they have the vision and integrity but are largely ignored by a media who trot out the same people day in day out.
@Trevor Hayden: You definitely don’t watch Dail proceedings!
She had a failed asylum claim and got clued in that Ireland and the Irish are suckers. Legal parasites make money from appealing these cases so they got to win as well. The Social Democrats went for an easy vote winner, the other side of gombeenism on show.
fair play to her, she had her fun but now she has to go back
Imagine if FF and FG did a ‘review’ of every inconsistency about their members….. social democrats would probably have the government…
@Trevor Hayden: Just this morning saw her bring up IBRC inquiry brought up on PAC!
What are you insinuating publicly in your 2 posts re “payoff”&”suspiciously”,it might be wise to delete them asap!
With 3 people leaving that leaves them with what……2 members?
@Gisbert Bayertz: 1000+ membership!
@Gisbert Bayertz: they’re still party members. They just resigned from the Executive Committee
She arrived from a Southern African country, passing through several countries, to seek asylum in the most westerly country in Europe? Come on, this is nuts!
@Nuala Mc Namara: Well there’s democracy for you, sounds very similar to FF.
It’s merely my opinion if anyone from the social democratic party is offended or believes I’ve slandered them my account should be easy enough to trace.
I hope that the review clears her candidacy.
If she has no criminal convictions, then if elected, she can speak for all those incarcerated in the direct provision ” industry”, enriching political party supporters by keeping non eu immigrants in substandard social conditions.
Can someone please explain to me why these immigrants should not simply be registered on arrival, given temporary work permits, be required to attend for immigration processing & basic social welfare support for 6 months or so, & otherwise be allowed to manage their own lives. Doubtless, self support groups would emerge very quickly, & receive local supports.
Anyone who remained unemployed, with continuing welfare issues, could then either be assisted or repatriated.
A form of Sinn Fein for immigrants!
@William Kelly: No one is “incarcerated” in direct provision. Those in DP can come and go as they please. Moreover, asylum determinations are made quickly these days. Ms Kisyombe has now had her application twice deemed to be without merit, and again deemed to be without merit twice on appeal. She has taken several court actions to challenge her refusal of refugee status or to frustrate her deportation. Her current status is ‘failed asylum-seeker’. She is in the process of taking yet more court proceedings to frustrate her deportation. The fault for her lengthy stay in DP is entirely her own. (She has also been absent from the country for a period when she claimed to be in DP)
The report of the second legal action she took is on the Courts Services web-site and referenced above. The facts and claims set out in that report are completely at variance to what she has said in the many interviews she gave to journalists in her political campaign against the direct provision system.
I’m all for encouraging our legal “New Irish” to stand for election to properly represent our increasingly diverse society. But Kisyombe is just something we have had too much of already: a fraud.
have your say