Has the Sinn Fein ‘rule of iron’ caused a bullying problem within the party?
A spate of allegations and resignations must lead to questions about the culture in Gerry Adams’s party, says Philip Ryan
POLITICAL parties are naturally hotbeds of tension and conflict. Those who sign up are generally strongwilled people motivated by a determination to make an impact on society.
However, personal ambitions are at play at all levels of political organisations. Rows between politicians from opposing parties pale in comparison to internal rivalries between politicians or activists who are supposedly fighting for the same cause. Elections, which are essentially glorified popularity contests, require and develop certain types of egos that can be damaged quite easily.
Sinn Fein is no different to any other party in this regard. However, the iron rule imposed by the party’s leadership does pose other problems. Sinn Fein has a clear answer to the question posed by the revered Italian diplomat and author Niccolo Machiavelli: is it better to be loved than feared, or feared than loved?
Gerry Adams, like Machiavelli, has chosen the latter. But as Machiavelli, the author of The Prince, also notes, it is essential for those who rule through fear to avoid breeding hatred among their subjects.
Over the past two years, conflict within Sinn Fein has been aired in public after tensions bubbling under the surface reached boiling point. The internal grievances have been generally unrelated but a pattern has developed and one words keeps reappearing — bullying.
Two weeks ago, Kildare county councillor Sorcha O’Neill announced on her local radio station that she was quitting Sinn Fein.
Five other local activists also decided to leave the party at the same time. O’Neill cited “bullying, hostility and aggression” within the party as her reason for leaving.
“When you have members coming to you saying they are losing sleep and are distraught, we came to a decision that it was just best to leave the party because it was so unhealthy,” she said.
“It’s a culture that has come up and it’s not something that you can talk out of. These are personalities that don’t see anything wrong in what they are doing.”
After the interview, a Sinn Fein spokesperson conceded there are “difficulties in the area” which they were hoping to address. Sinn Fein also urged O’Neill to “reflect on her position” and rejoin the party.
Local sources said O’Neill wrote several times to party officials to raise concerns about a certain Sinn Fein member in the constituency. She said the member had breached the party’s codes of conduct and social media policy. The same source said the councillor raised other more serious allegations about the member, which were passed on to Sinn Fein officials.
O’Neill is believed to have provided the party with details of local people who had issues with this member, but got no response or acknowledgement from the party.
The Sunday Independent asked Sinn Fein about these allegations and a party spokesman said: “The serious allegations that you are making are matters for An Garda Siochana.”
Last year, former Sinn Fein TD Sandra McLellan revealed that she decided against running in the general election due to what she described as a “vicious” campaign to undermine her from within the party.
McLellan’s comments followed an internal Sinn Fein bullying row in the Cork East constituency which spilled over into the public. In this instance, Cork county councillor Kieran McCarthy was expelled from the party following a behind-closed-doors disciplinary process.
McCarthy, who always denied all accusations levelled against him, was later invited to re-join the party but turned down the opportunity and is currently an Independent councillor.
Fractious internal relationships in the constituency also resulted in Cork County councillors Ger Keohane and June Murphy quitting Sinn Fein.
Murphy said she left due to an “increasingly negative experience” she was having as a party member. She said she was “unwillingly and unavoidably caught up” in the bullying row and felt she could no longer participate in the party.
“I have now got to the point where I hold no hope of this experience improving in the foreseeable future and it is for that reason that I have taken the decision to leave the party,” she said.
At the time of McLellan’s comments, Sinn Fein deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald conceded there were “difficulties” in the constituency which “upset” her former Dail colleague. There have even been accusations of bullying in McDonald’s own backyard, albeit they were made by former Dublin city councillor Jonathan Dowdall, who is currently before the Special Criminal Courts on charges of false imprisonment.
In Wicklow, three Sinn Fein councillors were recently stripped of the party whip after they failed to support the nomination of a new group leader following the election of John Brady to the Dail.
The long-time councillors (John Snell, Gerry O’Neill and Oliver O’Brien) were unhappy with the appointment of new councillor Michael O’Connor as the chair of Sinn Fein in Wicklow County Council as they believed someone with more experience should be given the position.
An appeal of the decision to remove the whip from the councillors was heard by members of Sinn Fein’s Ard Comhairle last week and a decision will be made in the coming days. However, a local Sinn Fein source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that O’Connor’s appointment was “forced on” the other councillors.
“It’s just the bullying that goes on, we had no input into anything to do with that and it’s not right,” the source said.
Another former Sinn Fein member also asked not to be named over fears it would result in unwanted attention.
“I would rather not be quoted because when I left I got too much harassment and there’s no way I can resurrect that again,” the source said. “I’ve spoken with colleagues who’ve been in similar situations and I don’t want to go down that route again.”
The ex-party member said they received anonymous letters questioning their republican credentials after they resigned and were left “ostracised” in political circles by former colleagues.
Every incident of bullying within a party cannot be blamed on the hierarchy but a pattern of allegations would lead to questions about the culture within any organisation. Especially an organisation given millions of euro by the taxpayer. The Sunday Independent asked Sinn Fein last week if it had party guidelines on bullying in the workplace. This newspaper also asked for details of grievances processes the party has for dealing with internal staff issues. However, the party did not respond to either request.
‘I would rather not be quoted — because when I left the party I got too much harassment and there’s no way I can resurrect all that again...’