SINN FEIN’S UNCIVIL WAR IN CORK EAST
MULLANE RULES OUT VACATING COUNCIL SEAT AFTER SF SUSPENSION
MALLOW based Sinn Féin county councillor Melissa Mullane has ruled out the possibility of her vacating her council seat after she was this week sensationally suspended from the party for 12-months.
The suspension, and the expulsion from Sinn Féin of Cobh based county councillor Kieran McCarthy, was announced on Monday by the party following an internal review of its East Cork operation amid simmering tensions ahead of the party’s election selection convention.
In addition to the disciplinary sanctions, both Cllr Mullane and Cllr McCarthy have been asked to resign their council seats by Sinn Féin chiefs “in line with their pledge to the party.”
Speaking to The Corkman Cllr Mullane, indicated her intention to appeal the suspension saying she had been “inundated” with messages of support since Monday.
“I have 21-days to appeal and will allow that process to go through. I am still a Cork county councillor and will continue to work on behalf of my constituents whatever happens,” she said.
Cllr Mullane said she was keen to place on record her deep gratitude for the support she had received from family, friends and colleagues over the past few days.
Meanwhile, the party is facing meltdown in Cork East after the entire Fermoy Sinn Féin cumann resigned en masse pledging their support for Cllrs Mullane and McCarthy.
They described the disciplinary actions as “seriously unjust and undemocratic” and called on party leadership to “revisit the decision”.
MALLOW Sinn Fein county councillor Melissa Mullane has told The Corkman she has been “inundated” with messages of support following her shock suspension from the party this week.
Cllr Mullane was suspended for 12-months and her Cobh based council colleague Kieran McCarthy expelled from the party following an internal review of the East Cork constituency by a panel chaired by Cork North Central TD Jonathan O’Brien.
Despite repeated attempts by the media to find out the reason behind the disciplinary action, the Sinn Fein party remained tight-lipped before finally issuing a statement on Wednesday morning.
It said the review, which involved interviews and meetings with more than 60 party members from the constituency, was initiated following “a number of complaints”.
“The review was structured, comprehensive and followed a clear process. Any contention to the contrary is untrue,” read the statement.
Its findings and recommendations, including the expulsion of Cllr McCarthy and the suspension of Cllr Mullane, were passed on to the party’s Ard Comhaile, which ordered the sanctions at a meeting in Naas on Sunday.
The two councillors were informed of the decisions by Deputy O’Brien and the chair of the party’s 26-county directorate at a meeting in the Kingsley Hotel on Monday morning.
While the statement said both councillors were informed of the reasons behind the decisions, it did not say what they were, adding the report and its recommendations were “internal to Sinn Féin”.
However, it is believed Cllr Mullane was suspended for “uncomradely behaviour” with the internal review understood to say she was found to have intentionally undermined and marginalised sitting Cork East TD Sandra McLellan.
Cllr McCarthy was believed to have been expelled over a dispute involving a loan taken out in the party name, which one party insider told the Corkman he understood had been dealt with satisfactorily “months ago.”
The statement went on to say that both councillors had 21-days to appeal the disciplinary action and they had been asked to resign their council seats “in line with their pledge to the party.” However, neither is legally obliged to give up their seat on the local authority.
Speaking to The Corkman, Cllr Mullane said that following discussions with family and party colleagues she had decided it would not be appropriate to comment on the situation.
However, she did indicate her intention to appeal her suspension from the party.
“I have 21-days to appeal and will allow that process to go through. I will not be making any comment on the situation prior to that as I do not wish to prejudice the process. I will give a full statement once the full review process is over,” she said.
Cllr Mullane did wish to put on record her gratitude for the support she had received from family, friends and supporters since the news of her suspension broke.
“I have been inundated with texts, phone calls and other messages of personal support over the past number of days,” she said.
Cllr Mullane further indicated she had no intention of resigning her council seat. “I am still a Cork county councillor and will continue to work on behalf on my constituents regardless of what happens over the coming weeks,” she said.
Cllr Kieran McCarthy was more vocal in his reaction, insisting he had not been given any “reason of evidence of wrong doing” to warrant his expulsion from the party. “After serving Sinn Fein for 34-years and making a number of personal sacrifices along the way, the party has effectively stabbed me in the back. What is has not done is to state the real reason why it wanted rid of me and Cllr Mullane, the two individuals who happened to express an interest in contesting convention in Cork East in the coming election,” said Cllr McCarthy.
“What happened was a blatant attempt to override the democratic process and stifle the will of Sinn Fein membership in Cork East who clearly had lost the confidence of the sitting TD. It was an act of political corruption.”