I am no SF supporter, but what Democracy do we have in the Republic?

Stephen, grow a set of balls. You clearly are a SF supporter. It’s time to come out. You’ve denounced every other party while cheerleading for Sinn Fein for months now. Come on, join that small misguided minority…

How will SF manage when they lose their House of Commons expenses? Up to now SF claimed full expenses event though they never attended the House of Commons.

O’Reilly, I am a member of Sli-Nios-Fearr and wouldn’t touch SF with a Barge pole. If you don’t believe that, it’s your problem!

Why bother, if you are not going to represent your constituents properly in parliament.

Your right toorkeel why bother, sure the right honourable DUP candidate will represent the people instead.
This man had spent his whole live for the people he represents maybe some of his ways were wrong at time but he stood up when plenty others hid.

You’re missing the point Chris. Let me explain myself. If he won’t or any other member of “Sin Fein” won’t represent their constituents in Westminster, what’s the point in putting yourself forward for election. Westminster is where the decisions are made and the purse strings are opened and closed. If you are not in the heart of where the big decisions are made, you are not representing those who elected you fully. Period.

Shallow analysis, torkee

The City of London is where the purse string holders dispense the pittances to the plebs.
Westminster is just the democratic cloak thrown over the daggers of the playing fields of Etonians like Cameron&Co.

While MMcG may not have taken up his seat in Westminster he does retain an office there that carries out his constituency work. The only thing he won’t do is take the Oath of Allegiance and take a seat in what can only be described as a talking shop where nothing really gets done. The real work gets done behind the scenes but the naysayers conveniently forget this. His position was clear when he went for election so if the people weren’t happy with his stance they would not have voted for him.

He is following a stance that goes from Countess Markowicz through to Bobby Sands and up to the present day. Anybody who touts the “non representation” line is about a 100 years behind the times.

What absolute hypocrisy and deceit. Sinn Fein draws the Parliamentary expenses allowed for a Member and then abstain from attending while Administering their local area on behalf of the same British Government as a Member of the Assembly.
Gerry Adams has made enough money on this system to purchase a couple of holiday homes and now Sinn Fein are trying to make virtue out of their dishonesty.

@Paul..

Confusing is right. Gaelmore and his corporate Stalinists are taking Colm Keaveney to court because he….decided to keep his electoral word.
Loyalty to your electorate is treason to the party.

Could be an interesting case.

Michael, like a good man, is there any chance you could spend your time and effort trying to get your own party here in Ireland, to roll back on the broken promises etc rather than worrying about the British exchequer.
Your own party leader earns more than the British Prime Minister, in fact he earns more than the President of the United States of America.
I applaud your effort to save the British Exchequer money, but i must ask, are FFG/Labour going to return the millions of tax-payer money, they were found to have used illegally on advertising ?

Micheal, Gerry Adams has written 17 books and I would say that that is how he is able to afford his holiday homes.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B000APECW2_pg_1?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_82%3AB000APECW2&ie=UTF8&qid=1356953459

MJC, he must have no foot left as a result of shooting it off. Enda Kenny took 100k+, as a result of vacating a teaching job he hardly used. Then he is paid more than any other leader, in Countries with no Bailout programmes. Some of the Irish are truly blinkered and brainwashed, Michael is evidence of the fact!

But Brian, surely all his book earnings go to the party? Besides, regardless of source, he lectures about excess and lives like a king. He’s a well know guest at top American hotels and restaurants too. While at the same time imposing strict rules on his blind TD’s. Dictator much?

@ Michael … As an avid FG supporter who hides behind a false twitter account you are in no position to argue about deceit and hypocrisy !
FG was the biggest pack of hypocrites out there . At least even FF were being elected we know they were a shower of gangsters …. But no one in this country who who voted for FG expected them to break almost every election promise they made to the people !
You cannot defend what FG has done to this country and the ordinary people who reside here so like your leader you take pot shots at every other party in particular SF
So grow up and stop trolling !

O’Reilly why would he give over his own personal earnings to SF? Not being a member of the party i am not sure of their exact position on this but from my reading any public representative of SF takes home the average industrial wage from their TD/MP salary and the rest goes to the party. I presume whatever they do in their own spare time is their own business.

As for hotels and the like . I am not too sure who actually pays for these stays. Is it SF, Adams himself or is he put up as a guest by someone else, perhaps you would enlighten us with your knowledge on the matter. When I say enlighten I mean show us the facts and not just hearsay. Just because you stay in an expensive hotel or dine in a fancy restaurant doesn’t mean that you or your party are paying for it. I have stayed in expensive hotels in the past but I was n’t the on paying for it. I have also dined in some top restaurants but again I was a guest of someone else at a business meeting.

Maybe you would be so good as to give us proven examples backed by verifiable facts as to how Gerry “lives like a King”.

Brian, SF pays his travel and sustenance bills. Google the words, you’ll find it…

@Brian Ward, i am so sick of hearing people say “SF TD / MP / MLA / etc take home the average industrial wage”.

that is factually incorrect, they take home the same as all other TD’s / MP’s / MLA’s. the fact that they choose to surrender a large portion of their income to the party is a decision they personally make as members of SF.

They cost the tax payer every bit as much as non SF elected representatives. If i’m wrong i’d like to see their P60′s (or equiv)

Cal1 your continue to peddle lie after lie after lie and have absolutely no basis for what you say, your well suited to Sinn Fein that is for sure will you condemn ever the SF/IRA for there total lack of respect to the thousands of families they destroyed ?

A legislator that doesn’t legislate, and focuses solely on constituency work is just a lobbyist. Not to belittle SF’s lobbying efforts in Westminster (and nobody doubts that they have a brilliant PR machine), but surely there are experts who could better serve the people up north in that regard? Meanwhile there are real political and economic issues for legislators to deal with. Whatever way you cut it, the North of Ireland is going to be part of the United Kingdom for quite some time, and in that time there are ordinary hard working citizens, Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, Muslim, Atheist… all who are left completely politically disenfranchised by Sinn Féin’s obstinacy. Not to mention the impoverished children of Belfast, who are politically sidelined as SF and the DUP deal with other “burning” issues such as flags. Do you those children get up every morning with the oath of allegiance or the national question on the forefront of their minds? Of course they don’t. They want food in their bellies, clothes on their backs, and a future in this world. It’s the usual story – the values of political leaders are saved, the plight of their citizens worsened.

O’Reilly
Look at the red thumbs you get for uttering the truth! They’re camped out on this site while trying to extol the virtues of Sinn Fein while shooting ( ahem ) down everyone else. Mindless bullies who would bulldoze their way through any deceit to achieve their political aims. In some respects the”confiscation” of their TD’s salaries is extremely worrying because it shows the way they would behave if they got a whiff of power. Individual freedoms would be out the window and their enforcers would whip any dissent out of the population.
So this week the thirty year Rule exposes a bomber in our midst and suggestions of him being a mass murderer are cast aside as if we were arrogant to ask reasonable questions about the subject.
Watch the splendid response that we could all script for them as they get upset at the very idea that we ask a television repair man about his many talents.

Conor
I am sick and tired of the word “surrender” in the context of Sinn Fein. What would happen to a Member who decided to keep the money he legally earned . Would he disappear or would he be retired from that Democratic bastion we call Leinster House?

Michael J, Sinn Fein TD’s can’t manage their own finances. It’s no wonder they still believe in the tooth fairy. And when they see Gerry living it up with 3 houses on the AIW its no wonder they think that there’s magic solutions…

Conor I am not too sure as to what your point is. I said ” any public representative of SF takes home the average industrial wage from their TD/MP salary and the rest goes to the party.” You then say that I am factually incorrect and then go on to repeat exactly what I said in a round about way?? Do you have a problem with this practice as other TD’s have chosen to take a wage from their salary and set aside the rest for other purposes or is it just SF that you have a problem with? Re-read my comment again and then look at your reply and tell me what part is factually incorrect.

O’Reilly I’ll repeat again…Maybe you would be so good as to give us proven examples backed by verifiable facts as to how Gerry “lives like a King”

You are the one making the allegations so produce the evidence. Why should anyone have to go out and waste their time trying to backup your wild accusations. If you have any proof to back up your claims then I suggest you produce it and prove your credibility.

Read cals explanation above. #Lackofbraincells

What about all the suicidal murders your party is responsible for after FF demolished the economy through negligence and greed. Every minister should be tried and jailed for murder Mr. Golden

I’m pretty sure bobby sands didn’t take his seat because he was in prison

Rob, you need medical help – urgently.

That will only happen when all the people with more then 1 brain cell have died or emigrated.

We wont have much to say when tey are the majority party because we will be all 500 years dead … Id sooner allow a dictator run the show than them or ULA

Probably hate Sinn Fein..

Patrick – I don’t usually agree with ur comments. On this occasion however, u are spot on.

@Kevin.. yeah, because all the brains voted FG/Labour..

Who’s Kevin?

*Kieran..

zombie ithink you is right the people are copping on the criminals in FF FG LAB and the greens lets hope you guys stick to your guns when you get in to power .

Has your party apologised or admitted to the all the corrupt practices carried out over the years? Has FF admitted to covering up child abuse and cocooning the Catholic Church from scrutiny? Destroyed generation of vulnerable kids. You have a brass neck golden. Why about all the suicides your party is responsible for? Pot calling the kettle black? Cleanse your souls of greed and sin.

As of 12:40 today about 8,100 people, that’ who.

He is stepping down as an MP because Sinn Fein have ended double jobbing. As he is deputy First Minister he can’t step down as an MLA. Due to their abstentionist policy the Shinners don’t take their seat in Westminster which leads to a serious democratic deficit and lack of UK parliamentary representation for their constituents.

Conor, the people who vote for him, vote for him knowing that he refuses to take the seat in Westminister. The people who vote for him do not recognise that parliament as being their parliament. How do you consider his refusal to take his seat at Westminister, causing a democratic deficit, if they voted him into that seat, on the basis that would not take his seat there?
If he took his seat in Westminister, there would be a democratic deficit, as he would be going against the wishes of the people who voted for him.

Compare that to Labour and FFG in the South. They got voted into Government, based on a number of election promises, but as soon as they got elected, they dropped every pledge. To me, this is a true democratic deficit.

Well said cal1

Cal, I have read your comments for a long time. I sometimes agree, sometimes disagree with them. But I can’t ever for the life of me understand why you refer to Fine Gael as FFG. What is this superfluous F? It has remained one of the great mysteries of 2012 and I would like very much for it to be solved and my curiosity put to rest today. Happy New Year.

Hi Paula …
The mysteries of the Universe will now be revealed …. :D
We had FF … Bad policies, corrupt government and the result was the destruction of the Irish economy.
FG ran as an alternative to FF. But as soon as they got elected alongside Labour, both of the parties abandoned the ‘not one red cent’ commitment and continued FF’s failed policies. The corruption continued unabated, and in fact, in many ways FG/Labour are actually worse.
Hence, FG are just ‘continuity FF’, so, in order to drive that point home, to whoever reads my comments, i simply refer to FG as FFG.
I hope you have a fantastic 2013 and all the readers of Journal.ie

Does he mean Fianna Fáil Gael to represent one party effectively?

Nice comment. But remember its Westminster not Westminister.

Agreed Conor, could
Never understand why they ran for westminster. Ridiculous policy I always felt

A bit like Sinn Fein/Ira, one and the same!

Cal
More Sinn Fein untruths. I have asked you before to please indicate the Fine Gael document where that quote you use of not another cent is contained. You fail to provide same because it doesn’t exist even though both Labour Party and Fine Gael Manifestos are published on the web. So clearly you are prepared to perpetuate a lie because it suits the occasion or the moment. Why would you not just represent the achievements of Sinn Fein and just leave it at that. We can even turn our backs on the mass murderers in our midst and talk about more practical things such as your economic policies or really stretch you by getting you warmed up on Culture and the Arts.

@MJ http://youtu.be/5LTCT7QIeP8

Well said cal. Could not have put it better myself

Get back to work Odran!

…nothing I’d say, probably because Dessie fixed his Sky Plus Box….

Why don’t you send him an email and ask him? Be sure to let us know what he replies.

Was Dessie Ellis not acquitted of these charges? Is that not good enough?

thats because until a party is in power and actually has to make decisions and take action its very easy to play the populist / opposition card. If SF ever gain power in this country don’t expect them to be any better than the other parties…..

How does resigning from a job get you more money?

Bondholders!

Bankers!

The reason for that, there’s no alternative and if there was? SF wouldn’t be getting the support, it’s getting now.

Was that picture taken in the Maze Michael?

That’s right, the real Heros are the ones trying to start up the troubles again. Like the Neanderthals who tried to wipe out a PSNI mans whole family yesterday. People like you won’t be happy until the Orange and Green are back slaughtering each other again.

And lay off poor old Judas..he was set up.