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Tóibín concedes he may not be able to run under Sinn Féin banner at next election
He also confirmed that he won’t be resigning from the party.
Your contributions will help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to you
He also confirmed that he won’t be resigning from the party.
Sinn Féin TD Carol Nolan was suspended from the party after she voted against Eighth Amendment legislation yesterday.
An Independent Alliance source said the members have the same thoughts on the Bill as they did on Mick Wallace’s legislation on fatal foetal abnormalities.
Members of the Independent Alliance want a free vote on a Bill that would allow for a termination in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities.
Ireland is one of only three countries that allows hare coursing. Independent TD Maureen O’Sullivan wants it to end.
Creighton has defined more clearly what she considers to be ‘matters of conscience’ to which the whip of new party will not apply.
Speaking to The Irish Times, the Ceann Comhairle expressed his views specifically in relation to the Eight Amendment.
The party’s Ard Fheis is under way in Wexford with delegates voting down a motion to allow members to vote with their conscience on the issue of abortion.
Meanwhile it appears the majority of Fianna Fáil TDs will oppose the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill as a marathon Dáil debate continues.
The TD said today that the fact he did not support a motion by Deputy Peter Mathews had led some to believe he did not support a free vote.
Eamon Gilmore said the issue of whether or not the Dáil votes on the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill is a matter for the opposition parties.
Micheál Martin tells TheJournal.ie that a committee is to examine whether other matters merit a conscience vote.
The party could not reach a unified position on the legislation, so members will be allowed to vote without party instruction.
The whip system – where TDs must vote with their party position or risk expulsion – is the subject of some debate in political circles but immediate reform, ahead of potentially divisive abortion debate, appears unlikely.
Goverment TDs should be allowed to vote against their party on certain matters under proposals by backbench TD Eoghan Murphy in an internal document circulated among Fine Gael members this week.
Peadar Toibín says he is “determined” to ensure that he is on the same page as Sinn Féin when the Dáil votes on abortion laws.
Ireland’s rigid party whip system erodes true democracy – and this is never so evident as on the issue of abortion, writes Larry Donnelly.