"as Francie himself knows, there is a tradition that debate and dissent should be welcomed but left behind closed doors."
Why should it be. ever other party allows disent to a certain extent and what he did was not exactly major. seriously dodgy in my opinion
Wow, he has even been getting support from UNIONISTS! Imagine!
PS
"People have been quick to condemn Sinn Féin as not tolerating dissent. This is not the case I know myself that debate in encouraged within the confines of the party."
LOL. So Sinn Féin tolerate dissent, as long as people don't show it in public!
They still haven't quite got the hang of this democracy lark, have they?
Great to see all these Stoops and unionists worried about democracy within SF.
Just the other week while the PSNI were scurrying around Belfast telling SF members that RIR terrorists had leaked the details of hundreds of SF mebers to other unionist terrorists, these peolpe were unsurprisingly quiet.
No problem with members of a political party being set up for murder by state forces. No howls of outrage when it was discovered that the PSNI and British government had lied through their teeth for the best part of 18 months about the real Castlereagh break-in.
LOL Pat. All these insults that the Shinners keep dishing out you would think they have adopted a siege mentality of their own.
The only thing being adopted is hypocritical posturing by a host of parties and individuals.
Laugh out loud at Pat - truly the most bitter specimen on God's green Earth!
It's as Simon said, the statement he made was of little consequence compared with the rather harsh suspension.
For those of us outside Sinn Fein, this is a valuable insight into the dictatorial nature of the party, Patrick. Many of us, myself included, long suspected that Sinn Fein is led from the top down. Any dilution of the party line might lead to the same splitting/watering down Unionism has suffered from in the past.
For those of us outside Sinn Fein, this is a valuable insight into the dictatorial nature of the party, Patrick.
Hrdly dictorial. Francie will receive a fair hearing and I hope to see him back as a SF councillor. To listen to some commentators you'd swear SF was the first party ever to discipline a member. The DUP, UUP and SDLP have all had to discipline members in recent years and some even use members' private sexual preferences as grounds for disciplinary procedures.
Paddy - is the SF constitution available online so I can read how this works ?
No
Please expalin hoe Francie deserves suspension for supporting a 15 council model.
When within party ranks there exists a former RUC man (possible securocrat), a former orangeman (possible bigot, a former stoop and member of a DPP.
also a councillor who described the RA as sectarian killers.
Commenting by HaloScan
