Whilst the party was quick to act against Cllr Bernice Swift, the Irish News reports today that Sinn Féin is to take no disciplinary action against the 5 Sinn Féin councillors in Strabane who refused to take the party’s allocated seats on the local District Policing Partnership and Pat Doherty, MP, MLA, reiterated that the party is “fully committed to engaging with all of the policing structures.” But according to the Irish News report [subs req]
Sinn Féin last night said it was a matter of “individual choice” and it was not considering disciplinary action against the councillors who had failed to put themselves forward.
The three SF councillors who have taken seats on the DPP are named as Ivan Barr, Claire McGill [MLA] and Brian McMahon. Which means that the Council Chairman, Gerard Foley, along with Daniel Breslin, Kieran McGuire, Charles H McHugh, and Jarlath McNulty all refused – despite the reported internal party wrangling. The Irish News report also, helpfully, provides the following, unenlightening, comments.
Charles McHugh, one of the three councillors from the [Derg] ward, yesterday refused to comment on his refusal to stand. Another, Gerard Foley said he had taken his decision for “personal reasons” that had nothing to do with policing or dissident republicans.
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