“I don’t have to be a Sinn Féin republican.”

Despite the efforts of the former Sinn Féin MLA for North Antrim, Daithí McKay to reinvent himself [move along now… – Ed], some of his supporters appear not to be prepared to let it lie.

Having resigned from the party over its handling of the Jamie Bryson coaching scandal, and its anointing of Daithí McKay’s successor, former Sinn Féin councillor Monica Digney is standing in the Northern Ireland Assembly election in North Antrim as an independent candidate.

As Mick noted in August last year

One of the 18 to resign, Monica Digney, told the BBC that it was “not a decision we took lightly”.

“I have been a republican all my life,” the former councillor said. “I will die a republican. But, I don’t have to be a Sinn Féin republican.

“Because, what has happened recently is there seems to be some people who get protected and other people are left hung out to dry and Daithí McKay, unfortunately, is one of those that was left hung out to dry.”

And whilst one of the last acts of collusion between Sinn Féin and the DUP in the NI Assembly may have been to curtail investigation into the coaching incident, that particular saga might not have gone away completely…

Three men have been interviewed by police as part of an inquiry into allegations around evidence given to Stormont’s Nama inquiry.

It relates to testimony given to the Finance Committee on 23 September 2015.

The BBC understands the individuals questioned were former Sinn Féin MLA Daithí McKay, loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson and Sinn Féin activist Thomas O’Hara.

A file has been sent to the Public Prosecution Service.


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