Sinn Fein on attack as councillor quits
Sinn Fein last night launched an attack on the latest of its Dublin councillors to resign, reducing their representation on the Council from 10 after the 2004 elections to four.
The Party's Dublin chairman, Eoin O Broin, who failed to be elected in Dun Laoghaire last year, said that Councillor Killian Forde, who resigned on Friday, was a "careerist politician" and that he was "in the wrong party".
Mr O Broin also called on Mr Forde to resign his seat to allow a co-option. According to colleagues, there is little likelihood of Mr Forde handing his seat to the party.
Two other councillors who resigned last year, Christy Burke, formerly the party's longest-serving councillor, and Louise Minihan, both held on to their seats.
From the high in both Dail and local elections in 2004, the party has continued to slip backwards in the Republic.
Commenting on Mr Forde's resignation Mr O Broin said: "It had become clear in recent times that Killian Forde was in the wrong party." He said Mr Forde had defied the party line and voted in support for the council estimates for 2010 which included the introduction of refuse charges.
"Dublin Sinn Fein was vehemently opposed to estimates which included a charge for those who had qualified for a refuse charge waiver," he said.
"Sinn Fein makes no apology for defending public services and for standing by ordinary people who, by facing hikes on local charges and the decimation of public services, are being scapegoated for an economic crisis in which they played no hand, act or part.
"Sinn Fein is an activist, campaigning party that puts policies before personalities. It is not a platform for careerist politicians," he said.
- JIM CUSACK
Originally published in
