Abstentionist SF ‘standing idly by’

On April 1, 2019 Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald was quoted in various Irish newspapers saying: “Our peace and our stability is so precious that we cannot and we will not stand idly by as Tory wreckers seek to upend and destroy all of that. That cannot happen.”
By John Cushnahan
Published 4th Apr 2019, 08:30 BST
Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

On the same day there were four indicative votes in the Westminster Parliament on Brexit. The motion put forward by pro-European Conservative Ken Clarke, calling for an EU withdrawal agreement to have as a minimum a new customs union with the bloc, came closest to winning, with 273 votes for and 276 against.

Had the seven Sinn Fein MPs been present and voting instead of abstaining, the Ken Clarke amendment would have been passed. If this had have happened, we would have been closer to getting a Brexit deal which suited the interests of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

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Leading British political and legal experts have stated that the British Government could not have ignored the views of Parliament if any of the indicative votes were passed.

Despite Mary Lou’s claim to the contrary Sinn Fein, because of its abstentionist policy, continues to “stand idly by” in Ireland’s hour of need.

John Cushnahan, Limerick

Related topics:Mary Lou McDonaldSinn FeinNorthern IrelandMPsGovernmentBrexit