Parliamentary watchdog’s questions for Sinn Fein over ‘offensive’ signage

Following a complaint by the son of IRA murder victim, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) it had written to Chris Hazzard to “seek assurance that he has complied with the Scheme of MPs’ Business Costs and Expenses.”

Sammy Heenan’s father, who had no connection to the security forces, was shot dead just a few miles from the office now named after Peter McNulty and Paul Magorrian. Both men were killed while engaged in terrorist activities in the early 1970s.

Mr Heenan has complained that no public money should fund such a “glorification” of terrorism.

He said: “I, like so many people continue to be rightly appalled at this continued glorification and repugnant eulogising of terrorism which brought immeasurable misery to our constituency.

“The irony is that the names on this constituency office were an affront to democracy and what they represented only causes further traumatism and disregard to the sensitivities of South Down PIRA victims.

“We’re all aware the individuals named on this office plied their evil through the violent intimidation of their neighbours by the gun and bomb. These people were a precursor of others who were later rampant across the entire constituency, murdering the innocent and vulnerable, and who employed every deceptive method to execute their evil.”

Mr Heenan was a 12-year-old when the IRA shot his father on May 3, 1985.

“They destroyed the serenity of my childhood,” he said.

“The image of my father’s bloodstained face when I found him on that fateful morning, and his final haunting scream which awakened me, will be etched on my mind for ever.

“To think that someone could actually force a human being like my father to his knees and fire down on him through the top of his head was depraved. This was indicative of the unhinged, sectarian and psychopathic tendencies of the PIRA.

“How in 2020 can we as a community continue to countenance the naming of this office after these type of people, and it’s even more unbelievable that it continues to be subsidised by the UK taxpayer.

“Surely Parliamentary Standards must investigate this flagrant breach of ethics and good standards expected of our elected representatives and be cognizant of the impact it has on the South Down Unionist constituents of Mr Hazzard?

“Three years have elapsed and nothing has been done,” Mr Heenan added.

He went on to say: “In order for our country to prosper and heal, the ambition for everyone must be true ‘integrity and respect’ – not the vanity mantra adapted by Sinn Fein which is meaningless.

“The continued naming of this office after terrorists is at variance with the true meaning of those compelling and challenging words.”

TUV leader Jim Allister has praised Mr Heenan for his “tenacity,” and said: ”It speaks ill of any society that a victim of such a horrendous atrocity is left to speak up in defence of his father’s memory, and that when he does so officialdom at best drag their feet on the matter.

”Given the length of time this complaint has been going through various processes one would have hoped that the IPSA would have got well beyond the point of simply writing to the MP for South Down. I hope that, however belatedly, action is taken on the matter. Indeed, if Mr Hazzard is not found to have broken the rules it would seem to me self evident that the Sammy Heenan has brought to light a serious shortcoming which needs to be addressed.”

Mr Allister added: “It’s bad enough that Sinn Fein MPs don’t do their job [at Westminster] and deny people the representation they have a right to expect. Naming publicly funded offices after terrorists adds insult to the injury”.

DUP MP Jim Shannon has also been supportive of Mr Heenen.

He said: “It is the case today, as has been in the past, that some constituents of South Down feel compelled to bring their issues to me because they feel unrepresented by their own MP, and it is both heartbreaking and tragic that this remains the case.”

UUP councillor Alan Lewis described the signage on the building as an “offence to the point of grotesque”.

He said: “When I was first elected, I complained to Parliamentary Standards and to the [Commons] Speaker’s office – neither of which give a satisfactory answer.

“Does anybody in Westminster care? I am asking Parliamentary Standards to urgently clarify their position in respect of Mr Hazzard’s office. This would not be tolerated in any other part of the United Kingdom.

“It’s an abhorrent abuse of procedure that demands immediate action by parliamentary authorities.”

Cllr Lewis said that if a “loophole” in the rules allows the nameplate on the office then the public has a right to know.

“Regardless of the setup, loophole or trickery at play, the continued display of the McNulty/Magorrian sign on the building is offence to the point of grotesque,” he said.

“Victims of IRA violence have long pleaded with Mr Hazzard to remove the sign, each time they’ve been met with a wall of silence.

“The role of an elected representative is to represent their constituents regardless of creed or culture. Everyone should be treated equally with respect. This includes ensuring the local advice centre be a neutral, opening and welcoming environment.

“Mr Hazzard through his continued intransigence has sought to alienate a wide section of the South Down electorate,” Cllr Lewis added.

Sinn Fein has not yet responded to a request for comment.

When the issue was first raised in 2018, a Sinn Fein spokesperson said: “Under the Good Friday Agreement, everyone, including Irish republicans, have the right to remember their dead with dignity and respect.”