The wondrous adventures of Sinn Fein (part 3) Mod Notes and Threadbanned List in OP

Aaaah…… poor Conor, i mentioned the lad earlier in the thread in the same context if I recall correctly.

Im sure he will handle it with his usual aplomb.

Given that many of these community and voluntary groups are often Sinn Fein in disguise, there is certainly a whiff of corruption off this. Would like to see more detail, hopefully this will be properly investigated.

Oh dearie me, more Mercs and Perks issues for Sinn Fein. Will they ever learn?

Imagine Leo had taken the Government jet to see Kylie, we would have had consternations on here, yet, will there be a peep when a Sinn Fein Minister leaves the jurisdiction on personal business using official vehicles?

Seems a lot of this stuff emerging from the ‘black hole’ that is SF politics B…..

They seem like a team who had a defence that kept a clean sheet for yonks and suddenly have leaked goals big time.

Presumably all this will get ‘investigated’ by the Village and Phoenix Magazine…?

Lads up in Connolly House asleep at the wheel?

I think the point being made is that those looking to a United Ireland will forever be in a diminishing minority in the North if they fail to learn and accept the opinions of others. That is always the lot of arcane thinking and arcane political objectives.

Of course, people can hang on to the dream of a pure United Ireland based on an exclusionary nationalist ideology that sees no place on this island for those of a British persuasion, but increasingly, that is seen for the limited and damaging vision that it is.

Of course I am an Irish nationalist in that someday I would like a united Ireland, but I also acknowledge that is a rainbow and unicorns aspiration that is unlikely to ever happen. Furthermore, my Irishness is only one part of my identity, being a Dub and a European (among other things) are also important aspects of my identity (I have probably watched more European Ryder Cup than Ireland soccer games in recent years). Together, in the round, I therefore consider myself a post-nationalist, where my Irish nationalism is not the most important thing about me. I can also be ashamed of aspects of my identity. I am ashamed of those who call themselves Irish nationalists and who supported PIRA terrorism and operate their nationalism on an exclusionary basis. You see, as Brucie has said often enough, nationalism is not the preserve of Sinn Fein, and the church of nationalism (oh the irony of those two divisive symbols) should be broad enough to include me.

I find that I have to explain this a lot on here, because there are many who see things through binary lens (the "us and them" cohort), and can't comprehend that a person can be many things. Nothing I have said on the issue is incompatible.

The fact that your cohort label others as partitionists if they don't share your call for a border poll in breach of the GFA conditions is example enough that you don't appreciate and accept other views. In fact, the hostility demonstrated towards my views is evidence enough of the exclusionary nature of Irish republicanism.

Certainly doesn't look good, particularly given the amount of moaning we hear from the Shinners about cronyism and dodgy tenders down here.

That being said, a bit of a root beneath the surface and it doesn't look like money ultimately is being siphoned off by any of these groups and into their own pockets, but rather these groups are being used to potentially unevenly distribute these funds into areas with strong SF support without proper oversight.

The community groups named in the article certainly aren't SF in disguise, the issue of some SF councillors sitting as board members in them most definitely needs questioned though. Exaggerating the story to add that last little bit of fantasy undermines the entirely legitimate criticism grounded in reality.

I certainly wouldn't be expecting to see them making great strides to push for anything that would directly benefit me or my family. Indeed, more likely to see the hand extended to ask me for more.

Now if it was just a case of seeing the funds being moved into areas of greatest need, I wouldn't mind being on the hook to pay for something I'll never see much benefit from. Leaves a sour taste when, 'greatest support for SF' seems to be the deciding factor rather than need.

More evidence of my position stated earlier in thread; a SF government would be no different to what we've had in the past, just different snouts in the trough and the brown envelopes going to different eircodes.

They're certainly not our saviours, but nor are they the harbingers of end times, just a lot of hot air followed by more of the same....I'd expect followed by a rapid jump back to the Opposition bench with a very short memory when it comes to finger pointing