Why I left Fianna Fail…and joined Sinn Fein

THERE has been considerable media attention in recent weeks in the lead up to and following my decision to join Sinn Fein.

That is understandable as I have served as a Fianna Fail TD and my family has been involved with that party since its foundations.

Equally, though, this media interest highlights the need for us to get away from personality-led politics and focus more on a real debate about the economic and social problems facing our country and how we do politics.

In Irish politics we often play the man and not the ball and this damages politics. However, it doesn’t stop commentators and politicians from doing it.

The truth is that I had become very disillusioned with Fianna Fáil over a long period and finally in 2012 I left the party with bad feeling on both sides.

My getting involved in the Twitter account was the wrong thing to do. I dealt with that issue at the time and I said it was a mistake. There is not a lot more I can say on that.

So, after over a year on from leaving Fianna Fàil and a year of reflecting about what I would do, I weighed up a number of different options. Anyone who knows me knows that ‘doing nothing’ was not one of those options.

Going Independent would have been an easy option.

However, I believe strongly in the power of collective action.

It had become very clear to me that Fianna Fail no longer represented the ideals or values of the party’s founders, including my grandfather. In particular, I was unhappy at how distant Fianna Fáil had become from the communities and ordinary people it had originally sought to represent and who were and still are suffering the brunt of the economic problems in the country.

Fianna Fáil has travelled a long way from its original aims and this was most evident in regard to the economic policies being pursued by the party in Government; the party’s role in the financial crash; and Fianna Fáil’s abandonment of even the pretence of republicanism.

I have serious regrets about my time in Fianna Fail and in particular over the fact that I voted with Fianna Fáil throughout my time in the Dáil.

While it is no excuse, I did abide by the whip system as I was elected as Fianna Fáil TD. But I have no hesitation in saying that I was wrong to vote for regressive budgets.

I firmly believe that now is a time for big change in Irish politics and the way that the State is run.

There is a realignment happening in Irish politics. There is little difference between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. There is no real political debate.

What we have is more like a political dance between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael with some ‘creative tensions’.

It is clear to me that real change will not come through the establishment parties of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael or Labour. Neither can it be achieved by ‘Independents’.

One political commentator recently asserted that Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Labour see the political system as their personal property. Unfortunately, this is true and woe betide anyone who tries to change that.

These parties certainly don’t make it easy for anyone who seeks to change a political party in order to reflect the change in their outlook on society.

Why Sinn Fein? Well, I cannot advocate change unless I am willing to make change myself, personally and politically.

We need to do more than simply change the ‘gatekeepers’. We need to make some really fundamental changes that address the widening gap between rich and poor.

I have joined Sinn Féin because I firmly believe that the party is genuinely committed to pursuing the political, social and economic change that is now needed in Ireland.

My decision was particularly influenced by Sinn Féin’s involvement in genuine grassroots community politics; its role in the Peace Process; its strong commitment to a united Ireland; as well as its commitment to international solidarity.

I believe Sinn Fein’s progressive policy platform reflects the type of thinking that is now required for this country to chart a course out of its current difficulties.

I believe that those citizens who can afford more should contribute more towards getting the economy and society back on its feet.

Sinn Fein is committed to supporting the small business community which is the backbone of the Irish economy and needs to be given a level playing field with the big multinational companies that set up in Ireland.

Cardinal John Henry Newman, who controversially converted from the Church of England to Catholicism, stated that

“to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often

?.

While I am far from perfect I am willing to change and I would encourage more to do likewise.