Sinn Fein? They have gone away, you know.

Started by Trevor Hill, January 18, 2010, 12:28:52 AM

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armaghniac

£80K damages awarded.

Declan Gormley will also receive full costs of his successful action over the contents of two party press releases found to contain defamatory and malicious content.

According to informed sources the legal bill for the three-week trial will run into a six figure sum.

But speaking outside the High Court in Belfast Mr Gormley insisted the case was never about the money.

He said: "What happened to me was wrong, a jury of ordinary men and women have decided it was wrong and have awarded accordingly."

Mr Gormley added that he had no expectations about the level of damages.

"It's never been about the money, it's always been about vindicating my reputation and good name.

"The award is great, but that was never the focus of my action."

The businessman was dismissed along with three other non-executive directors from NI Water in March 2010.

Conor Murphy, the former Sinn Féin Minister for Regional Development, removed them from the board following an independent review team investigation into the awarding of contracts.

A subsequent Stormont Public Accounts Committee report into procurement and performance at the government-owned company was said to have criticised the earlier inquiry and questioned its independence.

Mr Gormley emphatically denies any wrongdoing.

"I'm absolutely delighted, but I think it's more important to point out that this completes the utter vindication of my position."
Declan Gormley

He issued libel proceedings against Sinn Féin and two of its representatives, MLA Cathal Boylan and former Assemblyman Willie Clarke, over the contents of press releases which referred to sacking.

During a three-week hearing, his legal team claimed they damaged his reputation and were reckless if not dishonest.

Lawyers for Sinn Féin contended, however, that neither statement contained any defamatory content. They also claimed a defence of qualified privilege, arguing that the press releases were in response to a campaign of attacks on Mr Murphy mounted by the SDLP with Mr Gormley's collusion.

But on Friday a jury of five men and one woman took just over an hour to unanimously find for Mr Gormley on the balance of probabilities.

They decided both statements were defamatory and contained malicious content.

Mr Justice Gillen then rejected a final defence based on responsible journalism, ruling that no steps had been taken to try to verify the contents of the press releases before publishing them.

In court on Monday the jury was advised against awarding too high a pay-out.

The judge told them: "Keep your feet on the ground."

Counsel for Sinn Féin also argued that the defamation merited only a modest award due to the limited circulation of the press releases.

But Mr Gormley's barrister, David Dunlop, said the party issued the statements to around 200 news outlets in the hope of gaining widespread publicity.

He pointed out how damages were for the distressed suffered by his client, to repair the harm to his reputation and a form of vindication.

Mr Dunlop added that Sinn Féin and the other defendants have not apologised.

Instead there had been "a bull-headed, unreasonable and unjustified persistence in maintaining the party line" throughout the trial," he said.

Sinn Féin have not indicated if they will appeal the decision.
If at first you don't succeed, then goto Plan B

lawnseed

martin quits his mp job francy will take over. sinn fein lead the way in ending double jobbing as per their election promise
A coward dies a thousand deaths a soldier only dies once

Rossfan

Will there not be a By election before "Francy takes over" ?
I think Joe Higgins ended double jobbing in March 2011.
Davy's given us a dream to cling to
We're going to bring home the SAM

lawnseed

Quote from: Rossfan on December 31, 2012, 12:54:12 PM
Will there not be a By election before "Francy takes over" ?
I think Joe Higgins ended double jobbing in March 2011.
yes by election and francy will take over.
A coward dies a thousand deaths a soldier only dies once

All of a Sludden

Quote from: lawnseed on December 31, 2012, 02:40:19 PM
Quote from: Rossfan on December 31, 2012, 12:54:12 PM
Will there not be a By election before "Francy takes over" ?
I think Joe Higgins ended double jobbing in March 2011.
yes by election and francy will take over.

He may not have it all his own way, Willie Frazer is also in the running.  :P
I'm gonna show you as gently as I can how much you don't know.

Wildweasel74

Been part of Mid Ulster and having actually voted for him once under the McCrea out banner (which was a winner that yr with him on stage with Billy Wright) can someone actually state what he has done for the area since he got elected? I see no real progress in Mid Ulster all these yrs, very little has changed,well thats not true, all my brothers are out of work, more than half my friends cant get work, mid ulster actually became a unemployment hotspot, BUT YOU GET WHO YOU VOTE FOR. Martin McGuinness spent more time running after deputy minster  than do anything where he got elected. I always never held to people getting elected in areas they are not from, Willie McCrea done the same thing in North antrim. So as to him standing down in the area, would anybody really notice?

Gaffer

Quote from: lawnseed on December 31, 2012, 02:40:19 PM
Quote from: Rossfan on December 31, 2012, 12:54:12 PM
Will there not be a By election before "Francy takes over" ?
I think Joe Higgins ended double jobbing in March 2011.
yes by election and francy will take over.

Take over what exactly?
"Well ! Well ! Well !  If it ain't the Smoker !!!"

Tony Baloney

Quote from: Gaffer on December 31, 2012, 10:04:46 PM
Quote from: lawnseed on December 31, 2012, 02:40:19 PM
Quote from: Rossfan on December 31, 2012, 12:54:12 PM
Will there not be a By election before "Francy takes over" ?
I think Joe Higgins ended double jobbing in March 2011.
yes by election and francy will take over.

Take over what exactly?
Take over not doing the job Marty didn't do for 15 years. That's taking the war to the Brits.

lawnseed

Quote from: Wildweasel74 on December 31, 2012, 08:21:05 PM
Been part of Mid Ulster and having actually voted for him once under the McCrea out banner (which was a winner that yr with him on stage with Billy Wright) can someone actually state what he has done for the area since he got elected? I see no real progress in Mid Ulster all these yrs, very little has changed,well thats not true, all my brothers are out of work, more than half my friends cant get work, mid ulster actually became a unemployment hotspot, BUT YOU GET WHO YOU VOTE FOR. Martin McGuinness spent more time running after deputy minster  than do anything where he got elected. I always never held to people getting elected in areas they are not from, Willie McCrea done the same thing in North antrim. So as to him standing down in the area, would anybody really notice?
out of work? are you for real? ahh.. i get it you worked in the linen industry..? you should join the boys on the fleg protest some of them have been out of work for 15 years! thats right through the 'tiger' years, the london boom etc etc. on the other hand if yez are all out of work that give yez plenty of time to yourselves.. long days though
A coward dies a thousand deaths a soldier only dies once

theticklemister

#339
Je lads he could of been treble jobbing if he got elected down south  ;D ;D ;D.

Who would of thought a man getting elected in two different juristrictions on one island for three jobs.


Itchy

Quote from: lawnseed on December 31, 2012, 10:40:54 PM
Quote from: Wildweasel74 on December 31, 2012, 08:21:05 PM
Been part of Mid Ulster and having actually voted for him once under the McCrea out banner (which was a winner that yr with him on stage with Billy Wright) can someone actually state what he has done for the area since he got elected? I see no real progress in Mid Ulster all these yrs, very little has changed,well thats not true, all my brothers are out of work, more than half my friends cant get work, mid ulster actually became a unemployment hotspot, BUT YOU GET WHO YOU VOTE FOR. Martin McGuinness spent more time running after deputy minster  than do anything where he got elected. I always never held to people getting elected in areas they are not from, Willie McCrea done the same thing in North antrim. So as to him standing down in the area, would anybody really notice?
out of work? are you for real? ahh.. i get it you worked in the linen industry..? you should join the boys on the fleg protest some of them have been out of work for 15 years! thats right through the 'tiger' years, the london boom etc etc. on the other hand if yez are all out of work that give yez plenty of time to yourselves.. long days though
There are a lot of people out of work lawnseed, why are you mocking them. Its not funny no more than emigration is funny.

lawnseed

i just been talking to a lad whos home from canada. the town he was in was smaller than ballygawley. population less than 700. in the local paper there were 3 full pages of display ads and a half a page of classifieds all looking workers. by you own posts where you are is a shithole, martin mcguiness has done fuk all for fifteen years! i'd be on the first plane no messing. this lad was offered work as a welder and accomodation and he never welded in his life. marty is 6 hours on a jet away you'd be much happier.. seriously if it so bad pull the pin   
A coward dies a thousand deaths a soldier only dies once

mayogodhelpus@gmail.com

Quote from: lawnseed on December 31, 2012, 11:41:49 PM
i just been talking to a lad whos home from canada. the town he was in was smaller than ballygawley. population less than 700. in the local paper there were 3 full pages of display ads and a half a page of classifieds all looking workers. by you own posts where you are is a shithole, martin mcguiness has done fuk all for fifteen years! i'd be on the first plane no messing. this lad was offered work as a welder and accomodation and he never welded in his life. marty is 6 hours on a jet away you'd be much happier.. seriously if it so bad pull the pin

Lawnseed and Victorian British Government advocating the export of Irish out of Ireland. Not everyone got the family farm. Then again like the land class during the famine you have no empathy for your countrymen.
Time to take a more chill-pill approach to life.

Saffrongael

Glad to see he wrote to his paymasters in Westminster to inform them he was resigning.

A loyal subject to the end.
Let no-one say the best hurlers belong to the past. They are with us now, and better yet to come

Gaffer

Probably get a knighthood for his service to the British Crown.
"Well ! Well ! Well !  If it ain't the Smoker !!!"