Sinn Fein? They have gone away, you know.

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

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Applesisapples

SF and the SDLP need to start working together and stop the political point scoring and internecine feuding.

trailer

Sinn Fein registered 20 foreign trips after a Westminster watchdog began investigating visits to Venezuela by two of its MPs.

Some of the trips dated back to 2016, and included destinations such as China, Colombia and the United States.

All were registered on or after May 9 this year - in some cases more than three years after they took place. The details emerge in the latest Register of Members' Financial Interests published by Parliament.

Earlier this year Sinn Fein was criticised after it emerged that trips to Venezuela by Chris Hazzard and Mickey Brady, in 2018 and 2017 respectively, had not been registered. The MPs acted as international observers in elections which were marred by claims of vote-rigging.

Although their journeys were paid for at least in part with Venezuelan money, they were not logged with Westminster.

It led to DUP MP Gregory Campbell calling on the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner to investigate. Since then, a total of 20 trips by current Sinn Fein MPs have been registered. They include:

A visit to New York and New Bedford, Massachusetts, by Mr Brady, the Newry and Armagh MP. The visit, between March 10 and 18, 2016, was registered on May 9 this year.
A visit by Paul Maskey, the West Belfast MP, to Washington and New York from May 31 to June 4, 2016, also registered on May 9.
The visit to Venezuela, also by Mr Brady, between July 27 and 31, 2017, also registered on May 9.
A visit to New York by Elisha McCallion, the Foyle MP, between May 7 and 10, 2018, also registered on May 9.
A visit to Philadelphia by Orfhlaith Begley, the West Tyrone MP, between October 24 and 27, 2018, also registered on May 9.
In total, 17 trips were registered on May 9, and three more on May 22.

Mr Campbell, who is MP for East Londonderry, questioned why Sinn Fein had suddenly registered so many past trips.

He said: "Following the revelations that Mickey Brady and Chris Hazzard had failed to declare their role as observers at the (Venezuelan) elections, I lodged a complaint with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

"The Commissioner responded by confirming that an investigation was under way.

"In light of that investigation it seems that in May, several months after the Commissioner confirmed her investigation, Sinn Fein MPs registered 21 separate trips on the Register of Interests at Westminster, stretching as far back as March 2016, when beforehand there had been very few registrations."

Mr Brady visited Venezuela for a congressional election in July 2017 and Mr Hazzard was there for a presidential election in May 2018. In both elections, there were allegations of vote-rigging.

The MPs travelled as members of delegations of international observers. The cost of their travel was met by CNE, the Venezuelan National Electoral Council, and they did not receive remuneration. It later emerged the trips were not registered with the House of Commons.

Sinn Fein had been heavily critical of DUP MP Ian Paisley's failure to register holidays to Sri Lanka, then lobbying on behalf of its regime.

Mr Campbell raised the Venezuela issue in the House of Commons in February.

At the time Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill told the media "there's no story here" and the Venezuela trip had been "absolutely declared".

A spokesperson for Sinn Fein commented: "Sinn Fein MPs often undertake international visits to promote the Irish peace process and to share the Irish experiences of conflict resolution and peace building.

"This is an important area of political work which, we hope, assists others in finding a negotiated avenue out of conflict.

"These visits are routinely publicised and never involve personal gain or advantage."

The spokesperson added: "We recently consulted with the Westminster Registrar and are happy to register all international travel."

A spokesperson for the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards said they do not comment on register entries by individual MPs.

Belfast Telegraph
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/sinn-fein-suddenly-declares-20-overseas-trips-after-watchdog-probes-mps-visits-to-venezuela-38250111.html

Applesisapples

Gregory would need to pay more attention to the holiday trips of his party colleagues.

Keyser soze

#5463
Quote from: trailer on June 26, 2019, 01:02:39 PM
Sinn Fein registered 20 foreign trips after a Westminster watchdog began investigating visits to Venezuela by two of its MPs.

Some of the trips dated back to 2016, and included destinations such as China, Colombia and the United States.

All were registered on or after May 9 this year - in some cases more than three years after they took place. The details emerge in the latest Register of Members' Financial Interests published by Parliament.

Earlier this year Sinn Fein was criticised after it emerged that trips to Venezuela by Chris Hazzard and Mickey Brady, in 2018 and 2017 respectively, had not been registered. The MPs acted as international observers in elections which were marred by claims of vote-rigging.

Although their journeys were paid for at least in part with Venezuelan money, they were not logged with Westminster.

It led to DUP MP Gregory Campbell calling on the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner to investigate. Since then, a total of 20 trips by current Sinn Fein MPs have been registered. They include:

A visit to New York and New Bedford, Massachusetts, by Mr Brady, the Newry and Armagh MP. The visit, between March 10 and 18, 2016, was registered on May 9 this year.
A visit by Paul Maskey, the West Belfast MP, to Washington and New York from May 31 to June 4, 2016, also registered on May 9.
The visit to Venezuela, also by Mr Brady, between July 27 and 31, 2017, also registered on May 9.
A visit to New York by Elisha McCallion, the Foyle MP, between May 7 and 10, 2018, also registered on May 9.
A visit to Philadelphia by Orfhlaith Begley, the West Tyrone MP, between October 24 and 27, 2018, also registered on May 9.
In total, 17 trips were registered on May 9, and three more on May 22.

Mr Campbell, who is MP for East Londonderry, questioned why Sinn Fein had suddenly registered so many past trips.

He said: "Following the revelations that Mickey Brady and Chris Hazzard had failed to declare their role as observers at the (Venezuelan) elections, I lodged a complaint with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

"The Commissioner responded by confirming that an investigation was under way.

"In light of that investigation it seems that in May, several months after the Commissioner confirmed her investigation, Sinn Fein MPs registered 21 separate trips on the Register of Interests at Westminster, stretching as far back as March 2016, when beforehand there had been very few registrations."

Mr Brady visited Venezuela for a congressional election in July 2017 and Mr Hazzard was there for a presidential election in May 2018. In both elections, there were allegations of vote-rigging.

The MPs travelled as members of delegations of international observers. The cost of their travel was met by CNE, the Venezuelan National Electoral Council, and they did not receive remuneration. It later emerged the trips were not registered with the House of Commons.

Sinn Fein had been heavily critical of DUP MP Ian Paisley's failure to register holidays to Sri Lanka, then lobbying on behalf of its regime.

Mr Campbell raised the Venezuela issue in the House of Commons in February.

At the time Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill told the media "there's no story here" and the Venezuela trip had been "absolutely declared".

A spokesperson for Sinn Fein commented: "Sinn Fein MPs often undertake international visits to promote the Irish peace process and to share the Irish experiences of conflict resolution and peace building.

"This is an important area of political work which, we hope, assists others in finding a negotiated avenue out of conflict.

"These visits are routinely publicised and never involve personal gain or advantage."

The spokesperson added: "We recently consulted with the Westminster Registrar and are happy to register all international travel."

A spokesperson for the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards said they do not comment on register entries by individual MPs.

Belfast Telegraph
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/sinn-fein-suddenly-declares-20-overseas-trips-after-watchdog-probes-mps-visits-to-venezuela-38250111.html

They will be gutted if it leads to a suspension from attending the HoC!

trailer

Cringe-worthy performance from Martina Anderson yesterday.

haranguerer


michaelg

Quote from: trailer on August 05, 2019, 02:23:59 PM
Cringe-worthy performance from Martina Anderson yesterday.
She sounded like she had been on the drink.

t_mac

Quote from: michaelg on August 05, 2019, 05:31:40 PM
Quote from: trailer on August 05, 2019, 02:23:59 PM
Cringe-worthy performance from Martina Anderson yesterday.
She sounded like she had been on the drink.

The only time you hear from the clowns now at some Commemoration or other.

Orior

Quote from: t_mac on August 05, 2019, 06:03:32 PM
Quote from: michaelg on August 05, 2019, 05:31:40 PM
Quote from: trailer on August 05, 2019, 02:23:59 PM
Cringe-worthy performance from Martina Anderson yesterday.
She sounded like she had been on the drink.

The only time you hear from the clowns now at some Commemoration or other.

Damned if you do...
Cover me in chocolate and feed me to the lesbians

trailer

Quote from: Orior on August 05, 2019, 06:51:59 PM
Quote from: t_mac on August 05, 2019, 06:03:32 PM
Quote from: michaelg on August 05, 2019, 05:31:40 PM
Quote from: trailer on August 05, 2019, 02:23:59 PM
Cringe-worthy performance from Martina Anderson yesterday.
She sounded like she had been on the drink.

The only time you hear from the clowns now at some Commemoration or other.

Damned if you do...

Tiocfaidh ár lá and No Surrender are two sides of the one coin. It's designed purely to antagonise.

Applesisapples

Anderson is an embarrassment to Nationalism. SF need to tell her to cop on.

BennyCake

Quote from: trailer on August 06, 2019, 08:28:36 AM
Quote from: Orior on August 05, 2019, 06:51:59 PM
Quote from: t_mac on August 05, 2019, 06:03:32 PM
Quote from: michaelg on August 05, 2019, 05:31:40 PM
Quote from: trailer on August 05, 2019, 02:23:59 PM
Cringe-worthy performance from Martina Anderson yesterday.
She sounded like she had been on the drink.

The only time you hear from the clowns now at some Commemoration or other.

Damned if you do...

Tiocfaidh ár lá and No Surrender are two sides of the one coin. It's designed purely to antagonise.

21 years from the GFA and this is the type of thing we get from politicians. Suffering Jesus!

BennyCake

Quote from: Applesisapples on August 06, 2019, 09:33:02 AM
Anderson is an embarrassment to Nationalism. SF need to tell her to cop on.

SF as a whole need to cop on.

Wildweasel74

It's abit like Trump rabble rousing his so called base, same here, and and we know our opinion on trumps base of supporters.

BennyCake

Quote from: Wildweasel74 on August 06, 2019, 10:30:00 AM
It's abit like Trump rabble rousing his so called base, same here, and and we know our opinion on trumps base of supporters.

But what does it say about people who vote SF after their antics?