Taoiseach Rejects Brian Stanley's Explanations

Saturday, 5 December 2020 01:02

It follows a series of controversies over his Twitter account which has since been deleted.

Pressure's continuing to build on Sinn Fein deputy and Public Accounts Committee Chairman Brian Stanley.

It follows a series of controversies over his Twitter account which has since been deleted.

The Taoiseach has rejected Mr Stanley's explanations to date and said the Public Accounts Committee is being undermined while he remains as Chair:

Deputy Stanley is taking next week off at the request of his party leader Mary Lou McDonald, and will make a full personal statement to the Dail later this month.

Meanwhile, the National Union of Journalists has welcomed Sinn Féin’s disavowal of comments made by a senior party councillor regarding the funding of RTÉ.

Offaly's Séamus Dooley, Irish Secretary, National Union of Journalists, says: “Cllr Dwane Stanley is a senior Sinn Fein councillor who represents the party at local authority and EU level. She has served as a public representative since 2011, when she was co-opted and has twice been elected to Laois County Council. While she is entitled to her view on the media, her demand for defunding of RTE based on coverage of matters of legitimate public interest is irrational and should be disowned by Sinn Féin. Ireland has largely avoided the Trump-like attempts to intimidate the media and Sinn Féin should make it clear that it does not approve of this stance. Deputy Brian Stanley’s public tweets and the political reaction to the tweets were and remain matters of public interest. National and local politicians have an obligation to treat workers with respect and that includes those who work in the media – even if their activities are uncomfortable.”

Séamus Dooley added: “As Sinn Féin spokesperson on Communications, Deputy Brian Stanley was supportive of public service broadcasting. On a personal and professional basis he showed a willingness to engage with the NUJ. Likewise I have personal knowledge of his strong support for the Yes Equality campaign during the Marriage Equality referendum. That record does not give him or his supporters a free pass when it comes to media scrutiny and I hope that Cllr Stanley will reconsider her ill-advised comments.”