SF decide on EU parliament allegiance

national | eu | news report

Tuesday July 13, 2004 18:11

by Cllr Eoin o' Broin - Sinn Féin

eoinobroin at hotmail dot com

SF Join UEL/GRL

The following is a report from the UTV website on SFs allignment in the EU and our broad agenda.

UTV Website
TUESDAY 13/07/2004 15:22:59
SF decide on EU parliament allegiance

Sinn Fein's MEPs are to work within the United European Left and Nordic Green Alliance group in the European Parliament, they confirmed today.

By:Press Association

As they prepared for their first visit to the Parliament as MEPs, Mary Lou McDonald and Bairbre de Brun said they would use their new platform to advance the peace process and push for European Union reform.

They said: "We enter the European Parliament as Sinn Fein MEPs mandated to deliver on our agenda for change and to deliver for Ireland. This means working effectively both inside the Parliament and in Ireland.

"In Europe we will work through the European United Left/Nordic Green Group (GUE/HGL) - this is a very effective and progressive group within the Parliament, which does not operate a whip system ensuring that for us, it is Sinn Féin`s and Ireland`s priorities, which will come first.

"We will also continue to engage with the widest possible range of MEPs and groups across Europe to advance our agenda for change on EU matters, the peace process and Irish unity and independence."

Sinn Fein`s decision to link up with the United European Left/Nordic Green Alliance comes as little surprise.

The party hosted a visit by the group to north and west Belfast in March.

However during the visit to Belfast, the group of 33 MEPs was accused of being Trotskyite by Democratic Unionist, Jim Allister.

The United European Left/Nordic Green Alliance has in the past drawn MEPs from the French, Portuguese and Italian Communist Parties, the Latvian and Dutch Socialists and the Greek Democratic Social Party.

Sinn Fein performed strongly in last month`s European Election on both sides of the border and also in the local government elections in the Irish Republic.

Mary Lou McDonald captured the party`s first ever European seat, at the expense of Patricia McKenna of the Greens in Dublin.

North West candidate Pearse Doherty also came close to taking a seat, dramatically increasing the party`s vote.

In Northern Ireland, former Stormont Health Minister Bairbre de Brun won the party`s first ever European Parliament seat at the expense of the rival nationalist SDLP.

Ms McDonald and Miss de Brun said employment and industry, agriculture and rural regeneration, human rights and equality would be their priority areas in terms of European Parliament committees.

The MEPs also vowed to continue the party`s outreach work with local communities, women`s groups, trade unions, voluntary organisations, business sector, farming organisations and justice groups on both sides of the border.

"We want to demystify the role of MEPs and to develop mechanisms whereby that position can be used as a conduit to empower local communities," they said.

Miss de Brun and Ms McDonald said they wanted a European Union which respected the democratic rights of each member state, promoted equality among people and nations and worked for the just and peaceful resolution of conflicts.

The MEPs also vowed to:
:: Push for Irish unity and independence.
:: Promote an all Ireland approach to economic and social issues with the active assistance of the EU.
:: Work for a reformed EU that gives power back to the people.
:: Campaign for Irish neutrality and a demilitarised Europe.
:: Work to revitalise Irish agriculture and rural communities on an all Ireland basis.
:: Seek new priorities for EU policy including the elimination of poverty and support for public services.
:: Campaign for the Irish language to be recognised as an official and working language in the EU.

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Comments (14 of 14)

Right wing bastards

by curious

Tue Jul 13, 2004 18:56

This just proves that the shinners have sold out to US big business ...... oh, hold on. I'm confused...... NO actually it means that the shinners are Stalinists, yeah, that's it!

Intolerable!

by Sir Dudley Harris-O'Brien

Tue Jul 13, 2004 22:25

This most certainly is a frightful mistake. My colleagues and I at the Indo,-including some of the finest political minds in these Islands,- have shown conclusively over an extended period of time that Sinn Fein/IRA is in fact a fascist organization. Now their alliance in Europe with a socialist/communist /green grouping is cognitatively dissonant to the great work we have done for Sir Anthony over the years. I would appeal to this grouping to please reverse this amazing decision and to please read the Sunday Independent on a regular basis where they will see that SF/IRA is indeed fascist. Intolerable!

are they the first??

by limerick1919

Wed Jul 14, 2004 01:04

Are they the first to join this group from Ireland. When De Rossa got elected as a stickie in 89, I don't think he joined socialist because that was Labour. Strange if they are following his footsteps.

Look more closely at the UEL

by f

Wed Jul 14, 2004 03:20

I think people should look more closely at the parties that are involved in that UEL group. Some do indeed have a base in the working class and contain good socialists and working class activists. Other parties in the UEL however are complete sell-outs and have been implementing neo liberalism just like the PES parties, just look at the Left party in Sweden. In all cases the leaderships of these parties are to the right and have drifted further to the right over the past couple of decades.

Reply to Limerick 1919

by Cllr Eoin O'Broin - Sinn Féin

Wed Jul 14, 2004 11:08

My understanding is that when de Rossa was first elected on a WP or DL slate he was a member of what was called the Communist & Allies Group, which was a precursor to the UEL/GNL group but only contained strict communists. The group was deeply devided at the time between the more 'nationalist' parties of France, Greece and Protugal on the one hand and the more EU integrationists in Italy and Spain. It eventually fragmented when the Communist Party of Italy itself split. From 1994 the various parties and independents to the left of the PES formed the United European Left/Green Nordic Left. The group is unusual in that it maintains a very loose programme and allows for minority positions within the group. It contains communists, reformed communists, democratic socialists, green left partiesd and left wing independents from feminist, ant globalisation and EU critical platforms.

I dont think that de Rossa was ever a member of this group. However my understanding is that he applied to join the Green group prior to the DL merger with Labour. After the merger he joined the PES.

Perhaps Eoin

by Archivist

Wed Jul 14, 2004 11:30

But the party he won the seat for was at the founding conference. Des Geraghty or PDR - not much difference there.

and here happy commentators is the link-

by iosaf - leaving trees where they belong.

Wed Jul 14, 2004 14:02

to when SF let us know, what they were up to with the Nordic Greenies. I think you'll be very happy there. I like the Nordic Greenie block.
If I've got something on my mind, and I want to bring to the European Parliament, they are the first block I think of.

Exposed

by Shinnerwatch

Wed Jul 14, 2004 15:22

Clear proof that the Shinners will do ANYTHING to please their rich American backers.

"their rich American backers"

by joe

Wed Jul 14, 2004 15:24

The CPUSA !!!!

shinnerwatch

by brenners.

Wed Jul 14, 2004 15:58

I think your comment is by far the most bizarre post i have ever seen on indymedia, and that says something.
Can you in anyway explain what you mean?

It is basically just a group

by Jim Monaghan

Wed Jul 14, 2004 16:58

I think you can read too much into this. If you are not in a group of a certain size you have little rights. Neil Blaney was in a "technicl" group which for the most part had positions on social questions far from his.
For all their faults the Sinn Feiners are not the French CP. It would be interesting to pose questions to the Workers Party and the CPI who compete for the old pro Moscow franchise. There is talk of them amalgamating now that the National Question is on the back burner

Shinnerwatch

by Vlad

Wed Jul 14, 2004 18:01

Wot r u on about Shinnerwatch????

by pat c

Wed Jul 14, 2004 18:06

i reckon shinnerwatch is being ironic/satiric/saecastic.

Pat C

Wed Jul 14, 2004 18:12

Yeh, sorry mate. I'm just not with it 2day. Walked into that one! Missed my Espresso dis mornin.

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SF decide on EU parliament allegiance

Comments (14 of 14)