Elaine Loughlin: Sinn Féin's soft stance on Russia is clearly on the record
People protesting outside the Chinese Embassy in Dublin over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire
Why has it taken a most brutal attack on the citizens of Ukraine for Sinn Féin to reflect on its “soft” stance on Russia?
The Tánaiste’s probing of Sinn Féin last week, which came as we witnessed the horror of bombings and tanks rolling across the Ukrainian border, was called out as a naked attempt at cheap political point-scoring.
“I welcome that on this issue Sinn Féin has finally come to its senses and finally realises what Putin is and what the Russian regime is,” Leo Varadkar told the Dáil, which prompted criticism not only from Sinn Féin, but also from the Social Democrats.
While seriously ill-timed and opportunist in his remarks, Mr Varadkar did have a point.
Mary Lou McDonald may now be a vocal critic of president Vladimir Putin, calling for the expulsion of Russia’s ambassador to Ireland, but her party’s voting record in Europe, coupled with her own previous utterances, tell a very different tale.
As far back as 2015, Sinn Féin abstained from a European Parliament resolution that condemned human rights abuses in Russia and criticised Putin’s annexation of Crimea in Ukraine.
In 2018, when the Irish government moved to expel a Russian diplomat in the wake of the poisoning of Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, Ms McDonald hit out at Mr Varadkar, who was then taoiseach, for what she claimed was “a flagrant disregard for Irish neutrality”.
She added: “Such a significant and dramatic Irish foreign policy decision should be dictated by an Irish security analysis.”
In 2019, then Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan accused the EU of being “overly confrontational” towards Russia and defended voting against plans to block a Russian gas line.
It appears this position has been maintained right up to December, when the party’s current sole MEP, Chris MacManus, voted against a landmark resolution that supported Ukraine’s independence, stressed that Putin’s military build-up at Ukraine’s borders represented a threat to Europe’s peace, and called on Russia to respect its international obligations.
Sinn Féin’s lack of appetite to side with Europe in denouncing Russia’s behaviour over many years is a concern that has been raised not only by Fine Gael but also by Fianna Fáil.
During a briefing with journalists before Christmas, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he found it extraordinary that the republican party had been “absolutely silent” on Russia’s build-up of troops on the Ukrainian border, accusing it of being “anti-European Union”.
His comments came just days after the EU parliament resoundingly voted to adopt a motion that decried Russia’s “direct and indirect involvement in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine”.
While 548 MEPs voted in favour, Mr MacManus was among just 69 politicians who voted against the resolution on December 16.
Explaining his decision, Mr MacManus said the resolution did “not help the people of Ukraine, nor peace in the region” and said the situation required “a process of dialogue, building on previous agreements in the framework of multilateral institutions”.
This was one of six Russian-related ballots taken by members of the European Parliament since 2020 where Mr MacManus either abstained or voted against.
Abstaining in a 2020 vote, which condemned the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexie Navalny, he said he could not support the resolution “because it proposed to isolate Russia internationally, support all opponents of the Russian government, and increase sanctions”.
However, he did say the EU should challenge Russia on breaches of human rights through constructive engagement.
Fast forward to last week, when Ms McDonald not only called for increased measures from the EU but said there should be “sanctions of such scale where there can be no doubt that Putin and his oligarch supporters will pay a huge price for choosing the course of military conflict over dialogue and diplomacy”.
On the face of it, it’s quite the departure.
Fellow Irish MEP Billy Kelleher said there had been a “subservient mentality amongst the left in particular in Ireland” to Russia.
The Fianna Fáil MEP pointed out that, unlike in the Dáil where a strict whip system is applied to party members, the European Parliament applies a “looser system” that gives parties such as Sinn Féin the option of voting against their group.
His party colleague Cathal Crowe last week told the Dáil that “limp attitude after limp attitude” from the likes of Sinn Féin in Europe “has only served to embolden Vladimir Putin to the point where tanks and troops are now crossing the border into other nations”.
Writing in this paper, Fine Gael TD Neale Richmond said the public had the right to know exactly what their elected representatives had said or done and the very real ramifications of these actions.
“Those that have been silent on Russia’s expansion, have defended it, have attacked those who oppose Putin or who have voted against sanctions deserve to have their records analysed,” Mr Richmond wrote.
In the context of the brutality now being inflicted on the people of Ukraine, a tougher clear-cut stance from Sinn Féin has been welcomed, but the party cannot be offended if others try to poke into its recent past.
With Seachtain na Gaeilge kicking off this week, here are some handy terms:
: Aire
: Toghchán
: Dáilcheantar
: Díospóireacht
: Reachtaíocht
: Bunreacht na hÉireann
: Coiste
: Páirtí de chuid na heite clé
: Ráta boilscithe
: Géarchéim thithíochta
: An Rúis
: An Úcráin
: An tAontas Eorpach
As gas rationing was introduced, the Dáil heard of queues of 200 children waiting for bread rations on Dublin’s Meath St. Independent TD Alfred Byrne said he knew of one case where a family “consisting of a mother and 12 children had one load between them and three small cakes purchased for 7d”.
Under the headline “You could end up in the Liffey for that statement” it was reported that on the first day of the Mahon Tribunal, it was revealed that Sligo businessman Tom Gilmartin received a death threat in the corridors of Leinster House.
Ian Paisley announced he would be stepping down as DUP leader. Asked about his successor, the 81-year-old said: “This is not the Church of Rome. This is not apostolic succession and I have no right to say who will succeed me.”
As the world looks on the horrific events unfolding in cities like Kyiv and Kharkiv, the Government will put forward a Dáil motion in support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The Upper House will also have statements on the escalating violence.
Later in the evening, a Sinn Féin motion on health waiting lists will be debated. It comes after Health Minister Stephen Donnelly unveiled a plan to tackle the unprecedented numbers of patients now waiting for care and procedures.
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath will take questions in the Dáil from 7.40pm.
The Institutional Burials Bill, which will allow for the exhumation of remains on the site of the former Tuam Mother and Baby Home will come before the Dáil after it was signed off on by Cabinet last week. Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman now hopes work will begin on the Co Galway site before the end of the year.
It will be a busy day for Mr O’Gorman as the Birth Information and Tracing Bill comes before the children’s committee. Scrutiny of the bill was delayed by a week after around 1,200 amendments were tabled from across the political spectrum.
To mark the start of Seachtain na Gaeilge, the Seanad has invited Linda Ervine, a language rights activist from East Belfast, in to speak.
Representative bodies Ibec and Ictu will come before the Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment to give their view on new legislation to give employees the right to request remote working.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee travelled to Brussels for an emergency meeting of her EU counterparts on Sunday and ministers will meet again on Thursday to discuss Ukraine.
The pensions ticking timebomb is to be debated in the Dáil.
Catherine Day, chair of the citizens’ assembly is to speak to members of the gender equality committee.
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