Sinn Féin members told any comments on Violet-Anne Wynne resignation must be handled centrally by party press office

1st March 2022

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Sinn Féin members in Clare were told any comment on the shock resignation of Violet-Anne Wynne was to be handled centrally by the party in Dublin. An email was sent to members in Ms Wynne’s constituency telling them any request for comment on her resignation would be handled by the party’s press office.

Ms Wynne said one of the main reasons she quit Sinn Féin was she felt party hierarchy “dictated” to her what debates she could speak on in the Dáil.

She also said Sinn Féin TDs are “not tasked with making decisions locally and seem to be an entirely separate entity with no power to influence”.

In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Ms Wynne also revealed she was not permitted to choose her own parliamentary staff.

The email to the deputy’s former colleagues in her Clare constituency said: “As you may be aware from media reports this morning Violet-Anne Wynne has resigned her membership of Sinn Féin.

“The party will deal with requests for comment centrally through the press office,” it added.

Yesterday, Fine Gael Junior Minister Patrick O’Donovan said Ms Wynne’s resignation raised serious questions about the role of elected representatives in Sinn Féin.

“There are key issues yet to be spoken about by a party which portrays itself as a potential party of government,” Mr O’Donovan told the Irish Independent.

“Again we find recurring allegations of ‘central control’ whereby people elected by voters are not allowed choose their own staff,” he added.

Ms Wynne resigned from Sinn Féin in a shock announcement late last Thursday evening which included claims the party was “gaslighting” her though “psychological warfare”.

She said it is her belief that “the administrative side to the party and the organisers” wanted her to stand down as a TD. “I have tried to force the camaraderie and on many occasions I informed them of the impact of their actions on my personal well-being and my work but it was to no avail,” she added.

Ms Wynne said she had been “isolated” by the party and steps were taken to make sure she would face difficulties in her constituency organisation.

She also said her unplanned pregnancy was used as a “stick to beat” her with. “I am truly concerned for women who may want to come forward for Sinn Féin in the future, in Clare,” she said.

In an interview on RTÉ Radio 1’s Drivetime, Ms Wynne said she was called an “effin eejit” after informing a prominent female party member of her unplanned pregnancy. She also revealed Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald did not contact her to congratulate her on the birth of her sixth child who was born prematurely last month.

However, she did receive a personal letter of congratulations from Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar.

“It has left a bad taste. It doesn’t feel good, and not hearing from her around the baby, that really kind of put it into perspective,” she told the Sunday Independent.