Sinn Fein - just where is the money coming from?

JohnnyFlash · 05-03-2020 10:24am #1

News reaches us this morning that SF is by a country mile the richest political party in the country. It owns 50 properties around the country, and, rather extraordinarily, employees 200 people.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/sinn-f%C3%A9in-is-the-richest-political-party-in-ireland-1.4193124?mode=amp

Now I know this will be dismissed as some sort of media hatchet job on poor old SF, but I think it’s safe to ask - where the fück is the money coming from?

They own 4 properties in Dublin alone. How in the name of sweet suffering Jehovah does a political party with 15000 members employ 200 staff and own 50 gaffs? Are they renting out these properties?

There’s something off about this story. More to follow as they say.

RandomName2 · 05-03-2020 11:03am

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

News reaches us this morning that SF is by a country mile the richest political party in the country. It owns 50 properties around the country, and, rather extraordinarily, employees 200 people.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/sinn-f%C3%A9in-is-the-richest-political-party-in-ireland-1.4193124?mode=amp

Now I know this will be dismissed as some sort of media hatchet job on poor old SF, but I think it’s safe to ask - where the fück is the money coming from?

They own 4 properties in Dublin alone. How in the name of sweet suffering Jehovah does a political party with 15000 members employ 200 staff and own 50 gaffs? Are they renting out these properties?

There’s something off about this story. More to follow as they say.

Huh huh huh, you FFFFG shills think you are weakening Sinn Fein with your propaganda, but the day of reckoning is near at hand. Every day you say negative things that are accurate is another day for our opinion polls to be higher. The people want change, and only Sinn Fein can bring that. We are the modern, dynamic party that is constantly pretending we are back in the 1920s.

Defame us and traduce us. Never did we realize that our terrorist connections would ultimately be so profitable in giving us the oxygen of publicity. Nobody talks about parties with clean records. If you want to be a successful populist you need to make a lot of noise, and our opponents are doing our job for us.

One day it is an article talking about how we justify terrorism, next day it is how we have millions from the parliamentary and extra-parliamentary sources alike. We assassinated the guy who set up our funding operation in the US, you think people are going to start caring now? Our last leader pretended to be on the average industrial wage whilst he owned three houses? If people were going to care they would have already.

FrancieBrady · 05-03-2020 11:03am

Where did it all go wrong for the 'media' in this country?

Investigative Journalism now seems to be...ring the Finance Director of the party for a comment and then construct an article based on his replies...also: throw in a few emotive phrases and don't forget to fearlessly point out his involvement in a conflict/war that is over for over 20 years without prejudice.

jimgoose · 05-03-2020 11:06am

If SF ever actually do get into government, I would expect diesel to get very cheap all of a sudden. Just sayin', is all...

overkill602 · 05-03-2020 11:07am

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

News reaches us this morning that SF is by a country mile the richest political party in the country. It owns 50 properties around the country, and, rather extraordinarily, employees 200 people.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/sinn-f%C3%A9in-is-the-richest-political-party-in-ireland-1.4193124?mode=amp

Now I know this will be dismissed as some sort of media hatchet job on poor old SF, but I think it’s safe to ask - where the fück is the money coming from?

They own 4 properties in Dublin alone. How in the name of sweet suffering Jehovah does a political party with 15000 members employ 200 staff and own 50 gaffs? Are they renting out these properties?

There’s something off about this story. More to follow as they say.

They have a substantial fund raising operation state side saw it when i lived there.
ah them gaffs are safe houses for storing the odd and ends collected through racketeering and crime.

Elections are supposed to be evenly funded not here.
To there credit they are well funded by the brits and have access to the european parliament gray train.

Fann Linn · 05-03-2020 11:08am

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

News reaches us this morning that SF is by a country mile the richest political party in the country. It owns 50 properties around the country, and, rather extraordinarily, employees 200 people.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/sinn-f%C3%A9in-is-the-richest-political-party-in-ireland-1.4193124?mode=amp

Now I know this will be dismissed as some sort of media hatchet job on poor old SF, but I think it’s safe to ask - where the fück is the money coming from?

They own 4 properties in Dublin alone. How in the name of sweet suffering Jehovah does a political party with 15000 members employ 200 staff and own 50 gaffs? Are they renting out these properties?

There’s something off about this story. More to follow as they say.

Are they doing anything illegal in any of the above?
A yes or no will suffice.

SilverKrest · 05-03-2020 11:08am

William E Hampton

duffysfarm · 05-03-2020 11:08am

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Bank_robbery

fergus1001 · 05-03-2020 11:08am

ah the irish times such a source of unbiased reporting when it comes to the shinners

KaneToad · 05-03-2020 11:08am

They probably benefitted greatly from donations over the years. Particularly from the US. They have always been relatively well supported. (Not by me, I hasten to add).

SilverKrest · 05-03-2020 11:08am

William E Hampton

L1011 · 05-03-2020 11:09am

KaneToad wrote: »

They probably benefitted greatly from donations over the years. Particularly from the US. They have always been relatively well supported. (Not by me, I hasten to add).

The money in the US is mostly stuck in the US since donation rules changed; so they won't have got much that way recently.

whippet · 05-03-2020 11:12am

SF have no problem with fundraising .. and never had.

Didn’t they receive a couple of million from some random lad in the UK a few years back who left it in his will

maccored · 05-03-2020 11:15am

hark - yet another SF thread by an anti shinner.

JohnnyFlash · 05-03-2020 11:31am

Fann Linn wrote: »

Are they doing anything illegal in any of the above?
A yes or no will suffice.

I don’t know. I’m not an investigative journalist. I will say that a political party owning 50 properties is extremely unusual. So is having 200 employees. Like maybe it’s all above board, but it’s worthy of further investigations.

4 properties in Dublin alone? Mad stuff, Ted.

Obviously we will be told that there’s nothing to see here and that this is another attempt by the ‘establishment’ to undermine SF. Fück that stupid opinion though.

silver2020 · 05-03-2020 11:36am

America is the simple answer.

They have a phenomenal fundraising machine over there that would put the old FF galway tent in the hapenny place.

700+ attendees at $500 a pop for the annual dinner alone - add all the "sponsorship" that goes alongside and you are at 500k

Akabusi · 05-03-2020 11:39am

They are safe houses

Salary Negotiator · 05-03-2020 11:40am

Someone should be investigating Des Mackin and where his money came from.

Nice guy but he got very rich very quick.

Hamsterchops · 05-03-2020 11:43am

Up untill and including the Northern Bank robbery
in 2004 their money mostly came from bank jobs, plus post office heists, extortion, and also from NORAID in the States, but I have no idea where they get their money from these days, there was of course that old English chap who died and left his millions to them

05-03-2020 11:44am

One name: Bill Clinton!

Feisar · 05-03-2020 11:45am

Hamsterchops wrote: »

Up untill and including the Northern Bank robbery
in 2004 their money mostly came from bank jobs, plus post office heists, extortion, and also from NORAID in the States, but I have no idea where they get their money from these days, there was of course that old English chap who died and left his millions to them

Yea that English lad, what was that about?

Edit - apparently he done it as an eff you to the political establishment!?!

FrancieBrady · 05-03-2020 11:45am

Salary Negotiator wrote: »

Someone should be investigating Des Mackin and where his money came from.

Nice guy but he got very rich very quick.

Is this like Leo knowing but ignoring that 'the IRA are still in existence and operating with an Army Council to control SF'?

If 'Mackin got rich quick' (presumably you mean illegally) shouldn't that have been picked up by agencies of the state and action taken?
I mean if a random person on the internet knows this stuff...or if our Taoiseach has info/intelligence on an illegal organisation operating with impunity...WHAT THE F**K is going on in this country?

*Cue the 'ah sure he can't take action because....yada yada yada waffle waffle.

Plumbthedepths · 05-03-2020 11:50am

Personally the funding of all political parties excluding the monies provided by the state should be investigated. Why stop at SF?
Galway Tent
D O'B...SIPTU...etc.

Salary Negotiator · 05-03-2020 11:51am

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Is this like Leo knowing but ignoring that 'the IRA are still in existence and operating with an Army Council to control SF'?

If 'Mackin got rich quick' (presumably you mean illegally) shouldn't that have been picked up by agencies of the state and action taken?
I mean if a random person on the internet knows this stuff...or if our Taoiseach has info/intelligence on an illegal organisation operating with impunity...WHAT THE F**K is going on in this country?

*Cue the 'ah sure he can't take action because....yada yada yada waffle waffle.

I’ve no idea how he made his money but he went from being a former unemployed convict living in a council house to owning and running many cash based businesses.

JohnnyFlash · 05-03-2020 11:54am

Feisar wrote: »

Yea that English lad, what was that about?

Edit - apparently he done it as an eff you to the political establishment!?!

That money cannot be used in the Republic. Was a donation to the Northern Irish branch of SF.

Be interesting to see a list of these properties and who they are being rented to.

El Tarangu · 05-03-2020 11:57am

Probably from all of their TDs nobly subsisting on the average industrial wage. That, and lads selling newspapers in pubs.

L1011 wrote: »

The money in the US is mostly stuck in the US since donation rules changed; so they won't have got much that way recently.

How long has this been the case; Mary Lou still frequently goes to New York for fundraisers, so they must be getting something out of it.

Suckit · 05-03-2020 12:14pm

It's a good question OP, as any decent amount of money that they have raised, surely would go directly into making bombs and buying guns.
Then there is the training camps and the construction fees for the extra stuff

.
I would imagine that would leave them with very little, yet they still manage to have their money, and seemingly hide nothing (or very little), and operate in everyday life as though everything is legit.
It really is a conundrum. Especially given the lengths that FG and FF go to, to hide any alleged ill gotten wealth that they have.

FrancieBrady · 05-03-2020 12:22pm

Salary Negotiator wrote: »

I’ve no idea how he made his money but he went from being a former unemployed convict living in a council house to owning and running many cash based businesses.

What use are you?

Could you not have written another long winded reply (excuse) explaining why Leo and the agencies of the state cannot intervene, and that we should just accept the allegation without question, like certain posters are fond of writing?

dxhound2005 · 05-03-2020 12:24pm

I pointed out in another thread that they are by far the richest party in the North as well, twice as rich as the DUP. Someone else said that the American donations dried up a bit after the so called 9/11. But they are probably back on track now, and they would not be small amounts from working people.

realdanbreen · 05-03-2020 12:28pm

FrancieBrady wrote: »

What use are you?

Could you not have written another long winded reply (excuse) explaining why Leo and the agencies of the state cannot intervene, and that we should just accept the allegation without question, like certain posters are fond of writing?

Serious question for you.
is there any thread about Sinn Fein that you do not post on?
For a fella(I assume) who says he is a floating voter and not a party member you appear to be infatuated with them.

maccored · 05-03-2020 12:29pm

Hamsterchops wrote: »

Up untill and including the Northern Bank robbery
in 2004 their money mostly came from bank jobs, plus post office heists, extortion, and also from NORAID in the States, but I have no idea where they get their money from these days, there was of course that old English chap who died and left his millions to them

catch a grip - not an iota of proof to say republicans had anything to do with the northern bank robbery

And as financier Ted Cunningham, from Farran, Co Cork, was convicted for laundering less than £300,000 of the stolen millions – and not for any actual involvement in the heist – in reality each and every member of the violent masked gang that actually perpetrated the robbery have so far evaded the authorities.

In March, 2007, a 32-year-old man from Co Cork, Don Bullman, a chef from Fernwood Crescent in Wilton, was sentenced to four years in prison for membership of the IRA.

He was arrested at Heuston Station in Dublin two years earlier by gardaí investigating money laundering following the Northern Bank robbery and found in possession of a Daz washing powder box containing more than €94,000.

But there was no evidence given as to the origins of the money in court and the judge stressed Bullman was not charged with any other offence.

had to put that in before the usual 'but sure wasnt an ira man found with a box of money ...'

CrankyHaus · 05-03-2020 12:34pm

When did rules prohibiting political funding from abroad come in?
If SF built up enough of a nest egg and property portfolio in ROI before that then it's little surprise that the party would be well off. Especially if it doesn't have to rent premises.

SF had a considerable international fund raising enterprise for decades, not to mention the lucrative criminal activities of the IRA.

If the money came from illegal activities subsequent to the GRA then it's obviously a scandal but until there's any evidence of that I don't really see it as a big deal.

The main concern with political party funding is the influence this may give funders over politicians, corruption basically. This is a concern with say the FF Galway Races tent or Paddy the Plasterer giving Bertie bags of cash. I'm not aware of any billionaires or millionaires getting favours from SF in exchange for money.

FrancieBrady · 05-03-2020 12:35pm

realdanbreen wrote: »

Serious question for you.
is there any thread about Sinn Fein that you do not post on?
For a fella(I assume) who says he is a floating voter and not a party member you appear to be infatuated with them.

Serious answer:

If you are talking about ME on the thread, that in itself is a sign of 'infatuation' or 'obsession'.

Stalking is considered a sociopathic illness. Just sayin.

Salary Negotiator · 05-03-2020 12:39pm

FrancieBrady wrote: »

What use are you?

Could you not have written another long winded reply (excuse) explaining why Leo and the agencies of the state cannot intervene, and that we should just accept the allegation without question, like certain posters are fond of writing?

Sorry to disappoint, all I have is local rumours and conjectures.

FrancieBrady · 05-03-2020 12:42pm

There's a good chance a lot of their properties are held in 'trust' and would have recieved quite a bit of grant aid.

The building they own here (as far as I know they own it) was acquired as a 'Failté' building and was used to rehabilitate prisoners released after the GFA. That programme would have been heavily funded by P&R money.

There seems to be several community based services in there now..also funded in terms of paying rents, running costs. Creche's, Support Groups etc etc.

*The locals call the creche 'Long Creche'

Cupatae · 05-03-2020 12:46pm

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Serious answer:

If you are talking about ME on the thread, that in itself is a sign of 'infatuation' or 'obsession'.

Stalking is considered a sociopathic illness. Just sayin.

And that right there is deflecting from the question you were asked.

FrancieBrady · 05-03-2020 12:52pm

Cupatae wrote: »

And that right there is deflecting from the question you were asked.

Absolutely ^^^ ...you might have noticed...THE THREAD IS NOT ABOUT FRANCIEBRADY!

JohnnyFlash · 05-03-2020 1:12pm

What are the 200 employees doing and why didn’t some of them run for the Dail considering they let folks like your one in Clare and your man in Tipperary run for them?

200 people - that’s more full time employees than the Conservative or Labour parties in Britain.

Something not right here. Hope the Irish Times keep digging - like the media should.

Suckit · 05-03-2020 1:18pm

It's okay to let a thread go quiet for a while, it doesn't necessarily mean it's dying.

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

What are the 200 employees doing and why didn’t some of them run for the Dail considering they let folks like your one in Clare and your man in Tipperary run for them?

200 people - that’s more full time employees than the Conservative or Labour parties in Britain.

Something not right here. Hope the Irish Times keep digging - like the media should.

Why would they need to run when both of those mentioned got in?

partyguinness · 05-03-2020 1:24pm

Quite frankly I would be surprised if they were not the richest party in the country. SF have been fund raising in various guises for decades both nationally throughout the island of Ireland and internationally- which gives them a huge well to dip into unlike the other parties. SF are also the oldest party in the country or at least just behind Labour.

The only surprise here is that people seem surprised or at least trying to generate faux outrage.

Floppybits · 05-03-2020 1:30pm

Just in the interest of fairness will the IT be doing a piece on funding for all political parties in the Republic of Ireland or will it just be Sinn Fein? FF and FG are not squeaky clean as their supporters may think, we had Bertie getting cash from Paddy the Plasterer, Martin with the builders money resting in his account, we wont mention Liam Lawlor or the Planning tribunals or Ivor Callely, then on FG who didn't pay tax on certain payments, good auld Michael Lowry and then there is the involvement of DOB and his "Favourable" treatment by FG and that is also not mention the blind eye that was turned for 2 year on Dara Murphy and his expense claims.

So by all means investigate SF and their money but make sure the same is done for every single party in the state. I'd say there would be a nerves in those parties if that was to happen.

dxhound2005 · 05-03-2020 1:33pm

In 2018 a number of their elected representatives gave the donation limit of €2,500 to the party. As happened in other parties as well. The only difference is that the TD's from FG etc don't go round claiming that they are living on the average wage. If the SF reps are handing over more than €2,500 there must be some creative accounting going on to get round the SIPO limit.

https://www.sipo.ie/reports-and-publications/annual-disclosures/Report-donations-political-parties-2018.pdf

partyguinness · 05-03-2020 1:36pm

Floppybits wrote: »

Just in the interest of fairness will the IT be doing a piece on funding for all political parties in the Republic of Ireland or will it just be Sinn Fein? FF and FG are not squeaky clean as their supporters may think, we had Bertie getting cash from Paddy the Plasterer, Martin with the builders money resting in his account, we wont mention Liam Lawlor or the Planning tribunals or Ivor Callely, then on FG who didn't pay tax on certain payments, good auld Michael Lowry and then there is the involvement of DOB and his "Favourable" treatment by FG and that is also not mention the blind eye that was turned for 2 year on Dara Murphy and his expense claims.

So by all means investigate SF and their money but make sure the same is done for every single party in the state. I'd say there would be a nerves in those parties if that was to happen.

Yeah the hilarity of Bertie Ahern as the Minister for Finance not having a bank account and expecting us to believe it.

While we are at it, let the GAA throw open their books and also especially local GAA clubs and county boards. That would be a laugh. All those fat brown envelopes handed over to players and coaches but maybe they just let local business do the dirty work instead. The whole "expenses" charade.

Investigate by all means but there is no high and mighty organisation in this country able to throw the first stone.

Floppybits · 05-03-2020 1:46pm

partyguinness wrote: »

Yeah the hilarity of Bertie Ahern as the Minister for Finance not having a bank account and expecting us to believe it.

While we are at it, let the GAA throw open their books and also especially local GAA clubs and county boards. That would be a laugh. All those fat brown envelopes handed over to players and coaches but maybe they just let local business do the dirty work instead. The whole "expenses" charade.

Investigate by all means but there is no high and mighty organisation in this country able to throw the first stone.

Can you imagine the skeletons that would be unearthed if that happened. Jaysus there would be blood on the streets.

storker · 05-03-2020 1:51pm

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

News reaches us this morning that SF is by a country mile the richest political party in the country. It owns 50 properties around the country, and, rather extraordinarily, employees 200 people.

This is shocking and really should be looked into further, because if true, it means that despite everything we keep hearing to the contrary, SF are better at managing finances than FF and FG!

Acosta · 05-03-2020 1:56pm

partyguinness wrote: »

Yeah the hilarity of Bertie Ahern as the Minister for Finance not having a bank account and expecting us to believe it.

.

If the IT are hinting at some alleged Shinner financial corruption it's worth remembering that after the Bertie debacle FF were once again returned to government by the electorate a few month's later.

SEPT 23 1989 · 05-03-2020 1:58pm

Are all the 200 employees capped at the average industrial wage?

CFlat · 05-03-2020 2:04pm

I worked as a tour guide in the Midlands in the early 80s. I had a group of Americas one day and we were passing Custume Barracks in Athlone. I pointed out that it was the head quarters of the western command of the Irish army. One American pipped up and said, "oh is that where the IRA are stationed?".

My theory is the SF/IRA have been lying to guilable Americans for decades telling them they were the legitimate army of the republic so they would put their hands deep into their pockets. After all what decent human being would give money to support a terrorist organisation?

Unfortunately I do agree with some posters here though. The more that comes out about SF, the more support they appear to garner. It's nearly Trumpesque at this stage now.

mynamejeff · 05-03-2020 2:04pm

partyguinness wrote: »

Quite frankly I would be surprised if they were not the richest party in the country. SF have been fund raising in various guises for decades both nationally throughout the island of Ireland and internationally- which gives them a huge well to dip into unlike the other parties. SF are also the oldest party in the country or at least just behind Labour.

The only surprise here is that people seem surprised or at least trying to generate faux outrage.

SF like to propagate that lie to steal some history from other older parties but in reality the party of MLM Ellis etc were created as an offshoot of and offshoot of the actual parties who fought the war of independence and civil wars .

they are n older than 1970 or so formed as a result of orders from a IRA army council meeting the previous year

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinn_Féin#1923–1970

maccored · 05-03-2020 2:07pm

mynamejeff wrote: »

SF like to propagate that lie to steal some history from other older parties but in reality the party of MLM Ellis etc were created as an offshoot of and offshoot of the actual parties who fought the war of independence and civil wars .

they are n older than 1970 or so formed as a result of orders from a IRA army council meeting the previous year

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinn_Féin#1923–1970

when have SF ever claimed to be the oldest political party in ireland then?

partyguinness · 05-03-2020 2:08pm

CFlat wrote: »

.

My theory is the SF/IRA have been lying to guilable Americans for decades telling them they were the legitimate army of the republic so they would put their hands deep into their pockets. After all what decent human being would give money to support a terrorist organisation?

Safe to say that you have never hung around Irish centers in the US and then dismissing all Americans who may have donated as 'guilable (sic)' makes you look a bit foolish and ill informed.

Sinn Fein - just where is the money coming from?

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