Sitting in my inbox for a while now has been a letter from SIPO, along with various records of politicians’ expenses, all revolving around the issue of Sinn Fein and the “average industrial wage”. On Friday, Pearse Doherty published a …
Tag Archive: Sinn Féin
Oct
18
Below average
While I wait for Sinn Féin TDs and senators to get back to me, and consider my response to SIPO’s recent communications, a little something to tide you over if you’ve been following the “average wage” saga. Here’s a Sinn …
Oct
15
Letter to Sinn Féin TDs and senators
A chara, I am a freelance journalist, and recently I’ve been spending some time looking at the practice of Sinn Féin TDs and Senators where they “draw down” an average industrial wage, and the balance (less taxes) is spent on …
Oct
14
Irrational, unreasonable and perverse
During the lengthy wait between my first questions to Sinn Féin about the average wage and their reply, I wrote to SIPO. I asked the Standards Commission to look into inconsistencies between Sinn Féin statements and reporting requirements. “If a …
Oct
07
Sinn Féin replies
On Monday 18 September, I addressed some questions to Sinn Féin about their “average industrial wage” claims, and the amounts their TDs donated to their party. In the three weeks since then, I’ve posted several times on the issue, and …
Oct
05
No records to display
Martin McGuinness published bank statements today, showing he only takes £1605 from Sinn Féin each month. The accounts give some fascinating insights into his shopping behaviour. Who knew the deputy first minister was such a fan of Asda? And while …
Oct
02
Opening the books
A chara, In light of the statement by Martin McGuinness on Newstalk this morning regarding his income, that he is “willing to allow my bank account to be opened and I’m sure Sinn Fein are willing to allow their bank …
Sep
26
Difference
On Saturday, Sinn Féin senator David Cullinane was asked where any money above the €530 per week allowance he received from the party went. He replied “into the local constituency employing people who work for the party.” When I asked …
Sep
25
When is a political donation not a political donation?
Let’s recap some more. A TD earns €92672K. She pays her taxes. For a single PAYE worker in the private sector with standard deductions, that’s a net income of €55615. You can get away with less, but let’s go with …
Sep
25
Don’t worry yourself about it
Let’s recap. Last week I asked: If a Sinn Féin TD only takes home the “average wage” and donates the rest, how much is Sinn Féin getting as a result of that donation? And how does that square with SIPO …