Brian Stanley claims accusations leveled against him on doorsteps up to eve of elections

After months of controversy,  former Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley has taken the final Dáil seat in the three seat Laois constituency. 

Brian Stanley claimed accusations were being leveled against him on the doorsteps in Laois right up to the night before polling day in the General Election. 

There were cheers as he arrived at the Laois Count Centre in the Nagle Rice Sports Complex in Portlaoise with his children and wife Sinn Féin Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley on Sunday morning. 

“We started out from zero. No party, no nothing and obviously one party running not just a negative campaign but stooping to depths that I have never seen before in an election campaign on every doorstep and that continued right up to Thursday night. People canvassing for one party and making all sorts of accusations and everything else but that is for them to explain. 

We stayed positive. We started out with nothing and we obviously had a large number of people who were Sinn Féin and who are no longer going to work for Sinn Féin canvassing with me. There was some new Republicans who joined the campaign, plenty of women… What we focused on is what do we need in Laois and what do the Laois families and workers need in Laois  in the next five years. That’s the issue,” said Mr Stanley. 

Mr Stanley believes there was a concerted effort to prevent him from running. 

“There was a serious attempt made that I couldn’t run. There was a clique in Sinn Féin that not alone was I not going to win the election, they actually went out to stop on the  26th of July. While they may have stopped me from running as a Sinn Féin candidate I won as an Independent Republican and I am actually happy to be away from Sinn Féin because when I look at Sinn Féin, particularly the Sinn Féin party in Laois, there is a small toxic element within that now. I certainly wouldn’t want to be within 100 miles of it as a TD. It wouldn’t be safe to be there because they have shown themselves to be fit to do anything. They have stooped to levels that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have never stooped to but as I said I ran a positive  campaign,” he said.  

“Sinn Féin have a lot of messes to sort out. They have a lot of internal difficulties. They have a small number of control freaks, what’s called pet staffers. That’s for them to sort out. They have a whole lot of people involved in activity that is unbecoming of a party. That’s for them to work out,” he said.

Mr Stanley  is now focused on the future and working for the electorate in Laois. He hopes to push for more affordable social housing, more affordable homes to buy and rent, the need to protect and improve hospital services, health facilities and to improve infrastructure in towns. 

“I am looking forward to pushing those issues in the new Dáil and continuing to do the work I do in the 34th Dáil and continuing to do that work that I have done over the 40 years plus. That’s what I get the kick out of,” said Mr Stanley. 

Despite his misgivings about the party, Mr Stantley didn’t rule out supporting policies from Sinn Féin.

“I will support policies that are in the interest of low and middle income workers and families. Yes I will, regardless of what party they come from. I don’t believe in being divisive like that… if it is progressive, if it fits in with my left Republican thinking I will be supporting that,” he said.  

“What matters to me is how do we improve people’s lives. How do we have better public services. How do we increase and improve fairness and how do we improve transparency in terms of how we spend taxpayers money. That’s where my focus is going to be,” he said.    

Mr Stanley admitted that he was hesitant about running after leaving Sinn Féin in controversial circumstances after an internal inquiry draft report accused him of gross misconduct. 

“It was always going to be a difficult campaign because you are starting out you don’t have a political party, you are starting out with no resources, without any personnel…There was a group of women who got together and said we are going to do this, that’s it. They basically convinced me to do it at the start and I was hesitant about it,” he said.   

“I had doubts about whether to do it or not. I wasn’t able to walk the length of myself without somebody stopping me and saying, ‘you will have to run, make sure you run’. Once we done the first hour of canvassing I knew I had done the right thing,” he said.  

He spoke of the importance of the support of his family, neighbours and friends, “I am blessed to have them. My young sister is here with us today, my brother is on his way. Caroline, Mark, my son, Laura, they have been fantastic, my granddaughter Leah who is here with us as well. They have been fantastic, the neighbours, everybody has been great.”