Sinn Féin, Naturally Corrupt, Naturally

Gearóid Ó Loingsigh ☭ writing in Substack on 27-February-2025.

Photo: Internet, National Children’s
Hospital Building Site, Dublin.

Sinn Féin is a party that likes to flout its anti-corruption credentials whenever the opportunity arises and hide them when the corruption is connected to them. The proverbial butter wouldn’t melt in Mary Lou McDonald’s mouth, if you were to listen to them.

In November last year, they proposed the setting up of an anti-corruption commission for public spending in the south. They were exercised by wasteful public spending on everything from the now infamous bike shed at Leinster House, used partially as a parking space for Michael Lowry’s car, to the printer and the overspend on the Children’s Hospital. Pearse Doherty stated that:

We need a party leading government that isn’t allowing some businesses, some insiders and vested interests to make a fortune on the back of wasteful public spending. All of this money that has been wasted has gone into someone’s pockets.[1]

You would think from such a statement that they would take every opportunity to excoriate the companies involved. They had previously accused, not unreasonably, the main government party, Fianna Fáil of having a corrupt relationship with the construction industry.[2] They are after all, the party of brown paper envelopes to developers and the now abandoned palm greasing convention, known as the Fianna Fáil Galway Tent, where whilst people bet on the horse races, others were betting on getting their hands on government largesse.

In the North, they were successfully able to put distance between themselves and major corruption by placing the blame on their coalition partners at Stormont, the DUP, which took all the blame for the Cash for Ash scandal, which saw millions flow to their supporters, even though Sinn Féin as the junior coalition partner bore some level of responsibility.

The new children’s hospital announced for Belfast was welcomed by Sinn Féin.

The new hospital, once built, will be transformative for healthcare in the north, and I now look forward to seeing work begin on this exciting project.[3]

You would think given their public statements on the building of the National Children’s Hospital in Dublin, that they would exercise some caution on who got the contract for the hospital in Belfast. They had called for an inquiry into the spiralling costs of the Dublin hospital as far back as 2019.

In other jurisdictions, the Dublin contract would have been suspended and the operator fined for not meeting standards and deadlines. It would also be banned from contracting with public bodies again. But not in Ireland. Last December it was announced that the company was to be awarded yet another contract despite not having finished the hospital. Sinn Féin were quick off the mark. Their own website put it very clearly, saying the contract should not go ahead under any circumstances.

Sinn Féin spokesperson for Finance, Pearse Doherty TD, said the government needs to urgently come to their senses and pull out of the latest public construction contract with BAM…
The contract will see Invesis, formerly known as BAM PPP, award a massive public construction contract to deliver a building programme for technological universities across the state.
The justification from the government that any change would delay this project is something we have heard before when Simon Harris gave a green light for the national children’s hospital.
Getting the contract and the contractor right is key to getting projects delivered on budget and on time.
This is not only a matter of getting back into bed with BAM despite the ongoing disaster of the children’s hospital, but the type of contract also being used is totally inappropriate.[4]

Now, however, Sinn Féin are proceeding with a hospital contract with Graham and BAM Healthcare Partnership (GBHP), but this time in Belfast, where as the main coalition partner they have a greater say. The contract is for £671 million. Why? Building projects in the North have not been without their problems. This particular one though not yet on the same scale as the Dublin hospital has as Construction News points out already had teething problems:

The Northern Irish government had previously estimated the hospital would cost £250m, but now says it will have a total price tag of £671m, including a construction cost of £389m.[5]

Not a good sign. And a previous hospital building project by the same GBHP joint venture, the new maternity hospital at the Royal Victory, which was completed in 2024, but has yet to open has had a cost overrun, which saw the price tag rise from £57m to £97m. [6]

The about face is just one more example of Sinn Féin speaking out both sides of its mouth. This time there is the added ingredient that they have some say over the contract and given that the construction industry in Belfast is not run by the Galway Tent mafia, but by republicans, who have always had an eye for a quick buck, scams and shoddy buildings, there will be jobs for the boys again. This time it will not be Arlene Foster who will be the public face of it, but Michelle O’Neill and the DUP may yet give Sinn Féin the same free pass they were initially given by republicans over the Cash for Ash scam. When it all comes unstuck, we will know who to blame. But even if BAM gets its act together this time, the company should, given its past history, be barred from government contracts, particularly when it comes to building hospitals.

References

[1] Breaking News (18/11/2024) Sinn Féin proposes anti-corruption commission for public spending. Cillian Sherlock

[2] Independent (23/02/2022) Micheal Martin: Corruption claim by Sinn Fein leads to ugly scenes in Dail. Dominic McGrath.

[3] Sinn Féin (19/02/2025) ‘New children’s hospital will be transformative for north’s healthcare’ – Maskey.

[4] Sinn Féin (11/12/2024) Latest BAM contract should not go ahead under any circumstances – Pearse Doherty TD.

[5] Construction News (20/02/2025) Graham and Bam to build £671 Belfast hospital. Will Ing.

[6] Ibíd.

⏩ Gearóid Ó Loingsigh is a political and human rights activist with extensive experience in Latin America.