The Irish Times view on Sinn Féin’s Ukraine vote: on the extremist fringe

This week the European Parliament approved the € 90 billion loan to support Ukraine in its defensive war against Russian aggression. It was a comfortable majority, with 458 in favour, 140 against and 44 abstaining. Among the Nos were Sinn Féin’s two MEPs, Lynn Boylan and Kathleen Funchion. That will have come as no surprise to anyone who heard finance spokesman Pearse Doherty’s contribution to a Dáil debate last month.

In voting against the proposal, Sinn Féin has placed itself firmly on the extremist fringes of European politics. Wednesday’s vote puts it in the same camp as Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland, Hungary’s Fidesz and France’s Rassemblement National, which made up the bulk of the opposition, along with a smattering of other fringe politicians, some of whom are openly pro-Putin. The Left bloc with which Sinn Féin is affiliated in the parliament is divided.

Were the loan to be withheld, Ukraine would run out of money by mid-2026. Asked what alternative she proposed, Funchion responded that the loan should provide exclusively humanitarian and non-military assistance. Given that it is Russian military aggression that has created the humanitarian catastrophe, this can only be interpreted as indifference to the prospect of Ukrainian collapse and outright Russian victory.

It appears Sinn Féin has made a calculated decision to shift from cautious abstentionism to outright opposition. Doherty’s playing to the gallery in the Dáil – arguing that billions should be spent at home rather than on “weapons of war” – confirms a move to a much more hardline and populist stance. That this places the party squarely alongside Europe’s ethnonationalist and authoritarian right seems not to concern it.

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Those who should be concerned are Sinn Féin’s putative allies in the nascent left alliance. While maintaining their defence of neutrality, the Social Democrats, Labour and Greens are steadfast in their support for Ukraine. A question for those parties is whether Sinn Féin shares their values. They now have a partial answer.