Breath-taking, isn’t it? Where to start? Where to start even thinking? For example, you might think it’s as plain as a pint of Guinness that the arrest of Gerry Adams relating to the killing of Jean McConville is calculated to do the maximum possible damage to Sinn Féin’s chances in the elections north and south less than three weeks from now. If you know anything about the history of policing here you might well conclude that some of the people who served in the RUC are still in place and are obliging those who want to smash Sinn Féin to bits about as big as ground glass. “Why this case?” you might say. “Why now?”
But that’s where you’d be wrong. You only have to ask a disinterested observer like Niall Collins, the Fianna Fail spokesman. “I believe the comments of his colleague Mary Lou McDonald are particularly inappropriate and ill-judged and should be withdrawn”. That’s Mary Lou’s comments about a rump of anti-peace process people in the PSNI doing their damnedest to support those who’d like to stop Sinn Féin in its electoral tracks. Or ask someone in the Labour Party. Or in Fine Gael. In fact ask the Taoiseach himself. The Taoiseach himself has pointed out that none of the other parties in the Republic have any connection at all with the investigation into the disappearance or murder of mother-of-10 McConville.
You can also see that all these southern politicians have a full and deep understanding of the workings of things in the North, having always shown a keen interest in justice and proper government in this part of the island. They have never, as they’ll tell you themselves, stood idly by so I hope you don’t think they’re going to start standing idly by now, especially with that election comi- Oh sorry, strike that. Lost myself for a minute there. The arrest of Gerry Adams has nothing, repeat NOTHING to do with the up-coming elections.
Oh dear. This all has a tendency to make you feel old, doesn’t it? It does me, anyway. I remember the time when we were able to look at places like South America or Africa and roll our eyes at their ideas of democracy. Ballot boxes missing, intimidation, everything in sight rigged to the topmost mast. “Good God” we’d say. “Don’t these people have any respect for democracy?” Little did I think we’d see the day where police action would be followed by media action, with every sad and horrible detail of one woman’s death played again and again, on each occasion linking her killing to the leader of Sinn Féin. If this isn’t political policing aiming to bend voting patterns in a particular direction, then I’m Enda Kenny’s wee sister.
By the way, you didn’t hear that woman who rang Joe Duffy yesterday and reminded him of the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombing? And how those who colluded in these deaths have never received attention let alone justice? The cheek of her.
Just saw this on a political forum
“I was listing to that FF Princling Collins on RTE yesterday and I started thinking about the Dowra affair whereby a FF Justice Minister was accused of using the RUC for his own ends.
“The brother of Seán Doherty’s wife Maura, Garda Thomas Nangle,was charged with assaulting James McGovern, a native of County Fermanagh, in a public house in December 1981. On 27 September 1982, hours before the case was due to be heard in the District Court in Dowra, a small village in northwest County Cavan, McGovern was arrested by the Special Branch of the RUC on the basis of entirely false Garda intelligence that he was involved in terrorism. The case against Nangle was dismissed because the principal witness, McGovern, failed to appear in court. The solicitor representing Nangle was Kevin Doherty, Seán Doherty’s brother. This ‘questionable’ use of Garda/RUC Special Branch liaison, set up under the 1985 Hillsborough Anglo-Irish Agreement, prevented meetings between the Garda commissioner and the RUC chief constable for almost three years.”
So I think political interference in Northern policing is not exactly a new phenomenon.
Will the current episode have an effect on Sinn Fein in the elections? I honestly couldn’t call it. Depends on what happens next IMHO.”
Jude
” I remember the time when we were able to look at places like South America or Africa and roll our eyes at their ideas of democracy. Ballot boxes missing, intimidation, everything in sight rigged to the topmost mast.”
I was under the impression that democracy in those place was based on a study of the N. Ireland political system as implemented and perfected by successive Unionist governments.
As I stated earlier this week, the mothers killed in Ballymurphy by the Para’s had children, yet there is no outrage or call for arrests etc. Unfortunately, this does not surprise me, selective justice is the rule of the day. Kenny and al only care about maintaining the staus quo, no new thoughts or idea,s wanted or allowed. A shameful day in Ireland
Hi Jude,listening to the various comments from all the policital parties and the media its difficult to belive im living on the same planet.In the 70s we watched the slaughter on derrys streets,the horribile murders of people in ballymurphy,the Dublin and Monahan bombings to name a few,inthe 80, the shoot to kill policy,the murder in gib of three unarmed people,handed over by irish special branch to sas murders.Most of the above have direct links to 10 downing street and the irish govt has to answer for the heavy gang and the crimes committed by the garda.Both the irish and English govts have been involved in murdering its own people.
Do you think Jude that during their interrogation of Gerry Adams, the RUC, sorry PSNI,will be able to hear Gerry Adams. After all some 8,000 have claimed compensation for being deaf
Ha ha!! Well said, the sponging bigots have been well paid for their hideous `duty`.
Ha ha Maggie May, very, very funny!
To expect anyone in a position of Political power in the 26 counties to give a damn about the North of their country is naive in the extreme. You cite a woman bringing up the Dublin Monaghan Bombings. Within three weeks of these Bombings the Establishment rushed in Emergency legislation against the IRA and the media well in synch had the outrage at this British Black Op attack directed squarely at Republicans. Memories can be short in Politics, however the enduring antagonism towards anything North of the Border esp Republicans has been enduring. Indeed it would take a memory hole the size of a black hole, and all the trees on the side of the Cavehill for the paper to rewrite the script on this fact. Political oppertunists in all the main Parties are rubbing their hands in glee at this timly arrest. Terrible as this killing was, as all are, a garish Celebrity Victimhood rests over this woman’s demise and the plight of her family, to what avail? “One of the most imfamous murders of the troubles”, is piped with unwearied energy through all the usual media channels…I can think of many more who the government in Dublin and Westminster purposely ignore. Pyramid of Victimhood, of course not….Enda Kenny, Michael Martin and the whole shower of west brit shites that are seizing on this timly arrest of Adams no more care for the Mc Conville family than they do about the Ballymurphy Massacre victims or the array of state sponsored murders and collusion that affected their countrymen and women north, and sometimes south of the border. Hopefully their glee will be tempered when the election results come in.
Its always good to see well reasoned argument sadly not here though.
The question is very simple do innocent victims have the right to see justice and if so why are you complaining about Gerry Adams being questioned about his role if any in this case?
doh the reason people are “complaining”is elections taking place across the country and the leader of a party who incidently are running high in the polls especially in the 26 counties is arrested and the media go into overdrive about one death out of 3600 is not a coincedence to most people who actually think for themselves some things never change
Neill, I suspect you’re just playing devil’s advocate here. All innocent victims and their families do of course have the right to see justice served. Sadly, this is Northern Ireland and some victims are more equal than others.
In my eyes all innocent victims should be treated the same if thats the case we are all screwed.
Or, to put it another way – not all killings have been investigated as thoroughly as others. I shall not name names, lest I be accused of the dreaded ‘whataboutery’.
True, and if the PSNI I held off til after the ejection would Jude also write that it was a car of political policing?
Oops, election (damn swipe keyboard)
the question, Neill, should be “do ALL innocent victims have the right to see justice”
All victims should have the right to expect that the judicial process should be administered equally in all cases!
Jude
A great deal of hysteria surrounding this. If it had happened a few weeks ago I think you would still be linking it to the elections.
Gerry Adams is no more exempt from having his collar felt than the rest of us. Glad to see it. Republicanism in action.
For those raising Ballymurphy, I agree the families of Ballymurphy deserve truth and justice as much as the McConville family.
I can’t help feeling the ‘On The Runs’ revelations may have scuppered that more than anything else.
If you believe Ballymurphy families deserve truth and justice as much as McConville family (maybe more, given that they lost loved ones at the hands of the state forces), do you also believe its pure chance that Villiers turned down Ballymurphy families and PSNI arrested GA? I think you know in your heart the arrest happened to screw SF at the polls. Nobody with half of one eye could miss it. It actually is developing world stuff – we don’t like this party, so we’re going to find a way to stop them.
Jude
I can’t seethe logic.
Stopping SF is hardly in the interest of the British Government.They do not want to see an unstable NI.
It is not in the interest of the PSNI. Weaken SF and send more disaffected Nationalists to the arms of the dissidents?
The DUP might like to give SF a bloody nose but they hardly want to risk bringing down the assembly.
It might be in the interest of the parties in the South but I fail to see how they could have engineered it.
Interesting times.
Sorry for you, but anybody that bests the brits at their own games will be long remembered by the brits,and stopping SF. from winning any election would be welcomed not just by the brits and the unionists but by ff fg and labour and the sdlp..The police have an policital agenda and its directed by the n.i. office and downing st. Please don’t be fooled by the media. I think Jude said a few days ago that folling the poll results that S.F and g.adams would be targeted ,and how right he was.
Neil, unionists want the good old days back. What do you not understand about British justice. Where are you from? Sometimes I wonder about the hidden agendas. Sinn Fein are the only working class party that actually have policies that help the working class. If you are not working class then of course you would want to keep them out of power, that’s why I ask where your from?
All I have to say is West Belfast SF have controlled that constituency for years and what have they achieved with their working class policies?
If you believe Ballymurphy families deserve truth and justice as much as McConville family (maybe more, given that they lost loved ones at the hands of the state forces), do you also believe its pure chance that Villiers turned down Ballymurphy families and PSNI arrested GA? I think you know in your heart the arrest happened to screw SF at the polls. Nobody with half of one eye could miss it. It actually is developing world stuff – we don’t like this party, so we’re going to find a way to stop them.
“whataboutery”
Pithy but poor response, neill. Must do better…
Far from it…
Just a quick question if there is any evidence that links G Adams to the womans death should he be tried yes or no?
This blog should be re-entitled ‘Northern Ireland Politics for Slow Learners’.
‘As plain as a pint of Guinness’, what might Myles na gCopaleen have to say on these matters? Do you know what I am going to tell you? Mr Adams went to the P.S.N.I. of his own volition unlike many members of the security forces who refused to cooperate with the Ombudsman in relation to controversial incidents, for example, The Drury Report into the death of Samuel Devenney in Derry on 17 July 1969. An isolated historical incident? It is interesting to note that the Metropolitan Police have rejected a Freedom of Information request and that the files relating to the incident will be kept secret until 2022. There has been a deafening silence into the role of the military reaction force. The individuals not only admitted to their role in murders but openly stated they would have not problem in engaging in similar acts again. Back to Myles, ‘I will see if I am strong enough this day week to take up again the shattered thread of my narrative. Right now I am going out to have a small whiskey’.
Whether you agree w/ SF and /or Mr Adams or not, for anyone to state that there are no political/electoral overtones related to the timing of this ‘arrest’ is clearly either delusional or untruthful. The McConvilles deserve justice, but no more so than the relatives of Bloody Sunday, Ballymurphy, McGurks bar, carol ann Kelly, Julie Livingstone and the list goes on. Atrocities on both sides would be investigated if a transparent”Truth Commission” were in place. Alas, that will never happen, Britain will never come clean. This attack on Adams/SF is alo very shortsighted. This will only give credence and fuel to claims from dissident groups, and it would be hard not to agree. A good faith initiative GFA, has benn nothing but a sweries of hurdles and hoops for republicans to jump through, first it was decomissioning, ( has the UVF done this yet?… didn;t think so) then it was policing. Britain stated “It has no selfish interest in NI. Another lie. Maybe Enda and Higgins and Martin MCG should reconsider just how close the two countries are. This seems a bit too close for me
Is Mary-Lou a disinterested observer in all this?Of course she’s not just as is Martin Mc Guinness when he speaks about the “dark side of policing”.They’re both naturally going to issue statements hinting at conspiracies within the P S N I.Lets see the supporting evidence for all this.Interesting article on page 6 of today’s Irish News by Brian Feeney dealing at Gerry’s association with the I R A.But in your eyes ,Feeney is probably part of this vast conspiracy to do down Gerry Adams and Sinn Fein!
Unlike your good self, Argenta, who has always commended the good deeds of Sinn Féin politicians…
I have no doubt the staters were aware of this well in advance.The blueshirts and the gardai cooperate in political matters and both have used these links to damage opponents.Alan Shittter used garda information to smear Mick Wallace and there is a history of collusion between unsavioury elements of both police forces ,the Dowra affair being a case in point..Observers noted Kenny was behaving in a very shifty manner when being questioned about the matter at a press conference yesterday.
Blimey. A shifty manner do you say?
Well that’s good enough for me. The bastard!
I think its time for SF to take the gloves off when dealing with the media.Danny Morrison should be coaxed back as head of publicity.He did an excellent job on Nolan this morning and could not be shouted down.The thing is oaves like Nolan (is oaves the plural of oaf) and “gals” like Wendy are really not that good when faced with a capable foe.
Good old danny never told a mistruth in his life.
Once again if they find evidence that Mr Adams was involved in the murder should they send him for trial?
I have no idea as to Gerry’ s personal involvement in this one awful crime, of many right across the spectrum, but the PSNI have really shot themselves in the foot. As far as timing is concerned.Remember what happened when Bobby Sands died?
suddenly the public city and acrimony was such that the republican movement was granted a huge sympathetic political presence overnight.
Timing is everything and in this case it has the appearance of political interference when coupled with the various foot draggings throughout this past year.He could have been arrested at any time in this past forty years, so why exactly now on the cusp of an election.
This will certainly put vigour into the republican camp, if only for emotional reasons..It will bring their vote of big…
The order things are forgotten very quickly. The powers that be appear to have forgotten what. made Sinn Vein strong in the first place…….Then again,we all forgot that mobile phones were going to fry our brains with radioactivity…….ten years ago……or maybe that happened already…
Damn this machine!…that’s “publicity”. Not pubic city…..
Again…damn this machine …it has developed its very own grammar !!!
On a press/media angle, the big story on Monday in the Irish papers was that (TD for Dublin SouthCentral) Aengus Ó Snodaigh’s son had been injured, having been stabbed outside his house. Whilst that may constitute ‘news’ of a sort, the coverage didn’t really seem proportionate to the incident. It seemed very much like a bit of media paint chucking at SF in the run up to the election.
Turns out this was a mere hors d’oeuvre ahead of the Adams arrest. Without wishing to get all tinfoil hat conspiracist about it, the onward march of Sinn Féin has really put the shitters up the ‘Establishment’ on both sides of the border. But yes, this is developing world type stuff we’re seeing here. If nothing else, we live in interesting times…
G adams has been at home in Belfast almost every weekend.Has had public engagements in the 6counties,has been on the election trail since it began,has been in Belfast city hall on several ocaisions,has been in dail eireann on sitting days,HAS been readly on view at funerals and other engagements.. for the past 5years openly why no arrest then??????Reason…… the rats are running scared,The boston tapes have been on view for 2years or more….why no arrest????
The arrest of Gerry Adams is so, so wrong. It is immaterial what this man has done in the past (there have been many allegations made by many people, all whom, of course, are liars paid to do so by the state) as this arrest is to prevent him becoming Taoiseach, a position he richly deserves. He was never in the IRA, he was not involved in criminality, murder, or anything else, so leave him alone and accuse someone else. I suppose the ‘securocrats’ will now start to accuse our Martin of impropriety, imagine? It might get to the stage that all these poor down trodden republicans will be unable to sleep in their beds at night for fear of a knock on the door, to answer for their past sins. My word, my heart bleeds for them; should republicans not be exempt from the rule of law, and the accusations should be made against the State actors, after all, they were responsible for 9% of deaths! Republicans only murdered 61%.
Mr Collins, your bleats are now getting quite tiresome, once I felt sorry for you, but I’m sorry, now it is only pity.
Willie,
You are a terrible mawn!
I have kept the news off this last few days, apart from checking to see whether Gerry has been released. I must listen to Nolan on the iplayer, Danny is usually a good talker. Mrs McConville`s sad ending has been played out over and over again. Are the PSNI trying to jail her killers because they are opposed to the death of a civilian? Or because they are horrified at the killing of a woman? Or because they want justice for a person killed in 1972? If so they had better clear their holding cells because there are quite a few who fit into those categories. It should be relatively easy to nab people for a lot of those deaths, just check the RUC/Brit/UDR duty logs for the dates in question. That is unless they have `gone missing` or been destroyed in a `mysterious` fire,, as was the case when John Stevens tried to investigate the RUC. Remember, no smoke alarm or sprinkler system and it all happened in `police` territory. I have no doubt the arrest of Gerry is politically motivated by dark forces (black bastards more like) within the spooks, maybe they want to collapse the north’s peace, maybe they need to hone their occupational army skills now they have left the middle east with their tails between their legs?
Mr Fay ,do you get your statistics from Villiers? State actors effectively ran the Loyalist death squads so your 9% is laughable.
The Orange State has yet to be fully dismantled. Where is this #sharedfuture we were all promised? Read this if you can be arsed
http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/a-shared-future-strategy
Stormont clearly ain’t working. At what point do we rip it up and start again?
Frankly,I don’t know how a shared future would solve the problem of political policing operating in cahoots with the British and free state establishments.
I have no doubt in the wide world that the anti-GFA elements within the Old RUC / present PSNI are playing a game of political opportunism in their timing, application and extension of Mr Adams arrest.
It can actually be a police officer at a relatively intermediate level who is responsible for the process and is dictating the agenda. If a more senior official intervenes to query the methodology of the enquiry these officers are straight to their contacts in the media to scream ‘political interference’ and say how senior members of Sinn Fein are being protected from prosecution by the British Government.
It is a waiting game that Republicans have to play because those anti-GFA elements of the PSNI would dearly love to see Sinn Fein withdraw support for policing here!
Pointis
“It is a waiting game that Republicans have to play because those anti-GFA elements of the PSNI would dearly love to see Sinn Fein withdraw support for policing here!”
Wouldn’t they be greatly increasing the risk to their own safety by doing so?
Why would they want to bring down the GFA thus bringing in direct rule with input from Dublin?
Pointis
And your evidence for the above supposition is ——–?