Out of evil sometimes comes good and out of disaster, victory. No prizes this morning for guessing what I’m referring to. It’s the Stop-the-Shinners car-crash. So what good can we retrieve from this wreckage?
Well, one good is that the Boston Tapes Oral History project has become, in the words of academic and peer Paul Bew, “hopelessly compromised”. Many of us knew it was hopelessly compromised from the start. Paul Bew is a former adviser to David Trimble, and we can only hope it wasn’t him who advised Trimble to do that sash-bedecked victory dance with Ian Paisley down the Garvaghy Road. The other two corners of the Boston Tapes triangle are, as you probably know, Ed Moloney and Anthony McIntyre, both of whom have been implacably opposed to Sinn Féin’s political strategy. So if three people who are the political enemies of Sinn Féin in general and Gerry Adams in particular set up a research project, and the only two people we definitely know to have taken part in it – Dolours Price and Brendan Hughes – are vehement critics of Adams and his party, I’d say as an archive its value begins and ends in making clear how deep runs the hatred of former comrades. As a research project it’s been indeed discredited. It also appears to have been of little use in convicting Gerry Adams of wrong-doing, which will be a matter for disappointment in some circles and a matter for deep satisfaction in others.
The second good thing to come out of this political pile-up is that it has failed in its objective. When Gerry Adams was put under arrest at Antrim police station and subjected to thirty-three interviews over a four-day period, the aim was to show that the leader of Sinn Féin was complicit in the killing of Jean McConville. When this foundered, the interrogators appear to have gone on a fishing expedition, ranging as far back as the one-and-a-half-year-old Gerry Adams and including books, newspaper articles and photos, in the hope that they could find support for a charge of IRA membership against the Sinn Féin leader. Despite all the interrogations, some of them we’re told continuing for up to seventeen hours, no evidence was produced. Yes, the file has been passed to the office of the DPP, but if they could squeeze out no evidence in Antrim, it’s more than unlikely that the DPP or the DPP’s deputy will do any better. Or worse.
What’s that? Have I no feelings for Jean McConville and her family? I certainly do. Her death was the stuff of nightmares and the trauma it inflicted on her children must be massive. But I think it’s plain to most people now that Jean McConville’s death has been used as a political weapon by people who have no scruples about using the dead as a club in the hope they can bludgeon their political opponents.
Yesterday on BBC Radio Ulster /Raidio Uladh, the Victims Commissioner Catherine Stone made an interesting observation. She reminded us that the Haass talks had foundered. They didn’t founder because the parties couldn’t agree; they foundered because the unionist parties couldn’t agree. Couldn’t agree on what? On parades. Agreement was reached by everyone involved on dealing with the past; the problem point was parades. So if we’re really concerned for victims, wouldn’t it have made sense to salvage the agreed approach to the past and come back to parades at a later point? Since that didn’t happen, it’s hard to believe that those most vociferous about the beastly details of Jean McConville’s death really give a damn about her or her family. If they did, they would have insisted that the agreed approach to the past be implemented and left parades for another day.
Two more things, briefly. On Twitter yesterday evening, I saw a tweet which appeared to come from someone to Mike Nesbitt, saying ‘What about Justice for Joan and her family?’ Mike’s reply is one-word: ‘Joan?’ Like myself he assumed the tweeter meant ‘Jean’ as in ‘Jean McConville’. But of course it wasn’t a mistweet. It was one reminding us that Joan Connolly, a mother of eight, was shot in the back by British paratroopers in Ballymurphy a year before the abduction of Jean McConville. Why haven’t we heard more about this cruel death of a mother leaving so many children behind her? Simple. Because Joan Connolly’s death had no potential for political damage of Sinn Féin. And so her name, like so many other names of innocent people, hasn’t been kept in the headlines for the past forty years.
Finally, there are signs that this whole pile-up will actually turn out to be a boomerang. The idea was to discredit Adams and his party, tie a stone round their neck and watch them sink in the opinion polls. Judging from last night in the Balmoral Hotel, the opposite is likely to happen.
We all eagerly await the next set of opinion polls. Thought Adams carried himself very well at the press conference. Today’s newspapers indicate a redoubling of the efforts to smear SF. The best they can hope for is a draw. SF could well benefit from this nonsense.
At least we can be in no doubt how Dublin and London view the importance of the peace process when stunts like this are sprung for political gain and to hell with the consequences.
I agree completely, Cal. Or nearly completely. I think a lot of people may reconsider the SF garbage the media has been feeding people, in the light of what we saw and heard in the Balmoral (oh the irony) Hotel last night.
Jude, we don’t know that Paul Bew approached this as anything other than a senior academic with great credibility as such.
We do not know who the interviewees were, beyond the four so far named, Dolours Price, David Ervine, Brendan Hughes and (allegedly) Ivor Bell.
So we can not assess the weight, bias or value of the other material and we can not say that only anti peace process people were interviewed. Yet these things are being said all the time.
I stand corrected, Malachi – I’d forgotten about David Ervine and I didn’t know about Ivor Bell. Thanks for that. However, we’ve still got, in terms of project organisers and those interviewed, solely people opposed to SF. I agree, maybe there are a lot of pro-SF people in there waiting to be discovered. But I very much doubt it.
PS – Re Paul Bew, Malachi – it is possible he divested himself of his political thinking in this project. But again, his advisership (?) and his peerage don’t relate to impartial academic research.
The press conference was a tour de force; no recrimination, no bitterness, just an inspirational defence of the entire peace process and a wonderful restatement of the republican message. With such leadership, the future is bright.
You take your chances as you wish defaming Paul Bew. I am sure there were many occasions when you as an academic dealing with researchers were able to detach your personal political views from the project in hand to help the researcher do the most credible work, so you should be able to credit Bew with the same professional integrity.
Ervine was a loyalist and can be described as anti Sinn Fein. He could not be described as anti peace process.
I take your point, Malachi. I did have to struggle when reading work that presented views I fundamentally disagreed with, and I suspect I didn’t always fully succeed. I’m simply saying Paul Bew was an adviser to a unionist leader, and that should be taken into consideration when judging a project that is carried out by two men who are sharply opposed to SF and who interviewed people who were also sharply opposed to SF. Paul Bew may well have succeeded in removing his political hat when involving himself in the project. But it must have been very hard.
Joan Connolly won’t get mention in the media feeding frenzy because she is one of the “unpeople”, those who have died and of no use to the propaganda machines in the BBC and RTE. Do her family not grieve?
Do the Connolly family and others who lost loved ones to British soldiers and their loyalist gangster comrades have no right to the truth? Not according to The SOS.
At what point did these academic researchers (Bew, McIntyre, Maloney) come to the conclusion that these interviews would not be handed over to the PSNI. It is extraordinary that they gave guarantees to interviewees that the interviews would not be released until after death and would not be handed over to the PSNI still investigating the Troubles era murders.
As they could never actually guarantee this in a legal sense it was either very naive of them to give these guarantees to interviewees or a downright lie
The current Secretary of State has stated her views about what is in the public interest. One might reflect on recent events in Antrim and Belfast. What had a huge image of Queen Elizabeth got to do with events in the police station? What was the reason for two separate attacks on the Alliance office in Belfast, petrol bombs in Sandy Row, or three further racist attacks at a time when police resources were being deployed to assess Mr Adams’s early childhood development? The Secretary of State should review what was in the public interest about the recruitment procedures which enabled former RUC officers to rejoin the PSNI, the subsequent role of the HET and the fact that the former Ombudsman had to resign?
Jude
We know the identity of four of the participants of the Boston Oral Project, in total there were twenty-six Republicans who took part in the project.
The agreement between the college and the participants was that the interviews would be kept confidential until their deaths.
Anthony McIntyre was anti-GFA but he has said in an interview ” People with a perspective opposed to my own political perspective did contribute to the project.”
bostoncollegesubpoena.wordpress.com/2014/03/28/transcript-the-arrest-of-ivor-bell-and-oral-history-archive-the-belfast-project/
Thanks Anthony. I’ll take A McI’s word for it…
Former SOS Peter hain has called for the soldiers involved in Bloody Sunday to be arrested i the interest of fairness. I’ll bet that doesn’t happen because the BS victims are ‘nonpeople’ similar to what Paddy Everton describes. I am curious to hear the FM and current SOS’s thoughts.
Personally, I think SF must take a tougher stance on policing. There are a number of people in jail on no evidence similar to GA, but for a longer period of time. I would love to hear SF call for the release of all people jailed on such terms. at least some of the 1000 or so former RUC who were hired to round out the PSNI have an agenda.
If one reads my posts, I have questioned why the victims of BS, Ballmurphy, Dublin Monaghan etc are not as important as Jean McConville? Why do they not deserve justice? is it soley due to the involvement of state forces in their deaths? While that certainly plays a significant part of it, I feel there is more to it. The British Gov, DUP, TUV ( and Dublin)seem to be only interested in ‘victims’ or supposed victims caused by republicans. WhileI do not agree with all of SF policies, I fervently hope that this stunt backfires and they have great success in all upcoming elections.
Jude, it’s interesting to know that you seem to have an inside track on what went on during the Adams interviews. 17 hours without a break, I don’t think so, the rights of a prisoner are clearly available as an open source document. A prisoner must have regular breaks and at least 8 hrs during the night, take those away from 24? As these interviews are sub judice, the release of their content is surely illegal or is it to garner sympathy for Mr Adams, thereby putting pressure on the PPS, whose director was Mr Adams solicitor for many years.
In relation to Maloney and McIntyre, any researcher worth his salt should know that where criminal offences are identified in qualitative interviews, if the researcher does not report the same, the authorities may seek them out.
Relating the murder of Jean McConville to Joan Connolly is slightly unfair. Mrs Connolly was tragically killed in the fog of a gun battle that involved the IRA, Loyalists and the Army, I don’t think the abduction of Mrs McConville was a similar situation. The main reason the case remains in the public eye is, understandably, that the McConville family want closure, and your view of them is slightly demeaning and, I must say, condescending.
William Fay
Was it foggy that day in Ballymurphy?
So you are saying that Britain’s supposed elite regiment engaged in a gun battle with the IRA and managed to kill zero IRA men but 9 civilians. I find it hard to believe the Parachute regiment could be that incompetent in the use of firearms.
William – thanks for your thoughts. Re 17 hours – I read or heard that reported more than once – can’t remember where or who but I did. You may well be right. But how could the content of the interviews be sub judice if GA hasn’t been charged? There’s no pressure on the DPP – he’s moved aside for his deputy. If you’re right about Moloney and McIntyre, they’re in even hotter water than thought. As to Ballymurphy – so was Joan Connolly’s death the only accidental one in Ballymurphy during those days? In any case I just reported what was tweeted, and noted that I didn’t know her name even, despite the fact that violence left her children without a mother as well. I think the parallel is a reasonable one. I’ll bet her children think it is. As to closure – there are probably dozens of families awaiting closure for the death of loved ones at the hands of loyalist + state forces – families who haven’t even had an inquest after decades. Of course McConville’s need closure (whatever that is) – but so do all the other families. My point is: why has Mrs McConville received so much air time. The answer is obvious.
Jude, you have responsibility for what you report, “I read or heard it reported more than once – can’t remember or who, but I did”. Great response, you heard it from the Sinn Fein press conference.
Are you really so naive to think that Barra McGrory will have no influence on the outcome?
I can name you hundreds of families that have had one or both their parents murdered, and so can you so there is no use in regurgitating individual cases. Yes, you can allege the McConvilles are being used, and you may be right, but the fact is, her family will not go away until they get some type of closure.
I’m not sure why you equate loyalists with state forces but I’ve a good idea why, and it is being more than mischievous, and I have no doubt there are many wanting questions answered. But in response to another blog, republicans were responsible for almost 60% of all deaths during the Troubles. That will require a lot of answers and I haven’t heard too many.
Well William – welcome aboard. It’s nice to have someone who has all the answers. Alas, you start off with a, what shall we say, misspoken statement? I didn’t hear it at a Sinn Féin conference. As for Barra McGrory – are you accusing the DPP of republican bias? If so, do spell it out and I’ll pass it along to him. I guess he’d be interested. I’m sure McConville’s are looking for and deserve closure (whatever that is). Frankly I don’t think most victims will get justice. Maybe truth in some cases but certainly not in all. And you don’t know why I ‘equate’ loyalists with state forces? Probably because I don’t. What I was talking about was collusion between loyalists and state forces – for example, the Dublin -Monaghan bombings. If that’s you’re idea of mischief you must live in a very hard-knuckled world. Your equation of 60% may well be accurate (source, please?); but don’t you think that it’s necessary to take into account the fact that people we the public pay to protect choose instead to kill us? And of course you might want to consider the legality of British rule in Ireland. Or is that the natural state of things – the stronger neighbour naturally tells the natives what to do? Maybe you’re a fan of imperialism; I’m afraid I’m not.
Hi Jude, and thank you for your excellent and extensive response, and it’s refreshing touching horns with someone of your background. Would I dare to suggest Mr McGrory of having republican bias, ‘I think i read or heard that reported more than once – can’t remember who but I did.’ Not like your statement, no idea where you heard it but it wasn’t at a Sinn Fein press conference.. I only deal in facts, it has been reported everywhere that Mr McGrory used to be Mr Adams solicitor, please advise me what I have said wrong here.
This is from the BBC news web pages! and is identical to many others “Gerry Adams is being questioned for up to 17 hours a day by detectives investigating the murder of Jean McConville, a source close to him says.” I wonder who the source close to him could be, surely not one of his Sinn Fein colleagues.
You are very good at leaving statements open to argument, i.e. “Loyalist + state forces”, now what would most people take from that, one and the same, no? Murder is murder from what ever quarter and I will make apologies for no one. As for statistics, my figures are correct, Lost Lives as a primary source will do for a start.
Thankyou by the way for the history lesson, maybe we should go back a few hundred years, before the British arrived. The irish really knew how to govern then didn’t they, in fact maybe we would be better served governed by the O’Neills, they were honourable people. Imperialialism, ha, ha, maybe I’ll give you a history lesson sometime when you’re free.
The boston tapes idea wasnt a bad thing in my opinion. We all have our views of history. We all have our experiences. I for one would have loved to have heard the voice of James Connolly or Pearse rather than take the word of opposing historians over the years. There are plenty of people who were involved in the republican movement who have differing views but as any republican will tell you if it differs from the leadership, you wont be long in finding out what they think of you. Straight away the whispers start and before you know it your name is mud, thats the way it is so i can understand influential people with in the struggle would want to put on record their point of view.
Unfortunately i believe the mistake made with the boston tapes is the very fact they put their trust in the U.S and their failure to realise that although there may have been a ceasefire but the war for the ‘hearts and minds’ for Irish unification continued. The british seen an opening to put the boot into ‘republicanism’ by using these tapes and thanks to their true ally the US, they got those tapes. They would have been better storing those tapes in a university in beijing,moscow or even havana-at least they dont view the UK as an ally.
Wolfe Tone, Strange, strange analogies; Pearse and Connolly to Price, Hughes et al, I don’t think so. It was never in Pearse and Connolly’s agenda to murder their neighbours and friends.
As for the good ol USA, Irish republicans were very happy with their friends over there, until post 9/11, the Americans changed their views on the harbouring and supporting of terrorism. Different times my friend, the Boston tapes will talk again and again.
William fay
I think you will find the US was ‘harbouring and supporting’ terrorism long before and long after 9/11. And far from irish republicans being happy with ‘their friends’ over there i would argue the US didnt do enough for irish republicans. Well certainly not as much as they did for bin laden when he was the ‘good guy’ or for what they do now for those rebels in syria or those peaceful protesters/rebels/fascists in Ukraine.
If the US had armed,trained,financed and advised the IRA like the british did for the UDA we would have had unification long ago. Indeed it is different times mo chara.
Wolfe Tone, your politics appear rather confused. Considering the USA was considered the UKs closest ally for the 20th century, right back to the demand for a pardon for the ‘long fellow’ in 1916, they have supported Irish republicans, with money, guns, a safe haven and political lobbying. Does a handshake off script with the bearded on the Falls Rd ring any bells?
As a footnote, I haven’t really seen any peaceful protesters in the Ukraine.
Sorry william fay but you are confusing me for a Gerry adams fan. Bill clinton would have shaken more than Adams hand to obtain irish american votes back home. Any republican who viewed that handshake as some sort of signal that the US administration was on the side of irish republicans needs to shave off the woolly coat they are wearing! ; )
William Fay
‘It was never Pearse and Connolly agenda to murder their neighbours’
True, we can leave that to the RUC, UDR, UVF and the British Army. Read ‘LETHAL ALLIES’ by Ann Cadwallader . That may take the moat out of you eye.
Ha Maggie, the regurgitated codswallop sponsored by the Finnucane centre, there was nothing new in the book. I would like to think one has more intelligence than to accept a viewpoint based on a small number of incidents, the so called Glenanne Gang were out and out murderers, and this cannot be contested or condoned in any way. The oft used cliche, ‘murder is murder’ still has the same resonance.
Please check the statistics, they don’t lie; out of 3720 recorded deaths up to 2006, the Security Forces were responsible for 367, wait for it, republicans 2152, almost 60%. Look closer at the number of deaths within the 367, and vey few were murders; although 1 would be too many. We really mustn’t lose sight of who the bad guys were in all this, and the threat from Sinn Fein on Saturday spells it out in real terms.
Yes so Anne Cadwallader book is now to be regarded as the gospel truth by republicans I suspect many people would suspect her writings are a little biased perhaps her partner assited her in writing the book…..
Lethal Allies was meticulously researched and sourced. This is why it has gained so much traction, compared to earlier books on the same topic. The facts don’t lie – try reading the book before rubbishing it. I doubt you will find anything that is unsubstantiated or not fully sourced. Maybe the facts are also biased?
So those are empty graves then???
Really Niall did you do any of the researching yourself on the to back that statement up?
Read the book and try to refute it – you can’t, and neither can the British government, which is why they haven’t responded to it, despite calls to do so from the PFC.
So you didnt research it yourself thats fine then.
Niall, try having a look through Lost Lives after you’ve taken off your green spectacles. You won’t have any problem finding murders committed in the name of republicans. Yes, there were murders committed by a few members of the security forces. This was inexcusable, even though they were under intolerable pressure. If you can’t create a reasoned argument without having to use an incredibly puerile book by Cadwallader as your basis, then you really should stick to reading An Phoblacht.
William Fay
Have you read Cadwallader’s book ?
Willie,
Ha, ha, “We really mustn’t lose sight of who the bad guys were in all this” I see you are approaching all this in a balanced and impartial manner!
Your shackled mindset will never allow you to understand why nationalists and Republicans continue to support those who stood up against the intractable forces of injustice for no personal gain other than to see dignity restored to their community.
It is interesting to see how justice and equality make some people uncomfortable but rest assured it is “coming to a place near you”!
Justice and equality yeah im quivering indeed go away and pay tribute to the people who stood up for their community by killing people stay classy Pointis
Pointis, I take that is a threat you have just made,
I presume reasoned argument makes you uncomfortable. The personal gain you talk about was what the republican heroes got from murdering, maiming, bombing, robbing and intimidating all the community. What ever you think of people who haven’t got your viewpoint, I was brought up treating everyone with respect. Perceived injustices does not give anyone the right to commit heinous crimes, no matter what your viewpoint.
Someone who feels threatened by equality and justice, now that is insecurity!
I suppose it does help explain the rampant paranoia in some loyalist communities.
William – the whole point of my original post was that ‘Lethal Allies’ was a well researched and well sourced book that contains irrefutable evidence to back up its central thesis – collusion. How can I not refer to the book as it was the whole point of my post. Don’t try and it make it sound as if I am not making a reasoned argument. I will say it again – the book ‘Lethal Allies’ contains fully sourced evidence of collusion with loyalists paramilitaries. You have not disputed any of the facts of the book. No one has because they can’t! You merely peddle the old line – ‘a few bad apples’. This is BS. Either the security forces were akin to keystone cops, or at the very least they were willfully and maliciously negligent.( And that’s being nice) It’s very clear which one they were.
When confronted with the evidence your response is to console whatever dissonance you may be experiencing by trivializing what you have read. Calling the book “regurgitated codswallop” and “puerile” does not change the facts of the book. What colour are your glasses?
You brought up republican violence. I’m not sure how this changes what I said, or what is contained in the book ‘Lethal Allies.’ I do not condone ANY republican violence nor am I an apologist for republican violence or murders. I do not read. ‘An Phoblacht’, but I will take your advice and read ‘Lost Lives’.
Neil – wise up. I am not a researcher for the book. It is the result of years of research and, as I said, every claim is backed up and sourced. – Try reading it.
Yes, I have read it twice, the second time to do a review.
Considering the HET is the main source of some of her material, I find it quite bizarre that she then proceeds to criticise them. She also blames the Kingsmills massacre on the British, because of their collusion with loyalists! Extensive basis is put on the statements by Colin Wallace, a serial liar, yet she disagrees with many other impeccable sources? I’m sorry but if you think this is a decent book, your choice of reading leaves little to the imagination, why don’t you have a look at David Icke’s site, I’m sure there maybe a little conspiracy to suit you there.
I have not read the book.
I was simply wondering if you had due to your strong dislike of it.
(many people dismiss books they’ve never read so it’s nothing personal asking you if you had read it)
Though why you feel the need to be so insulting is beyond me eg ”your choice of reading leaves little to the imagination, why don’t you have a look at David Icke’s site, I’m sure there maybe a little conspiracy to suit you there.”
All I asked was if you had read a book haha
Who the hell is David Icke and should I care ?
Flegazaur, I must apologise for being flippant, I thought you were doing likewise. As for David Icke, google him, he’s and ex sports commentator who lost the plot and believes the whole world is one big conspiracy. Regards
Flegazuar,
Willie is just in bad form with everyone today. I think it may be related to Gerry Adams being released. God help everyone tomorrow now that it has been announced that he is not to be charged!