The media, as you probably know, feed on the media. Where would The Sun be without Eastenders, where would the outraged editorials be without TV interviews? So I found it interesting this morning that RTÉ Radio’s Good Morning Ireland featured a clip starring Fianna Fail TD Niall Collins speaking about the Stack case on last night’s Prime Time – a clip from which your humble scribe’s response to Collins (N) was notably absent. It’s called balance.
However, to last night. You learn a lot about the thinking of politicians when you are landed on the hot stove of live television.
- Don’t expect a comfortable RTÉ studio if you’re speaking from Belfast. Although there is a small studio which can be used, I invariably find that RTÉ perches me on a high balcony, which has the advantage of providing a panorama of city lights in the background but the disadvantage of being draughty and prone to street noises from below. All of which means you’re shivery and straining to ignore the honking horns and snarl of traffic filling your right ear while your left works overtime trying to hear what’s going on in RTÉ Donnybrook.
- Don’t expect you’ll be allowed unhindered (aka free) speech. Collins (N) having had his spake, I was trying to piece together a reply when my discussion partner (Collins N) came barging in with his views again. I tried to continue, he kept barging, I suggested he’d had a chance so give me a chance, no chance, barging continued until presenter David McCullogh finally persuaded Collins (N) to put at least a temporary sock in it. I’m told this kick-down-the-conversational door is Collins (N)’s habitual style. If so, not exactly a mature debating style.
- Don’t expect context. The discussion was about the death of Brian Stack and whether Gerry Adams should have moved smartly to his local Garda station and handed in the names and addresses of everyone he knew in the IRA. I tried to point out that had the late Father Alex Reid adopted that line, or the Rev Harold Good, neither the IRA ceasefires nor the verification of IRA decommissioning could have happened. I might as well have tried to hammer a nail with a piece of blancmange.
- Don’t expect to set your viewpoint in any wider context. A central line in my comments was that the pain and loss endured by the Stack family was the same loss and pain that’s being felt by thousands of families of victims of our Troubles. You can try to point this out, and cite equally harrowing cases which the media choose to ignore, but I suggest you’d be better using the time to file your toenails.
- Don’t expect rational discussion. Miriam O’Callaghan, having discussed Austin Stack’s questioning of Gerry Adams, was told by Mr Stack that the case of his father’s death had nothing to do with politics. Later, Collins (N) argued energetically for the leader of Sinn Féin to hasten to his local police statin with all he knows. He didn’t seem to notice that attacks on Gerry Adams and Sinn Féin by the leader of the Fianna Fail party, the leader of the Fine Gael party, by Alan Farrell (FG) and now he himself, Collins (N) (FF) might be classified as political.
I came away from the discussion convinced more than ever that a considerable number of southern politicians are without shame. There is no doubt the Stack family has suffering grievous wrong and are entitled to seek the truth and even justice for the death of their beloved father. The same or similar can be said for thousands of cases throughout Ireland. Joan Connolly, Sammy Devenney, Pat Finucane, Rosemary Nelson, the families of the Dublin/Monaghan bombs’ victims – the list goes on. Where are the southern politicians who’ll press for justice in these cases with anything like the appetite they bring to the Stack case? Right, Virginia: nowhere. Such cases clearly don’t have the political clout it’s hoped the Stack case has,
If you look at this whole controversy honestly and still don’t see the cynical way in which a family’s grief is being manipulated by southern political parties for their own ends, I can only suggest you bend your steps towards Specsavers.
In case you didn’t see last night’s Prime Time, here it is (I think).
http://www.rte.ie/player/gb/show/prime-time-30003251/10660189/
We all become ever more cynical with every television news programme we watch or radio show we listen to .At the moment i’m listening to a discussion about Charter NI and the UDA and although everyone agrees that the UDA is an illegal organisation and apparently many of its members are known as “active members” , no one thinks that an arrest for being a member might be a good move.Being a member alone makes it illegal , so what might be the fine or punishment for such a crime? I would ask in light of recently having to pay a parking fine which my wife incurred while at work . The charge was £90 and after appealing, I had to pay up half of that.So….My question is , if the members of these organisations are known and if it is illegal to be a member, then why are they not appropriately sanctioned?It’s a simple question, really. I want to know what the fine might be and if it involves thousands of people how much can we get back into the coffers.
If they are a members , whether “active” or not , it is breaking the law. It is making a daily ass of the law when you can be fined for parking while at work and not for belonging to a group of gangsters. Daft!!
Then there is the idea of “faith in the government”, who appear to have no cohesive action to deal with any of this .At the same time we have a First Minister already involved in another money-wasting scandal which has apparently siphoned some £400, 000.00 out of our collective pockets while the police ask for more resource. Next they’ll be telling us that the health Service is in trouble or that they can’t pay for more teachers or nurses….oh they’ve done that already, have they?….. Daft , innit?
PS ..tt’s £400 million that our First Minister has helped to fritter away and not £400,000.00 actually(Sorry!). i’ve just had a chance to watch the television piece. I thought you came across well, Jude. You actually did get a few words in and made some parallels.I find this situation very cynical too(See above) , in light of the overall Irish picture.A “truth and reconciliation” arrangement is the obvious thing to have right across the board but I don’t see anyone biting at that one yet. it’s that thing about “victims” and “terrorists” again. It is way too selective for such a sickness right across the communities.In the south they have been barely touched by the conflict that went on here at varying levels for two generations and didn’t care too much about it if the truth is told.They’re are still afraid of any taint of it and don’t want to start anything up with the British government and open any old smelly cans..
Even when it did touch them in a more violent way ..as in the Monaghan and Dublin bombings , they don’t want to discuss that either. In the Stagg case as with something like the Charter NI debacle, the Gardai and the PSNI apparently know or have all the relevant information and yet they have never bothered to use that information.What are they doing? ….Making copies of the copies of the files? Gerry Adams has no powers to arrest anyone. even if he wanted to .In light of the tight cell-structure of the IRA it is indeeed possible that many members did not know each other or their specific talents.Isn’t that how it was eventually operated? Maybe someone can clarify that one. They said that Pat Finucane was an IRA member too , but even if that was the case , do you think he’d have any idea what some little operative was up to ? Again…maybe someone else can educate us all. i think we all need more info.
We’re back here to “talks about talks about talks” and it is all very cynically and transparently being used to keep the pot boiling for political gain.In any case, it will not bring all of those thousands of dead people back to life.
Heard some of that discussion this morning, ACC Steve Martin asking for the public to help with information.
Charter NI apparently receives grants, apart from the £1.7million Arlene presented them with (answering a question at the time: ‘Well, we have to look after our own’), also from some PSNI organisation.
Other people who have problems in their own areas, like the Bangor printer who didn’t appreciate all the UDA flags in Clandeboye, was told by the PSNI to go the UDA to have his problems sorted out.
So the cops do know the UDA’s active bosses, and therefore the appeal for public help is purely a red herring.
But did you ever hear anyone as cagey answering questions as the ACC? He would have been reluctant to tell you the time of day (for legal reasons of course)!
Sherdy,
Lets not forget that an alleged UVF commander, Winkie Irvine of the PUP, apparently has a seat on the Policing Board. This is despite the fact the UVF is still active, armed and, even according the PSNI themselves, drug dealing. The UVF has been engaged in murder, shootings, punishment beatings, etc all within the past 2-3 years.
As one female resident in East Belfast said on Spotlight NI: “Its got to the point where if you go to the PSNI that the UVF will find out about it, your effectively going to the UVF to report UVF members”.
Collusion is still ongoing to this very day. Even I never thought it would so blunt and open as it is.
“Lets not forget that an alleged UVF commander, Winkie Irvine of the PUP, apparently has a seat on the Policing Board. :
Yet more misinformation. Winkie Irvine is not and never has been on the Policing Board.
I’d imagine he means the North Belfast Community and Policing Partnership which is run by the Policing Board my pedantic little friend.
“I’d imagine he means the North Belfast Community and Policing Partnership which is run by the Policing Board my pedantic little friend.”
He’s not a member of that either, and hardly pedantic as they are very different bodies. The district partnerships are merely consultative.
The Policing board v a Policing partnership run by the Policing board.
No, not at all pedantic.
First of all, Irvine is on neither.
Second, do you seriously think the two bodies are comparable? One holds the police to account, the other is a consultative body with no power.
If you think it is pedantic to recognise such a fundamental distinction, either you lack common sense or don’t understand what pedantic means.
Or maybe you’re just being disingenuous.
And we note again an attack on someone pointing out misinformation, while no comment is made about the person peddling the misinformation.
It would appear the Belfast Telegraph considered the distinction not sufficient to prevent them making the same point in 2013.
Unmasked: Winston ‘Winkie’ Irvine is UVF terrorist in balaclava
PUP man on policing board made sinister sectarian speech in disguise
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/news/unmasked-winston-winkie-irvine-is-uvf-terrorist-in-balaclava-29725284.html
Poor journalism, but the article refers only to the district policing partnership despite the misleading subheading.
That’s my point,
We are presenting our views and opinions for others to read.
Not because we know everything, but because it is important to us.
Your only purpose here is to frustrate and obstruct dialog you disagree with.
You have nothing positive to offer whatsoever MT.
“That’s my point, We are presenting our views and opinions for others to read.
Not because we know everything, but because it is important to us.”
So you’re saying facts are unimportant? Prejudice trumps fact?
“Your only purpose here is to frustrate and obstruct dialog you disagree with. You have nothing positive to offer whatsoever MT.”
My purpose is to expose misinformation, present facts, challenge untruths and prejudice, stand up for truth and justice, and confront those who support murder, crime and human rights abuses.
That is entirely positive.
Winkie Irvine was on the policing partnership run by the policing board all the while giving masked speeches for the UVF.
There’s a truth for ya.
“Winkie Irvine was on the policing partnership run by the policing board all the while giving masked speeches for the UVF. There’s a truth for ya.”
Yes I know. I never said otherwise.
Glad you now appear to acknowledge that he has never been on the Policing Board and is no longer on the district policing partnership. Took a while.
Well, if this unionist politician and member of a district policing partnership while giving masked speeches for the UVF was arrested then the opinion expressed would indeed be invalid, but if he was not then you are indeed being pedantic as you can be sure that if a Sinn Fein member of a policing partnership gave a masked oration they would be locked up.
I will let you inform us whether he was arrested or not.
Was he also a state agent do you know?
“Well, if this unionist politician and member of a district policing partnership while giving masked speeches for the UVF was arrested then the opinion expressed would indeed be invalid, but if he was not then you are indeed being pedantic as you can be sure that if a Sinn Fein member of a policing partnership gave a masked oration they would be locked up.:
What? Whether or not he was arrested is irrelevant. It won’t magically turn him into a member of the Policing Board.
Never said he was on the policing board.
Was simply pointing out your pedantry.
“Never said he was on the policing board.
Was simply pointing out your pedantry.”
So you agree that Ryan was spreading misinformation. Pity you didn’t challenge him on it instead of attacking the person pointing it out.
As for pedantry clearly you don’t understand what the word means. Either that or you don’t understand the distinction between the Policing Board and the district policing partnerships.
We agree on nothing.
I’m not trying to convince you of your pedantry.
As we’ve seen previously you don’t like to be corrected so I never expected you to accept your pedantry.
Just pointing it out.
“We agree on nothing.”
Yes we do. We agree that Irvine is neither on the Policing Board nor the district policing partnership and thst he has never been on the Policing Board. We therefore agree that Ryan was spreading misinformation.
“I’m not trying to convince you of your pedantry.
As we’ve seen previously you don’t like to be corrected so I never expected you to accept your pedantry.”
As I said you either don’t understand what pedantry is or don’t understand the distinction between the Policing Board and the district policing partnerships, because I wasn’t being pedantic.
Of course you weren’t.
Jude, we can expect no better when we do get re-unified however, on a related matter, the one glaring question which no one has asked, so no answer has been forthcoming, the Provo’s shot Brian Stack, an Irish civil servant but, why?
Engaging Free State forces was banned by, I think, rialichas a do, leabhair glas, there were incidents, like Gerry McCabe, where State forces were murdered by the Provo’s but, this should have been dealt with internally, and, frankly, harshly.
Brian Stack was not shot for being a Prison Officer, which was his job, protection of the lives and wellbeings of prisoners, there was another reason, it would be beneficial to hear it, thereby, Sean and Siobhan public might obtain a better understanding.
Never seen such a stitch up attempt since Mr small business owner and ‘Concerned Citizen’ interrupted a Mary Lou McDonald media event on Grafton St during the last election campaign to decry the outcome of SF tax policy on the countrie’s small businesses and our youth. Within an hour it was well publicised on social media platforms that Mr ‘concerned citizen’ was actually Mr Fergus Crawford, CEO of a Swiss €15 Billion investment company. One would have thought that was the actual story since he refused to give his name to the salivating media, but no, RTE et al ran with the door stepping angle for several days,never once mentioning who the man actually was, a feckin banker who destroyed the States economy, lumbered a generation of banking debt on us and consigned thousands of our youth to emigration.
What stands for media in this state is an absolute scandal, an establishment mouth piece that knows not to bite the hand that feeds it.
Audrey’s attempted tawdry carve up on RTE this morning, Esteemed Blogmeister, along with the curiously firm but faltering contribution of the Not-as-Famous-as-he-would-like-to-be Seamus Mallon on Newstalk fm remind one that a good deed in a naughty world never goes (gulp ) unpunished.
Sadly, the on-script contributions of the latter are becoming more and more akin to those of the Creature from the Crypt but, happily, with the sudden, overnight success of Austin Stack’s inner itinerant actor in the starring, media-friendly role of Banquo’s Ghost of Ireland and with his bro, Oliver, in the dual role of Allied Irish Banquo’s Ghost, on a roll as they rock up hither, thither and anonymous, not, this may not sound so sad after all.
Truly, are we lovers of the motley and the thespian arts deeply indebted to Independent Theatrical Touring Productions.
Re-spect.
Perhaps the van with the blacked out windows is serving to usher in a Revival of the long, lamented Fitt-up Companies of yore. Which used to rattle around the highways and the byways of the Island of Ireland in boneshakers bringing every class of dramatic fare from the works of The Great Shakes to Grand Guignol to Soap Opera for Dopes itself.
Oops, that should, of course, read Fit-up Companies , with one t. A new take on the tale of Uncle Tom and Gerry (the other one).
Truly, has the past week been, for a variety of reasons, Downunder here, south of the Black Sow’s Dyke:
-The Week of the Kangaroo.
Earls Court in London used to be called Kangaroo Valley but with the Return Flight of the Earls (Belted) the Liffey Valley has now happily donned that particular mantle.
From the rather obvious namechecking (unlimited) of Kangaroo Court to a particular number, because if this current hub-bub in Dubland is about anything it is is about numbers. Specifically, one number:
-33.
In certain antipodean soft-gamble circles the relevant bingo term is:
-Two roos I see – 33 !
33, of course was the number of fatalities of the Glennane-sponsored Dublin-Monaghan bombings which, according to the latest figures just issued from the Central Statistics, Lies and D. Lies Office , merits at least 33 times less hand-wringing from the Morally Superior Politico-Media Axis of Rex Accord . Or, the Morsupials , for short back and sides.
These figures are, of course, seasonally adjusted by the, erm, Craft Beer-sponsored Central Statistic, L and DL Office, which office is, ar ndoigh, unanimously staffed by a crafty lot.
On the 5th May, 2004, the critically-acclaimed International Journal of Parisitology published a paper entitled:
-Kangaroo disease to hop to humans?
The opening paragraph of which was:
-Australia’s iconic marsupial, the kangaroo, has a Skin Disease (S.D.) that could spread to humans. While the particular disease is not severe, it causes kangaroos to develop skin ulcers, particularly on the ears and tail. And while the disease is unlikely to be transmitted directly to humans, the researchers say it may be transmitted via sandflies.
A dirty dozen years on, The Perkin’s inner parasite-watcher, whose objects of scientific interest range from the Skin Disease Labour Party in Ulcer, oops, Ulster to the Morally Superior Politico-Media Axis of Rex Accord in the Great Outback Of Snaking Regarders of the Union Jack can report to Matilda thus:
-The disease indeed has indeed hopped from animal to human : from the Marsupials to the Morsupials. Reliable sources state that the principal conduit is believed to be the sandflies of the Sindo which are particularly drawn to the latest deposit of kangaroo manure. Unlike the roos it is a severe disease for the newspaperazzi.
PS: News from Australia during the week , incidentally and coincidentally (?), featured a zoo keeper giving a roo a horseshoe in the old Jimmy Du
I don’t think the actions of media or Austin Stack will encourage others to engage in such restorative justice exercises again. That’s sad because other families won’t get the answers that the Stack family have got through the efforts and risks of Adams and others.
I wonder does the fact that Austin Stack has put his name forward to be a Fianna Fail candidate have any bearing on his recent performances?
Well, there you go Ryan.
Looks as tough your twitter buddy Michael Martin kept his word and hasn’t forgotten about us in the north after all.
He and his party just doesn’t give a shit about us
Does it mean he is not entitled to ask what happened to his father?
PS Just got to watch Prime Time now, EB, and the following questions sat up and begged:
1. Are RTE actually trying to freeze you out ? They have form in this regard, see under Vivisection 31.
2. While watching your namesake from Limerick (no, one is not tempted) one was distracted by thoughts of another Collins, a different Gerry. To wit N’s uncle Gerry whose greatest contribution to the gaiety of the nation was his legendary ability to the play the Me Fein Hornpipe on the tin whistle through his left nostril.
Does his n for nephew, Noel, follow suit; and if so, through which n for nostril ?
3. Do RTE pay you danger money for absailing down the North Face of the BBC Belfast Building ?
Beir bua – keep socking it to the stockings, as we say in Dubland.
But Jude, don’t you cherrypick victims on here to suit political ends? I can’t remember you ever highlighting the victims of an IRA murder or appealing for info on its perpetrators.,,,
I thought Collins (N) wiped the floor with you and you just stood there dodging the issue.
“But Jude, don’t you cherrypick victims on here to suit political ends? I can’t remember you ever highlighting the victims of an IRA murder or appealing for info on its perpetrators.,,,
I thought Collins (N) wiped the floor with you and you just stood there dodging the issue.”
Now now Joe, your not exactly fair and balanced, are you?…..Actually I remember Jude doing a blog on the disappeared and clearly condemning the killing of anyone but sure let’s not let facts get in the way…..
yes joe,as you say whataboutery being spouted instead of dealing with the questions,ime sure the good people of the south were rolling their eyes.
“I thought Collins (N) wiped the floor with you and you just stood there dodging the issue”
Me and you were clearly watching two different interviews Joe….
Was Jude on TV defending the PRM again?
“Was Jude on TV defending the PRM again?”
What’s the PRM MT?….
Just after watching the interview.
I thought Jude made many great points, especially in regard to Joan Connolly, one of the victims of the Ballymurphy Massacre. Joan was shot in the head by a British soldier, part of her face was blown off. What Jude forgot to add in was she was left for hours in agony and without medical treatment, as was witnessed. She bled to death. So not only was this mother of 8 children shot by a British soldiers (as were many others on the same night) but her life could’ve maybe been saved if she had received medical treatment. Though, of course, I’m sure that was the intention of denying her medical treatment, for her to die. Joan’s children said after her mother was buried that patrolling British soldiers would mock them about the murder of their mother.
Similar happened to Joseph Murphy. Joseph was shot by British soldiers. He survived but later died of his injuries. Just before he passed away he claimed that he was shot AGAIN while in British Army custody and beaten. His body was dug up last year after over 40 years and, as suspected, a bullet was found in his body, thus confirming his account before he died.
Austin Stack and his family have suffered, they obviously deserve truth and justice just like any other family effected by the troubles in Ireland but the issue here is Southern politicians using victims (in this case Austin Stack) as a weapon to use against Sinn Fein for political point scoring. It exposes their mind set, that they couldn’t give a toss about any victim unless they can use them. You can bet your last pretty penny when Austin Stack is no longer useful as a baton against SF then he will be yesterday’s news.
All this exposes just how low on the priority list victims like Joan Connolly and Joseph Murphy and their families are when it comes to Southern politicians.
Ryan
I haven’t seen it but that sounds like whataboutery.
If the subject is the death of Brian Stack and the best argument is to introduce the deaths of other people elsewhere then that really shows the paucity of the argument.
Whataboutery aka deflection.
“Whataboutery aka deflection”
I’m sure if Joan Connolly and Joseph Murphy were Protestant Unionists you wouldn’t be calling it “deflection” MT. But I suppose they were both one of “them’uns”….
“Ryan
I haven’t seen it but that sounds like whataboutery.
If the subject is the death of Brian Stack and the best argument is to introduce the deaths of other people elsewhere then that really shows the paucity of the argument”
Its not whataboutery Gio because what we’re talking about here is the attitude and agenda of southern politicians. They are up in arms over the killing of Mr Stack during the troubles but yet they aren’t up in arms about many other killings during the troubles, Joan Connolly’s and Joseph Murphy’s is just two. Hence this is proof they are using Mr Stacks death (just like they use Jean McConvilles) as a baton to beat Sinn Fein for petty point scoring.
If southern politicians were genuine in their backing of Austin Stack and all other victims then they would have the same response for each of them, which they clearly don’t.
As I said before, once Austin Stack is no longer useful as a way of attacking political opponents, watch FF/FG lose all interest in him.
Ryan
So on the subject of the Stack killing then do you think Gerry should do what must be the right thing and give the name of the man they met with to the guards?
Or can he only do the right thing with conditions attached?
How come the Irish government and people are not jumping up and down at the British government’s refusal to give any information they have on the Dublin/Monaghan bombings?
Oh, silly me, that wouldn’t give them any excuse to bash Sinn Fein!
Great story jude
“Its not whataboutery Gio because what we’re talking about here is the attitude and agenda of southern politicians. They are up in arms over the killing of Mr Stack during the troubles but yet they aren’t up in arms about many other killings during the troubles, Joan Connolly’s and Joseph Murphy’s is just two. Hence this is proof they are using Mr Stacks death (just like they use Jean McConvilles) as a baton to beat Sinn Fein for petty point scoring.”
Might be something to do with the fact that Mr Stack’s killers are represented in the Dail.
“Might be something to do with the fact that Mr Stack’s killers are represented in the Dail”
Do you have evidence MT? I know that one of those accused of Stacks killing was in prison at the time, pretty hard to see how he could’ve done it. The occupation of a killer is irrelevant, whether their elected, unelected, etc. Every person who was killed during the troubles should be respected and not used by any politician to point score.
BTW, MT, it isn’t a “fact” that Mr Stacks killers are in the Dail. Again, if you have evidence please bring it to the police.
“BTW, MT, it isn’t a “fact” that Mr Stacks killers are in the Dail”
Nobody said it was.
Have I got this straight.
The truth and reconciliation commission gets binned because it would be too damaging to the British state, who officially sanctioned a shoot to kill policy not just against the IRA, but the civilian Catholic population in the early 1970s to which the Military Reaction Force readily abused operating as a ‘death squad’ shooting at indiscriminate targets from cars in drive-by killings. The Dublin state who have failed miserably to show any interest in seeking truth for many families of Irish citizens in the north who’s loved ones were killed at the hands of the british state despite evidence of collusion in their own inquiries such as the Dublin Monaghan bombings being available,
Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are both up to their necks in this cover up and have abandoned Irish citizens as acceptable collateral damage to prioritise their political status. Make no mistake, Fianna Fail are no less west brits than Fine Gael and that applies right throughout their membership.
Rather than the Dublin establishment providing any support for establishing the truth, and instead using the false claims that conflict was one sided, they may as well come out and use the same terms as used by MT, a PIRA terror campaign. They are making political capital off promoting this myth anyway.
To them it is a good way of stifling the rise of Sinn Fein and what’s the suffering of hundreds of Irish citizens trying in many cases to clear the names of their loved ones not only killed by the british state but having their names blackened to justify it, if they can keep their jobs and grip on the state?
So, in the absence of a truth and reconciliation process, Sinn Fein offer to meet with families of republican violence, who suffered at the hands of the IRA.
Since both London and Dublin have opted out and washed their hands off getting the truth out there, hoping instead to allow enough time to pass that it wont be necessary, Sinn Fein and Gerry Adams in particular, decide to with no obligation whatsoever to do so, to put truth and justice above party politics and proceed to assist many families suffering with their loss.
In Mr Stacks case, he wanted to know what happened to his father and approached Gerry Adams who took it on himself to find out.
He did so and also arranged for an IRA leader to meet with Mr Stack to tell him in person what happened. In return, he was asked to respect confidentiality and to thank Gerry publically for his efforts which would have highlighted that one side was making an effort to establish truth which could help focus on the many other families in the same position.
Whether Mr Stack likes it or not, his father was killed by a group which would not have existed if it wasn’t for a conflict started in the north by unionists and enflamed by the british state.
In the end, Mr Stack gets everything he needed to know, except the names of the individuals which could only come out in a proper state commissioned process.
Not happy with this, he refuses to thank Gerry and instead wants more.
The fact that there are other families doesn’t seem to matter a fig to him, which is I guess understandable.
Now this is the bit I am unclear on.
So he then gives a list of 4 names to Michael Martin. Gerry then emails the same 4 names to garda commissioner noirin o’sullivan.
Michael Martin then shares the info with their partners in government Fine Gael and Mr Farrell takes it upon himself to use it to attack Sinn Fein in the pathetic little brit assembly called Dail Eireann but without all of the facts and without researching it making a tit of himself and a farce out of the Dail.
Mr Stack then attacks Gerry Adams as I am sure Michael Martin knew he would and accuses him of breaking confidentiality as he didn’t give the list to Gerry, although he didn’t deny giving it to Michael Martin which sort of suggests confidentiality was actually broken and if this is accurate, the whole Sinn Fein truth mechanisms should really now all come to an absolute halt for everyone and Mr Stack should never again be trusted by anyone.
in the end,mr stack gets everything he needed to know,except the names of the individuals which could only come out in a proper state commissioned process……….
your on another topic here calling on people to fully support the police in getting rid of the present day ira.so going by your way of thinking its alright to give names now but not give names pre 98.maybe thats the bit your not clear on as you say.
There is no present day IRA billy.
They have been stood down and no, I have absolutely no problem helping to get rid of these anti IRA crime gangs you are so proud off.
ime so proud of nothing,its nothing to me what they do.ime just noticing your hypocritical posts their all over the place.
I supported the IRA that fought the british in the conflict which has now ended.
I do not support the brain dead idiots who promote the continuation of violence for their own ends today.
Nothing hypocritical about it billy.
so you supported this screw getting killed,but you dont support the killing of the screw on the m1 a couple of yrs ago.as i say its little odds to me but i just find that kind of thinking hypocritical or disturbed even.
Because I supported the IRA as one side in a conflict, does not mean I agree with every action taken by individuals within it billy. I do not.
I would not agree with the killing of Mr Stack or indeed many killings or actions of the IRA.
Just as I would not expect the US citizens who supported the war in Iraq to agree with the Mahmudiyah rape and killings for example, where US soldiers gang raped and killed a 14-year-old Iraqi girl Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi and murdered her family on March 12, 2006
The conflict is over and there is no present day IRA. I do not support the present day anti IRA crime gangs any more than I support the existence and activities of the UDA and I do not agree with the murder of David Black any more than that of Mr Stack.
There is nothing hypocritical about my views, they are very clear to me.
As for disturbed, I would say your lack of respect for the dead and constant hate filled remarks against Muslims, immigrants and just about everyone you disagree with is far more disturbing than any views I might hold.
And I do not believe it is of little odds to you.
Sooner or later enough truth is going to come out to break the damn and MI5 will have to relinquish its control over the PSNI and give up its paid informants and agents that make up the UDA and anti IRA groups.
When this happens, where such groups have a hold on a community, the ring leaders will be broken up and not allowed to live within a radius of one another influence which will end their grip over the community and allow people to leave these groups.
There is no political will in the DUP or within unionism to do this yet, but the pressure is growing and this will happen.
She’s not hypocritical just confused. Supports new RUC but not old one.
Says the guy who defends post conflict violent groups that plague our communities today but who claimed he did not support the killing of any police officers during the actual conflict.
Sure, i’m the one that’s confused Fiosrach
I didn’t say that I supported killing of RUC men before or after GFA. I wanted to know what the difference was? You’re the one who supported one but not the other. Just asking why?
I am not going to chase up your exact words, it was in a conversation with Ryan and you claimed you did not support the killing of police officers period.
The RUC were combatants in a conflict and I fully supported their killing.
We are now in a post conflict situation and pursuing a peaceful Ireland free of British rule. I not only do not support the killing of PSNI but I support them in their transition into an Irish only police force.
It is you who is unable to give the same clarity, but why not give it a go Fiosrach.
Did you support the killing of the RUC during the conflict and do you support the killing of the PSNI now?
supports some murders but not others,
supports telling people where they can live,like the innocent man in lurgan banned from living in his own town as part of his release terms from internment.
calls people hate filled,because they want parity of esteem with people wearing burkas and balaclavas.confused isnt the word.
Lurgan is my home town billy, and I can assure you that the people of north lurgan would be very happy to see the back of.these continuity conflict groups.
There is no support for them whatsoever.
going by the writing on the walls as you drive past it seems its the peelers who have no support whatsoever,maybe they remember being beat of the roads during drumcree,or the two innocent lads set up by the psni for shooting wotshismame,who knows,
As billy says the continuity RUC.
There seems to be a strong strain of racism in the disso supporters.Billy sounds a lot like Gerry McGeough.
I do not know very much about Gerry McGeough to be honest.
But I can respect that he has at least had the courage to come forward and tell us what he stands for.
It would be great if he could do a blog on this site so more of us can know what that is and have an opportunity to discuss.
oh the oul racism card when you know you have no argument.seen you slandering that fella mcgeough a few times,is he the same one sf threw under the bus when he stood agin them in an election.
Yeah. Brits out! Remember. The old Provo war cry
Do you not think it was hard enough to get rid of the british army this far.
What are you planning to do if your continuity buddies bring them back?
Let me tell you, fuck all.
You will just heap all the misery of conflict onto another generation.
The war with britain is over. The fight is now with the establishment in Dublin.
Wake up!!!
“Do you not think it was hard enough to get rid of the british army this far.”
If you mean get rid of the Army from the streets, it was easy. All that was needed was for the Provos to end their terror campaign.
why are you trying to fool yourself.the brits are still here and will be for the forseeable future,its you needs to wake up,whats this fight with dublin your on about whos fighting them,whats it about.first ive heard of it.
Ok billy, lets humour me, what have you got to lose?
Lets just imagine that the brits truly have no interest in being here.
We have cost them money, been a constant headache, and now the unimplemented GFA is going to have a bearing on certain decisions to be made over brexit which I am sure they are just going to be delighted about.
All it would take is a 50% + 1 majority which lets face it, with a little interest from Dublin would not be that difficult to achieve.
But what it would require both to call a referendum and to implement is agreement and a coordinated approach by both states.
It simply could not happen otherwise.
Now what I am saying, is that Dublin doesn’t want us and that is the real problem.
Why do you think they have shown no interest since the GFA was signed and are playing party politics over a peace process?
So lets think about it.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have totally dominated the republic since its conception, moreso Fianna Fail. The republic is theirs in their eyes, the Dail their domain. They hate that Sinn Fein is the third largest party in the Dail. That is a far greater problem for them.
What impact to you think throwing a million new voters into the mix will make to their control over their little dominions, especially when Sinn Fein is about to become the largest party in the north?
Neither London or Dublin could care less about human lives in Ireland – it is all about control and money.
To them its all a game to get more votes, poll ratings and maintain power.
Britain are not an obstacle to a united Ireland and unionisms day is over. The biggest problem now lies in Dublin.