“I want to know what your plan B is..”
Spotted by Newshound. There are a couple of points to note from the Derry Journal‘s report on the recent Sinn Féin public meeting in Strabane – where the local SF councillors failed to take up all of their alloted posts on the Strabane DPP. One point is the reported response of Martina Anderson, MLA, to a question from Aodhán Harkin, Secretary of Strabane Sigersons GAA club, about those councillors.
Foyle MLA Martina Anderson told the packed out hall that Sinn Fein members who had not taken up their seats on the policing board would be dealt with locally.
Or not dealt with since it was, according to Sinn Féin at the time, a matter of “individual choice”. The second point is Gerry Adams’ response to a question about the devolution of policing and justice powers – since we’re now in May.
Paddy Devlin told the panel that people in Strabane and Castlederg who have had undesirable experiences with the police in the past, were reluctant to join in the support for police until the hand over of policing powers was complete. He said: “I want to know what your plan B is, if this doesn’t happen in May?”
Here’s the response reported from the meeting.
Mr. Adams responded by saying that he was well aware of the difficulties in the past people have encountered with the police.
“I have no problem with people being against us on policing…My house had to be demolished on the Falls Road because it was subjected to so many raids over the years.”
He said that it was as “emotionally difficult” for him to engage with policing as anyone else however he stressed that the difference now is that “we are holding them to account.”
Which sounds like Plan A again.
“Foyle MLA Martina Anderson told the packed out hall that Sinn Fein members who had not taken up their seats on the policing board would be dealt with locally.”
This is totally misleading, I was at the Strabane meeting, in response to a committed republican who expressed disappointment that not all of the SF councillors intitled to take their had done so. Martina replied that this was a matter for the local SF leadership to resolve which is slightly different to the sinister overturns in the statement “thwy will be dealt with locally”
While this SF organised meeting seems to have partially focused on a localised element of internal discontent, most of the meetings in this series seem to have been backslapping exercises. So, either this is a local issue as Martina seemed to claim or many of those disagreeing have moved on from seeing SF meetings and policy as relevant to their struggle.
Jericho
It wasn’t a direct quote in the report and any sinister overtones are your interpretation.
And as I pointed out, Sinn Féin have already stated that the decision was a matter of “individual choice” by the councillors concerned.
“thwy will be dealt with locally”
You mean like the tree formally known as ‘Downfine Forest’?
They told me to start liking the Duracell Bunny or the big old tree belonging to Gregory gets it.
There’s nothing left in my street now that hasn’t been burnt, or cut down.
That tree was harmless.
G.
It wasn’t a direct quote in the report and any sinister overtones are your interpretation.
If I’d a penny for every time someone ‘misinterpreted’ your words…oh and btw it didn’t stop you framing an argument around a word that, it would appear, no-one actually used:
“Or not dealt with since it was, according to Sinn Féin at the time, a matter of “individual choice”.”
Adams says about the raids as if they weren’t quite appropriate, which they were in his case.