Wednesday, February 27, 2008
“I cannot prove that, but that is my conviction..”
If you had thought that Sinn Féin disapproved of anyone making allegations without producing solid evidence.. Well, apparently it depends on who’s doing the alleging and, perhaps, what those allegations are. At the launch of his party’s 20th Anniversary Gibraltar/Milltown events porgramme [sic], SF leader Gerry Adams made some allegations of his own.
Mr Adams said today: “It is my strong view that the killings in Gibraltar were authorised by Margaret Thatcher, and it is my strong view that the Irish government of the day passed information to the authorities about the movements of those killed. I cannot prove that, but that is my conviction.”
There are a couple of points to make about this.
Firstly, what is Adams alleging?
That a democratically elected government passed on information about the movements of known terrorists, or even persons of interest, to another democratically elected government which prevented the completion of planned terrorist acts?
That’s what democratically elected governments do, Gerry.
And they’re trying to do it better all the time.
If the Irish government had information on the movements of known terrorists and, by not passing it on, had allowed the murder of others in another country there would be serious consequences.
But there’s a much more obvious way that such information would have been passed to the British government or, rather, to MI5. And it is my strong view that informers within the Provisional IRA passed on that information in this case. I can’t prove that, of course..
Pete Baker @ 07:27 PM
Pete - you didn’t just openly express an opinion did you? I’m shocked.
As for this comment by Adams, laughable.
Posted by on Feb 27, 2008 @ 10:16 PM[See commenting policy - edited moderator]. i cannot prove that, but that is my conviction.
Posted by on Feb 27, 2008 @ 10:34 PMBrilliant Gerry
Turn their own tactics against them and if they mount a legal action they will have to open the archives and thus Pandora’s box
Posted by on Feb 27, 2008 @ 10:41 PMGaribaldy
Mostly facts. But a little licence seemed appropriate.
Posted by on Feb 27, 2008 @ 10:48 PMyou’re a bloody hypocrite fealty and this site is up adams’ ass!!!
Posted by on Feb 27, 2008 @ 11:00 PMI agree entirely Pete.
Posted by on Feb 27, 2008 @ 11:01 PMDidn’t they have one of the Gibraltar fella’s steps traced the moment he showed up at the pub with his hair dyed?
Posted by on Feb 27, 2008 @ 11:09 PMWasn’t me jake, but I stand by the decision.
Adams has said in the past that ‘people like him’ cannot resort to law. But you could make your perfectly valid point without such specific reference to a particularly tragic case.
If you want to take responsibility for doing such, I suggest you do it on your own blog.
Posted by on Feb 27, 2008 @ 11:10 PMAccording to provisional republican doctrine, was the ‘Irish government of the day’ not in fact the Army Council of the Provisional IRA? In which case, is Adams alleging that the Army Council passed information to the British about the movements of those shot at Gibraltar? After all, to suggest that any other body other than the Army Council represents the ‘Irish government’ would be a direct rejection of Irish republican legitimatism.
Posted by on Feb 27, 2008 @ 11:12 PMWhere did that P&J;comment go?
Posted by on Feb 27, 2008 @ 11:39 PMOh I See! Fair enough! Good move!
Posted by on Feb 27, 2008 @ 11:40 PMMick Fealty - [to jake] “you could make your perfectly valid point without such specific reference to a particularly tragic case.”
Sinn Fein PIRA bloggers make many allegations on Slugger about specific cases and people - all the time. Chris Donnelly springs to mind. Other allegations are made about specific Unionist politicians and Unionist campaigners for victims. Such comments are never removed.
So it appears that the rules are: Sinn Fein PIRA terrorists can keep making specific allegations on here. But Unionists are not allowed to even state their opinion on specific people and/or events.
Posted by on Feb 28, 2008 @ 12:26 AMWas there enough time between stopping the terrorists and shooting them for the SAS guys to get on the hotline to Maggie and ask permission to fire?
Posted by on Feb 28, 2008 @ 12:58 AMI find it reassuring that at a time of hightened tensions in Northern Ireland that the British and Irish governments could come together on matters of international security.
Good post Pete. I’d agree with you as well that the system of informers played a more pivotal role in information passing.
Poor provies.
Posted by on Feb 28, 2008 @ 01:17 AMThere are none so blind as those that don’t want to see and their whingeing MOPERY here gets a bit wearying eventually.
Posted by on Feb 28, 2008 @ 01:41 AMGerry always has to feed the carnivores at the zoo with red meat Margaret Thatcher won three general elections on the trot. She had balls. Gerry is a political pygmie in comparison.
Posted by on Feb 28, 2008 @ 02:01 AMAdams was a lot more definitive in Sinn Fein’s news letter yesterday:
“We know that Margaret Thatcher authorised the executions. At the very highest level within the British cabinet, the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, authorised the execution of these three volunteers.”
So for the wider audience, it is Adams’ ‘strong view’, but when addressing the home team, he ‘knows’. Quite a difference.
Posted by on Feb 28, 2008 @ 02:08 AMGerry’s statements have to be seen as a distraction and nothing more; there’s much he needs to distract from:
The IRA’s refusal to play on a level field in discovering the past,
Paul Quinn - the name is enough to be associated with brutality, kangaroo SF “jjustice” and remind others of McCartney. No prosecutions = SF, like it or not, wrong or right; when in looks like a duck, has feathers and quacks - it’s a duck to most. Legal arguments are fine - but - that relies on evidence being presented. At the moment - Gerry should be concerned about the knowledge of the dogs in the street.
A completely incompetent Minister for Education who can’t sell a justifiable policy to those who’d benefit from it.Yes - Gerry and Ms McCann need to distract their supporters and re-invent the past. He’ll rely on unionist objection to blatant lies while knowing the Chuckle Bro’s have an arrangement.
Unionist objection to blatant lies is what Gerry relies on to demonstrate his commitment to the republican cause. He’s on a winner - those who were happy to ignore or excuse murder aren’t likely to care much about being duped now - when they were duped long ago.
So – according to Adams the Southern Government ‘informed’ and thwarted a plan to murder innocent civilians. I wish I could believe it – but Adams has lied too often.
Let’s say Gerry is being honest this time – could some journalist ask him why preventing the killing of innocent civilians – that he “regrets” – is a matter for blaming the Southern Government? Perhaps he’s congratulating the Southern Government?
Farrell, Savage and McCann were attempting to set off a bomb explosion that would have killed indiscriminately. They were stopped.
Posted by on Feb 28, 2008 @ 02:45 AMcensorship
Posted by on Feb 28, 2008 @ 03:11 AMDon
unionists have NEVER objected to blatant liesthey only object to what they percieve as blatant republican lies
Posted by on Feb 28, 2008 @ 05:03 AMPosted by censorship on Feb 28, 2008 @ 02:19 AM
I was wondering how long it would take before P&J;‘s constant tit-tat became tiresome.
Posted by on Feb 28, 2008 @ 05:28 AMNaturally Gerry feels obliged to fluff his chest feathers and strut about for the sake of the amoebas who voted for him. Its just dressage, the deal has been done, the farm sold.
Posted by on Feb 28, 2008 @ 05:35 AMand it is my strong view that the Irish government of the day passed information to the authorities about the movements of those killed. I cannot prove that, but that is my conviction.
Nothing to do with the touts in your security department, Gerry, or are they ones who told you this?
Posted by on Feb 28, 2008 @ 09:30 AMTruism
Posted by on Feb 28, 2008 @ 09:50 AMit seems many on here can’t tell the diff between allegations and someones firmly held opinion. back to school methinks !
Posted by on Feb 28, 2008 @ 10:19 AM
