Conflict

Brendan O’Neill’s had a couple of interesting pieces on Spiked recently. This one, written a few weeks back, notes that the real import of the McCartney case is not the amount of political damage it may or may not inflict on the Sinn Fein political project, but the degree to which that project has deserted the political interest of it’s own constituents. But where he [Adams] and the IRA might succeed in resolving the McCartney affair and appeasing the grieving …

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The first sign that there is likely to be any serious political (as opposed to purely financial) penalties for Sinn Fein for the activities of the IRA. Paul Murphy tells them that there will be no further negotiation until IRA criminality is dealt with. The Belfast Telegraph reports Bertie Ahern’s message to the IRA as: “Your time is up.” Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the …

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Sean O’Driscoll with worm’s eye view of the media scrum that swirled around the McCartney sisters in Washington yesterday. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Angelique Christafis has been taking stock of how the climate in Belfast has changed since the sisters went to Washington to take their case to a wider audience. There is some anger from others who have lost loved ones that they should be getting such attention. But she also talks to a taxi driver who picked up one of the Sinn Fein candidates who’d previously claimed she saw nothing in Magennis’s Bar that night who claims: “She told me Magennis’s …

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Spare a thought for the presenter who’s questions are largely ignored. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Judge Cory has complained that the British government’s handling of his recommended inquiry into state collusion in the killing of Pat Finucane, calling it an impossible Alice in Wonderland situation. Indeed, the Taoiseach is to raise it with President Bush. Thanks to reader Paddy for the heads up! Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across …

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Over to Richard Delevan. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Normally St Patrick’s Day is a bit of a no news day for Slugger. Today appears to be an exception. Gerry Adams’ set piece for the day is in the New York Daily News. It’s the party’s best shot to date at placing the blame for the breakdown in negotiations before Christmas on the DUP: But the DUP stated it was not content with the commission, led by Canadian Army Gen. John de Chastelain, overseeing the process, as had occurred …

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Eamon McCann sees a paradox in the fact that Sinn Fein is being lectured by a man many of them hold in contempt for his prosecution of the war in Iraq. But he believes it’s not so much paradox, so much that the party has been prepared to ignore fundamental differences in policy with its strongest supporters in the US. The reason decent Sinn Feiners – and it’s useful to remind ourselves at this point that that’s the vast majority …

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Professor Paul Bew argues that for all the PR damage done to Sinn Fein this St Patricks holiday, the party remains strong with its home support. And: Above all, the Blair Government still wants to facilitate him. Senior Dublin government sources now openly declare that Mr Blair wanted to sideline the issue of IRA criminality throughout the negotiations which took up most of 2004. The message from Downing Street is still “business as usual”. The Prime Minister, a very late …

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Paul Colgan says in the US based Irish Echo that there are important distinctions that need to made and kept in mind when making comparisons between Gerry Adams and Arafat: Over the course of 15 years, Adams has convinced the IRA to call a ceasefire, led Sinn Fein into Stormont — the hated seat of unionist misrule for 70 years — signed up to a historic accord that recognized the consent principle and scrapped Articles 2 and 3 in the …

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Tom Griffin with an interesting take on the current crisis. He beleives that the strategic problem for Sinn Fein is the McCartney murder: “The party cannot satisfy the demands of the McCartney family without co-operating with the PSNI, which means essentially throwing in its hand on one of the biggest issues of the entire peace process”. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and …

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Danny Morrison argues that the McCartney case has become a political football. “When the IRA made public that it had given the family the offer of having the alleged killers of Robert shot, there was widespread condemnation. The statement was a throwback to earlier times, to a culture we want to leave behind us. But the statement did help focus on the opportunism of IRA critics who will not specify what it is the IRA should do that it has …

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It looks like Blair is facing a broadside from Michael Howard in the Commons for allegedly guaranteeing Sinn Fein a veto over any further progress in Northern Ireland. He denies giving Republicans a previliged status. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Gerry Adams has stated that the McCartney case must be dealt with separately from other more complex issues. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

It’s continuing to move into the US blogosphere, with bloggers left and right generally giving Sinn Fein a hammering from Clear Thinkers, Ex Pat Yank, Squaring the Boston Globe, Saoirse 32, Disillusioned Kid, Martin’s Meme Machine, Foreign Dispatches, Green White and Orange, Bulletproof Dandy, Brainster (again), Sierra Sanity, The Revolt and the Revolting and Pennsylvanian in exile. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media …

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Glenn Frankel, London bureau chief of The Washington Post poses the question that’s gripping some in America, and not simply because of its abiding interesting in all matters Irish around this time of year: Can a paramilitary organization ever leave behind its violent past and reconcile itself to becoming just another voice in a country’s political power structure? He goes on to make a negative judgement on the Republican movements impact on local civil society: The IRA and Sinn Fein …

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Boris Johnson’s Spectator looks at the current crisis through the lens of the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Bill, he believes that were the government to use it against muslims and not IRA members it would inherently be racist:Theoretically addressing a future Home Secretary he argues: He will have no excuse not to: section 2 (1) of the Bill clearly states that the powers can be used against any individual who ‘is or has been involved in terrorism-related activities’ in cases …

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John O’Sullivan argues that the McCartney women prove that whilst women can punch uncommonly hard in Northern Irish politics, “Adams and his consiglieri calculate they can survive this rebellion of ordinary Catholics as they survived earlier ones. Before the McCartney women, there were the “peace women” in 1976″. Whether or not you agree with his conclusion, it gets high marks for concision and wit: Blair and Ahern demonstrate the melancholy outcome of the appeasement that the peace process has become. …

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David Vance has a short blog piece on the growing numbers of Sinn Fein members it seems were present in the bar. We know of three names and seven party members who’ve been suspended. Despite speculation to the contrary, if that is all who were present at the melee in which Brendan Devine was attacked, then the party may have successfully completed its damage limitation. However, whilst the details of that night remain less than transparent, suspicions will linger. Mick …

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