The cat and mouse game begins. The PSNI have rounded up several lots of laundered money – none of which relate to the Northern Bank heist. This could be a very long wait – especially if the robbers decide to dump the tracable bills and stick with the used Bank of England and Euro notes! Night all! Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media …
Enda Kenny has called for any release of Garda McCabe’s killers to be put on hold. 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
Fascinating spread of stories at the top of Nuzhound this morning. Jamie Lyons paraphrases Blair suggesting that “Unionists are ‘entirely justified’in refusing to share power with republicans in the light of the Belfast bank robbery”. However, according to the Irish Times, he’s determined to keep the door open to Sinn Fein. However, Blair himself seems to be fingering the Sinn Fein negotiation team:”At the end we were essentially left with two outstanding difficulties which have to be resolved – one …
The Guardian’s leader on Saturday, declares that at the very least Hugh Orde’s pointing of fingers may lead many to believe that Ian Paisley was right about Sinn Fein after all. …it is a reminder of the deep rootedness of a degree of armed criminality in Irish political life, north and south of the border, which even a completely united Ireland would no longer prevent. Tens of thousands of people will to vote for Sinn Féin this year, as they …
If, as Danny Morrison argues, the party is still long war mode, Jim Cusick believes that neutering the detective powers of the police service has been one of the key political objectives of Sinn Fein.He aruges that policing reforms, which have been key to Sinn Fein’s objections to concluding a definative deal, were what made the Northern Bank robbery possible: The Sinn Fein-led campaign against this so-called collusion received masses of media exposure, creating a situation where intelligence-gathering became synonymous …
Interesting use of metaphor at the Broom of Anger blog, describing Sinn Fein’s relationship with British and Irish governments. She follows it up with a list of the IRA’s alleged lapses into criminality compiled by the Irish Times. 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
The Sunday Times does not so much question the validity Sinn Fein’s mandate, but it lays out what it believes to the voluntary limitations a democratic party should take to itself: Put simply, Sinn Fein seems to believe that because people vote for the party, it is above the law. It is not. Gerry Adams, its president, needs to understand that democracy requires his party to embrace the rule of law and to root out the criminality that blights the …
RTE reports the third arson attack on an Orange Hall inside the last week. The SDLP’s Eugene McMenamin was particularly unhappy at the attack near Strabane. 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
Kevin Toolis writing in the Times today, believes Sinn Fein has made a huge miscalculation. Though his case that Sinn Fein will never again be trusted is overstated, he raises a number of questions that will reverberate in the crediblity vacuum created by the Chief Constable’s allegation that the IRA is the chief suspect of the Northern Bank raid. There are still lot of questions to be answered. How could the IRA leadership, including Mr Adams and Mr McGuinness, be …
Broom of Anger with an interesting use metaphor to describe the relationship between the British and Sinn Fein – finishing with a list of confirmed illegal activities of the IRA. 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
Sinn Fein is to hold an emergency meeting, whilst Peter Robinson campaigns to have the IMC report brought forward, who will be assigned the ultimate job of apportioning blame. 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
The Economist puts its finger on a key problem raised by the IRA’s alleged sponsorhip of the Northern Bank heist: “A police source has suggested that the Belfast bank robbery may have been motivated by the desire to provide a pension fund for redundant gunmen and bombers. That’s a nice idea, because it implies that IRA activity is coming to an end. What worries local is the reverse: that the IRA’s criminal activities will continue in parallel with Sinn Fein’s …
Man jailed over refusal to give evidence at inquiry. PIRA9 has stuck to his principles and been sent to jail for 3 months for contempt of the tribunal, in that he refuses to attend and give evidence to Saville.He shouted “I`m the only man to be punished for Bloody Sunday. It`s a disgrace.” Although his evidence is needed in respect of Mr Ward’s testimony, it does seem unfair that this man is being sent to jail when Martin McGuinness attended …
Brian Feeney on Wednesday was convinced that the PSNI were doing nothing more than fishing. If he’s right, then as Ian Paisley junior said this morning, Hugh Orde could be in big trouble some way down the line! 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
Alex Attwood, the SDLP’s security spokesman is quick to assert that the IRA is the only organisation with the capacity to have carried out the heist. His latest statement to the press:From Alex Attwood “The comments of the Chief Constable will add to the growing sense on the ground that who else but the IRA could have carried out this robbery. People see through IRA denials and DUP finger-pointing and are making their own judgments. There is also anger among …
Malachi O Doherty’s Belfast Telegraph column from last Monday gave his view on the heist job. No friend of Sinn Fein’s, he nevertheless employs logic that “If they hadn’t done it, they would have said they hadn’t done it”.By Malachi O’Doherty If it was proven tomorrow that the Provisional IRA did not rob the Northern Bank a lot of people would be deeply disappointed. Among them, of course, would be the many political commentators who relish slapping the Provos about …
Speculation is the name of the game. Despite the obvious frustrations it throws up, not know exactly what’s going on at anyone moment does provide some entertaining moments. This morning’s triptych (sound file) from Bill Lowry, Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley junior was one such.Martin McGuinness pointed out that whatever it is that Hugh Orde does say this afternoon, without actionable evidence it can only be an accusation. He then proceded to make some of his own, suggesting that these …
The Times today reports on the first documents released under the Freedom Of Information act. Contrary to popular belief, and Gerry Adams’ writing, it seems that the decision to let hunger strikers die had been taken as far back as December 1975, as Officials foresaw the 1981 Hunger strikes.Whitehall’s secret plan to let the IRA hunger strikers die.Also revealed is that passports for travel between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK were proposed by six MPs including Ian …
The Irish news today carries an interesting story, 1974 talks for peace ‘scuppered’, in which Republican Sinn Fein president Ruairi O Bradaigh claims that peace talks with senior Protestant clergy in 1974 at Feakle, Co Clare, were disrupted, he believes, by Liam Cosgrave’s FG-Labour Coalition sending in “60 armed Special Branch officers and 120 uniformed Gardai”. He claims that the talks led to to a six-month IRA ceasefire and, more interestingly, discussions about withdrawal of the British government from Ireland.On …
Mr Adams’ claim that Republicans don’t commit crimes looks to have fallen on deaf ears in the media. While it was to be expected that the usual culprits in the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Independent and the Sunday Times would rush to blame the Provos, even the Sunday Business Post gives credence to the theory in a story,Heist puts heat on Sinn Fein,which while having the obligatory dig at PSNI competence, focuses on Garda Special Branch belief that this was the …
