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About time
Not sure what good this will serve, even if he is guilty
If he is guilty, justice will be served, which is as it should be.
If he is innocent, someone's going to have some serious egg on their face, but again, justice.
To have arrested him, which is a very public act, I would guess that there is some compelling evidence.
No way his hands are clean.
Not sure what good this will serve, even if he is guilty
Well someone who is possibly guilty of taking part in a murder should really be prosecuted, letting them go free certainly won't do much good.
Given the position that he is reputed to have held, you can't help but wonder what he would presumably - if it's true - known about or been involved in.
Unpleasant or not, when you try and make peace with alleged former terrorists, it puts you in a difficult position if evidence then links them to a particular crime. Makes you realise just how clever the South African truth and reconciliation process was.
(Have I phrased that in such a way that STW can't be sued?)
I hope they have a cast iron case and he ends up behind bars for a very long time.
However, you have to worry if this will re-ignite the "troubles".
Can't see they would have jumped early on this.
Boston tapes I wonder?
Will he get leniency for all those years as a tout?
has his pal been lifted too?
However, you have to worry if this will re-ignite the "troubles".
For some, they've never stopped.
1. Good
2. Who's Jerry? 😉
Good point!
Link?
Any news site.
[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-27232731 ]For Al[/url]
Thought provoking.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/gerry-adams-s-ira-past-crucial-to-peace-1.1608220
has his pal been lifted too?
We can only hope he will be.
I wonder if this was on the Giro d' Italia's Risk Register
I remember watching a documentary a few years ago regarding her killing and what her kids went through. Horrible.
Hope they've finally got them with evidence that'll convict.
I wouldn't get your hopes for any kind of conviction for him or McGuiness for any crimes or acts of terrorism they have committed. On the other hand they will continue to push for the conviction of many soldiers and police during the troubles.
Hah. That'd be an interesting one wouldn't it, Adams confesses and says "Right, your turn"
Problem is quite simple, there are a lot of guilty men and women, some in the Republic, some in NI and some on the mainland. Some killed, some told others to do the killing.
How many politicians on all sides have pasts that could be used against them? How many "soldiers" and police on all sides did things that are questionable? Will we see police officers arrested and charged for passing information to Loyalists? Will we see Para's and SAS arrested?
From reading the article it sounds like JA is going to talk, whether this leads to anything more who knows.
I am not convinced that trials are going to a panacea. Sometimes it is better not to dig to deep.
I wouldn't get your hopes for any kind of conviction for him or McGuiness for any crimes or acts of terrorism they have committed.
Why, are they protected by the Tony Blair Protocol ?
Reconciliation would be the better way.
Fan the flames and there will be more fire, more suffering.
Reconciliation would be the better way.
+1
the only way is forward not back, and they've still got a very long way to go in NI. More peace walls have been built since the Good Friday Agreement than before, so things are far from 'normal' over there.
NB For those that don't know, a peace wall is a 40' high wall between loyalist and republican streets designed to stop petrol bombs.....
Reconciliation is the way forward but Jean McConville was not a "legitimate" military target. Justice must be seen. I have no opinion on Adams culpability btw, and I do recognise his invaluable contribution to the peace process.
""While I have never disassociated myself from the IRA and I never will, I am innocent of any part in the abduction, killing or burial of Mrs McConville."
so would you like to talk about the abductions and killings you did order or take part in?
epicyclo - Member
Reconciliation would be the better way.Fan the flames and there will be more fire, more suffering.
Much as it would pain me to see Adams and his ilk not just walk free, but have positions of trust and power in the UK, I wholeheartedly agree Brian.
That nice Mr Adams? Surely not?
Much as I'd like to see GA rot in prison, I would be very surprised if any charges for him or any senior SF politician come out of this.
This formal interview, if anything, is more likely to be helpful to him. He can say, yes, I was implicated, but the police have interviewed me, looked at the evidence, and not taken the matter any further.
Ready to be surprised, obviously.
Reconciliation is the way forward but Jean McConville was not a "legitimate" military target. Justice must be seen.
Problem as i see it, Loyalists were also guilty of similar, so where do you stop?
Everyone wants the truth, everyone wants justice, but sometimes, unfortunately, it isn't the best thing for the greater good.
I agree with this, everyone wants justice on all sides, but an amnesty would be more beneficial than pursuing justice that will never come.epicyclo - Member
Reconciliation would be the better way.Fan the flames and there will be more fire, more suffering.
Everyone wants the truth, everyone wants justice, but sometimes, unfortunately, it isn't the best thing for the greater good.
Eminently sensible, but try to stand in front of some bereaved families and say that.
I'm not being confrontational with you - just trying to illustrate how this kind of 'process' cannot truly succeed without the buy-in of all parties.
I wouldn't shed any tears for Gerry Adams as a man - a very astute political operator shall we say?
Used to know a lad that served in NI with the "funnies" - always said Adams was up to his neck in blood. In mitigation (sort of) it appears that said "funnies" weren't that much better, in light of recent evidence.
Boston tapes I wonder?
Yes. As was Bell.
He had his chance (during the peace process) to push for a truth and reconciliation commission (a la South Africa).
Personally, I think he didn't take it because of things like this coming out.
He fancies himself a big politician and, even to his supporters, ordering the torture (from the evidence on her remains) and murder of the mother of 10 kids for trying to help a dying british soldier in the street, and then claiming she was a tout (informer) doesn't read as well as "freedom fighter".
If british soldiers might still face court over bloody sunday (and if they pulled the trigger on unarmed people then they definitely should) then adams should not escape justice if there is evidence.
My prediction, nothing will happen.
N.B. For those who say "it was the same on both sides" ..
I agree that many bad things were done by both sides, but I defy you to produce evidence that any other current politician in the UK has ever ordered the deliberate torture and murder of an innocent woman?
You phrased that very carefully to exclude Thatcher.
Well someone who is possibly guilty of taking part in a murder should really be prosecuted, letting them go free certainly won't do much good.
Tons of murderers went free as part of the peace process.
konabunny .. "You phrased that carefully to exclude Thatcher"
If you are talking about me? (not sure?) I'm not entirely sure what you mean by careful wording?
Are you saying that Thatcher ordered the deliberate torture and murder of an innocent woman? (apologies if I've got the wrong end of the stick).
Also "Tons of [CONVICTED] murderers went free as part of the peace process."
But there was never a decision (even with all the "letters" nonsense of a few months ago) not to pursue people for crimes where there were no current convictions and where new evidence was available.
As I see it the choices are either
a)If hes guilty he should go to jail (as should anyone who killed an innocent civilian).
OR:
b) Everyone should tell the truth and no-one gets punished (truth and reconciliation commission)
Even Gerry can't have it both ways.
[url= http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/01/gerry-adams-arrest-martin-mcguinness-elections-northern-ireland ]http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/01/gerry-adams-arrest-martin-mcguinness-elections-northern-ireland[/url]
And the fallout begins.
I expect a legal loophole, and lots of appeal's to wriggle out of all this.
So the Yanks have legally obtained the Boston tapes, must be more to this than we know about so far.
The really sad story that seems to lost in the press frenzy is that Mrs Jean McConville was a widowed mother-of-10 children who after her abduction and murder were forcibly legally split up by social services and separately fostered and so lost touch with each other for in some cases a decade or so 😥
A truth and reconciliation commission, isn't a one size fits all solution, it worked to a certain extent in SA under very different conditions.
In NI it would be better to hopefully let the past slip away with the generations rather than bring so much focus on the crimes and atrocities committed by all sides, that would likely re-ignite the violence.
I shall be watching this with eager anticipation.
( I went to Uni with someone whose Parents died at the height of the killings )