Sinn Fein? They have gone away, you know.

[AZOffaly]

Yeah but the timing of it smacks of some sort of pressure. There's no good I can see for Sinn Fein out of this publicity, unless Adams is going to be cleared within days of any involvement. Hard to see that happening. I'd imagine it will drag on for several weeks or months before any conclusion is drawn.

It has all the hallmarks of a stroke pulled to me. If Adams hadn't voluntarily presented himself, I'd not have been surprised to see him in handcuffs.

It would be a dangerous stroke, right up there with the self-serving disastrous wranglings of Viktor Yanukovych, Viktor Yushchenko & Yulia Tymoshenko in Ukraine.

I don't know how it can be dangerous from a Labour/FG/FF perspective. It may be dangerous for the peace in Northern Ireland, but when Adams is exonerated, as I'm sure he will be, that will calm down too. As far as the other parties in the south are concerned, this has to be manna from heaven. Just think of it from a Labour perspective. The leader of the party that is likely to make serious gains at my expense, is being questioned for Murder a few weeks before the election. I can't believe that's a coincidence.

[Hereiam]

SF knew this was coming. Gerry wanted this done back a couple of months ago to get it out of the way for the elections. Higher powers had other idea's. If Gerry had not went to them you can dam sure a large number of RUC would have landed for him and he would have been handcuffed all in front of a large media presence. This is a damage limitation process by SF.

[AZOffaly]

SF knew this was coming. Gerry wanted this done back a couple of months ago to get it out of the way for the elections. Higher powers had other idea's. If Gerry had not went to them you can dam sure a large number of RUC would have landed for him and he would have been handcuffed all in front of a large media presence. This is a damage limitation process by SF.

I agree. And given the timing, you have to wonder who stands to gain most out of embarrassment/controversy around Sinn Fein and its leader? The DUP are in power with SF, and anyway Gerry is not active (no pun intended) in 6 county politics as much any more. Marty has that sewn up. I definitely think this is coming from the south.

[johnneycool]

SF knew this was coming. Gerry wanted this done back a couple of months ago to get it out of the way for the elections. Higher powers had other idea's. If Gerry had not went to them you can dam sure a large number of RUC would have landed for him and he would have been handcuffed all in front of a large media presence. This is a damage limitation process by SF.

With the spate of other recent arrests and the dubious Boston tapes, is there any new evidence now available or is this all bluster?

If Gerry isn't charged then he can go to the electorate in the south, with all these accusations behind him, saying he's helped the PSNI with their inquiries and no charges to answer.

[orangeman]

SF knew this was coming. Gerry wanted this done back a couple of months ago to get it out of the way for the elections. Higher powers had other idea's. If Gerry had not went to them you can dam sure a large number of RUC would have landed for him and he would have been handcuffed all in front of a large media presence. This is a damage limitation process by SF.

With the spate of other recent arrests and the dubious Boston tapes, is there any new evidence now available or is this all bluster?

If Gerry isn't charged then he can go to the electorate in the south, with all these accusations behind him, saying he's helped the PSNI with their inquiries and no charges to answer.

Or he'll be released on bail pending further enquiries or a report to DPP which wouldn't be a good idea in the short term.

[Nally Stand]

As an aside, people always talk about hierarchy of victims, and in the 26 counties it's abundantly clear that there is a hierarchy and that Jean McConville & Jerry McCabe sit a long long way ahead anyone else on it. I firmly believe that the majority of people who raise these names at every turn could not name one single other victim of the decades long conflict without resorting to google. And yet it is such people who seem to shout the loudest about what they "know" about the conflict and about Gerry Adams in particular. Should Gerry be released as I expect he will be, it will be a major disappointment to such people and will blow in fairly substantial hole in their entire "knowledge base" of the conflict.

[Ulick]

SF to their credit are the only Party who has made genuine attempts to put something in place to deal with legacy issues such as their. If you don't believe me ask Richard Haass. For a sense of how farcical this is, think of Seán Lemass getting is collar felt while Taoiseach for being part of Collins' assassination squad or Frank Atkin being lifted at the UN in t he 60s for the actions of the 4th Northern Division in South Armagh in 1921.

[deiseach]

Decent analysis of the situation and the context on the American website Vox. Decent, that is, up to the last paragraph:

The Good Friday Agreement allows Adams to be both a resident of Northern Ireland and in Irish parliament. So the Irish government is likely to be furious, setting the stage for a pretty significant political conflict between Ireland and the UK.

[armaghniac]

SF knew this was coming. Gerry wanted this done back a couple of months ago to get it out of the way for the elections. Higher powers had other idea's. If Gerry had not went to them you can dam sure a large number of RUC would have landed for him and he would have been handcuffed all in front of a large media presence. This is a damage limitation process by SF.

Sure all he had to do was to stay in his constituency or go campaigning for the Euro elections in Munster, until after the election.

[muppet]

As an aside, people always talk about hierarchy of victims, and in the 26 counties it's abundantly clear that there is a hierarchy and that Jean McConville & Jerry McCabe sit a long long way ahead anyone else on it. I firmly believe that the majority of people who raise these names at every turn could not name one single other victim of the decades long conflict without resorting to google. And yet it is such people who seem to shout the loudest about what they "know" about the conflict and about Gerry Adams in particular. Should Gerry be released as I expect he will be, it will be a major disappointment to such people and will blow in fairly substantial hole in their entire "knowledge base" of the conflict.

You say this when you mean the exact opposite.

McConville and McCabe are merely an inconvenience to SF, hence the 'hierarchy of victims' mantra. It is simply whataboutery to cloud the issue and most of us see through it.

Regarding the timing, does anyone really care about local and MEP elections? If I were Labour, in particular, I would have tried to have this happen in the run up to a General Election where the real power lies.

[AZOffaly]

It's all momentum muppet. If it hadn't happened now, there's a good chance it would have been resolved well before the next general election. Or maybe Gerry would step down and Mary Lou McDonald or Pearse Doherty would be the leader, part of the brave new vanguard. Maybe I'm very cynical, but this looks to me for all the world like 'smokes and daggers' as Bertie would have said.

[muppet]

It's all momentum muppet. If it hadn't happened now, there's a good chance it would have been resolved well before the next general election. Or maybe Gerry would step down and Mary Lou McDonald or Pearse Doherty would be the leader, part of the brave new vanguard. Maybe I'm very cynical, but this looks to me for all the world like 'smokes and daggers' as Bertie would have said.

The timing looks convenient for sure.

But other than the timing, this has been coming for a long time. Once the content of those Boston tapes became known it was firmly on the agenda. Any self respecting police force would have to act on allegations regarding a murder.  Adams could easily have done a Sean Quinn's nephew on it and staying in Louth but he went in himself to talk to the police.

Who decided the timing, Adams or the police?

[AZOffaly]

That's exactly the point I think. It has been coming a long time, so why now? Why not after the local elections? And given that Adams and Mary Lou have both criticised the timing, I think it's fair to say it probably wasn't Gerry's idea. I have no doubt him being led away in cuffs would have been the result if he hadn't come in.

[Nally Stand]

As an aside, people always talk about hierarchy of victims, and in the 26 counties it's abundantly clear that there is a hierarchy and that Jean McConville & Jerry McCabe sit a long long way ahead anyone else on it. I firmly believe that the majority of people who raise these names at every turn could not name one single other victim of the decades long conflict without resorting to google. And yet it is such people who seem to shout the loudest about what they "know" about the conflict and about Gerry Adams in particular. Should Gerry be released as I expect he will be, it will be a major disappointment to such people and will blow in fairly substantial hole in their entire "knowledge base" of the conflict.

You say this when you mean the exact opposite.

McConville and McCabe are merely an inconvenience to SF, hence the 'hierarchy of victims' mantra. It is simply whataboutery to cloud the issue and most of us see through it.

An "inconvenience"? There could be many other victims that folks like you would see as being "inconveniences" to SF, but it's Jean McConville & Jerry McCabe are the two names that, thanks to the media, people in the 26 have just latched onto and become experts on and around whom their entire knowledge of the conflict is based. SF don't see such victims as "inconveniences". As Ulick mentioned above, it's SF who have been pushing the subject of the past hardest through Hass.

[muppet]

As an aside, people always talk about hierarchy of victims, and in the 26 counties it's abundantly clear that there is a hierarchy and that Jean McConville & Jerry McCabe sit a long long way ahead anyone else on it. I firmly believe that the majority of people who raise these names at every turn could not name one single other victim of the decades long conflict without resorting to google. And yet it is such people who seem to shout the loudest about what they "know" about the conflict and about Gerry Adams in particular. Should Gerry be released as I expect he will be, it will be a major disappointment to such people and will blow in fairly substantial hole in their entire "knowledge base" of the conflict.

You say this when you mean the exact opposite.

McConville and McCabe are merely an inconvenience to SF, hence the 'hierarchy of victims' mantra. It is simply whataboutery to cloud the issue and most of us see through it.

An "inconvenience"? There could be many others that folks like you would see as being "inconveniences" to SF, but it's Jean McConville & Jerry McCabe are the two names that, thanks to the media, people in the 26 have just latched onto and become experts on and around whom their entire knowledge of the conflict is based. SF don't see such victims as "inconveniences". As Ulick mentioned above, it's SF who have been pushing the subject of the past hardest through Hass.

This is it in a nutshell. Only SF has the right to comment on any IRA murders. The 26 can f*ck themselves.