Sinn Fein? They have gone away, you know.

[glens abu]

A few random musings on the events of the past week:

When deciding on a prosecution the PPS must not only take into account the likelihood of a conviction but also whether the prosecution is "necessary" and in the "public interest" (whatever that is).  It remains to be seen whether Pamela Atchison regards it as "necessary" to charge Adams with being a member of the IRA 30-40 years ago.  Bear in mind that last week Teresa Villiers decided that inquiries into Ballymurphy and La Mon would not be in the public interest.

Or could the PSNI be playing the "long game" here?  To link Adams to the McConville murder the PSNI must show he was a senior IRA member as he would have to have the authority to order the killing.  Were he convicted of IRA membership that link would be partially made and they could start again with the McConville case.

I wonder if this all might deter others from coming forward with info on the past?  Certainly I doubt whether we'll see another oral history project like the one in Boston College for a while!  I mean, how naïve were Moloney, McIntyre and Bew to say nothing of the interviewees!

If we're to believe the line of questioning that the PSNI took with Adams, I hope the Serious Crime Suite at Antrim has plenty of accommodation as it could be bursting at the seams in a few weeks!

It was interesting to hear Peter Hain on the radio declare that the "Adams Precedent" could lead to former members of the Security Forces being arrested.

And what of the elections?  SF will probably lose a few votes in the South but in the North this could galvanise SF supporters to get out and vote.  In 2009 Bairbre DeBrun polled just over 126,000 first preferences.  I had expected this to go down given that most people don't give a feck about the Euro elections, but it will be interesting to see how Martina Anderson performs.  She's a high profile candidate, more media friendly than DeBrun albeit she has a "military" past.  A strong showing by Anderson could spill over into increased Council representation as they elections take place at the same time.

I have been on the canvas every night and can honesty say the response since Gerry was arrested has been unreal.People out there are far from stupid, can see this for what it is and they are angry.This will bring our vote out and expect the Stoops and the micro groups are hating this.

[BennyHarp]

I must confess that I don't have a huge pile of knowledge on these issues but a casual observation would be that it seems ridiculous after Adams effectively led the IRA into a peace process, that years later he is being prosecuted for being a member of the IRA. You can't accept his position within the IRA as advantageous whilst negotiating peace then turn round and say, oh by the way we are going to prosecute you now for holding this position.

[armaghniac]

This will bring our vote out and expect the Stoops and the micro groups are hating this.

Will these people have the maturity to transfer and ensure that unionists only get one Euro seat or will they take a Sinn Féin approach and plump?

You can't accept his position within the IRA as advantageous whilst negotiating peace then turn round and say, oh by the way we are going to prosecute you now for holding this position.

It would be ridiculous to charge Adams with IRA membership. Possibly the PSNI expect the prosecution not to go ahead, one conspiracy theory would expect that this would contrive to give the impression of real evidence but a political decision not to prosecute.

[Myles Na G.]

If anyone thinks headlines like "I am innocent of murder" play well you are swallowing too much Tullamore Dew. I don't know how 'measured' could be applied to such a stunning situation. Ould Gery still moaned about being treated poorly as if being implicated in a murder didn't warrant the most thorough investigation possible.

The hypocrisy of Sinn Fein is what is being broadcast to Ireland as a whole and Enda, Martin and everyone else in the Dail will have had a very happy weekend.

The only people who will give a rats ass are people like yourself who didn't like him before the arrest anyway. And I don't think the headlines well be "I am innocent of murder". More likely to be "Adams released without charge". But of course if you have information,  I'm sure you'll be passing it on to the cops?

If you don't think the floating voters - in other words the very voters who were buoying Sinn Fein's record poll ratings a week ago - don't care then you're a fantasist.

I know he's 'your guy' (as a SF supporter) but the fact is he isn't anyone else's and they have no great attachment to him or his party and things as public as a four day arrest over a murder of a woman are certainly going to effect the party's perception outside of die-hard Republican communities. Far lesser issues sunk Sean Gallagher.

It feels like some SF supporters (and the big hats themselves) are trying to play a PR game when there really is no way for this not to be damaging.

So floating voters may be turned off voting SF due to Adams being released without charge? Is it just the fact that there was accusations of a link between Adams and the IRA? Had they never heard such accusations like that before? The only people who will be put off by Adams getting released without charge are those like your good self and our bullshitting friend myles, who never liked SF/Adams anyway, and who probably spent the past five days peeing themselves in gleeful anticipation of Adams being charged.

I said in an earlier post that SF wouldn't lose any floaters because Adams had been arrested (whether he was charged or not), but because of the reaction of the party to that arrest. McGuinness did a very good impression all week of a man peeing himself, to use your own phrase, and Mary Lou weighed in behind with a bit of panty-wetting just to show solidarity. I thought as a party they were showing signs of change in recent times, showing greater maturity and a willingness to take risks to reach out beyond their traditional support. The way they've thrown their toys out of the pram this week shows that not to be the case.

Bullshit, once again. So conveniently you were going to vote for them "until the events of this week", despite your repeated terming them as "w**kers" who are "unfit to run the country" across this board. Tell me, what was it that swung you from calling them

w**kers with a capital W.

in December, to the point of wanting to vote for them by May?

You're good at digging up my previous posts, not so good at actually reading them it seems. If you look at what I said, you'll see that I was 'thinking' of voting for SF. That means considering them as a possible choice - that's a few paces off  'going to vote for them' or 'wanting to vote for them'. I was considering them as a possibility for a number of reasons. I'm a traditional SDLP voter, but that party is in terminal decline, therefore I feel another vote for them might well be a wasted vote. I'm not a unionist, therefore the options open to me would be Alliance, the Greens or SF. The Greens are a single issue, marginal bunch so I've ruled them out. I've tried looking at SF with fresh eyes, to set aside the opinions I've had about them for many years, to see if they really have emerged from the shadow of the conflict. There are promising signs of that happening. Máirtín O Muilleoir has been excellent as Lord Mayor of Belfast and has been a credit to his city and party. SF's acceptance and attendance at Buckingham Palace was also a sign that they seem ready to do difficult things in the interests of reaching out to unionists. Caral ni chuilin has also been doing good work as sports minister and has worked well with the IFA over the Windsor Park redevelopment. When I look at that sort of stuff, I think maybe it's time to give credit where it's due and accept that the party has moved on. Then we have the events of this week, with McGuinness talking about cabals and dark forces and threatening to withdraw support for the PSNI. Are those the actions of a party fit to govern, not just here, but down south? The Tory Party had one of their own cabinet ministers stitched up by the police, but I don't recall Cameron threatening to withdraw support from the Met. Republican dissidents must have been laughing themselves stupid. Poor leadership, and I thinks Adams' more measured statement at the press conference was a rebuke to Marty and Mary Lou.

[glens abu]

This will bring our vote out and expect the Stoops and the micro groups are hating this.

Will these people have the maturity to transfer and ensure that unionists only get one Euro seat or will they take a Sinn Féin approach and plump?

You can't accept his position within the IRA as advantageous whilst negotiating peace then turn round and say, oh by the way we are going to prosecute you now for holding this position.

It would be ridiculous to charge Adams with IRA membership. Possibly the PSNI expect the prosecution not to go ahead, one conspiracy theory would expect that this would contrive to give the impression of real evidence but a political decision not to prosecute.

I cannot answer that as I am canvassing for SF so don't ask who they are transferring to if any.Also don't believe even if they did transfer to that wee runt Attwood he would still get enough to get him over the line.

[lynchbhoy]

BBC reporting that the PPS will be looking at charges of IRA membership against Adams not the McConville murder.

If true then this proves the whole episode/charade was to try and get at/do and discredit Adams so he'd have to go
Long term that would only help sf IMO
So this must be the last efforts of Adams former ruc/Securocrat enemies still pulling the strings in psni/civil service/dept of security etc

If I was Adams I'd be a tad worried here.
There is no way they can fit him up on charges for mcconville case as it is too serious
That kite could never fly.

However, I'd think they might feel they could get away with charging him with membership -as most gullible people already think he was in it.
So all they need is a few informers to collude and gerrys word I'd fecked.
Under gfa he can no longer be done - but this charge would give northern and southern political enemies so much muck to throw that Adams really would have to stand aside!

Let's face it, membership is most def not a problem for McGuinness.
He is lauded as a statesman now and prob will be our next president.
Adams told the truth that he hadn't the guys to actually be in the IRA- though grew up, was friendly with and was trusted by the various IRA leaders in Belfast - who saw that he was a better talker and politician than they , so entrusted the political side and business with him.

Now if Adams is 'fitted up' he has to leave politics ( IMO) - which is the goal of this whole exercise I reckon!

It's pretty obvious he was a member of the IRA.

Quite the opposite actually!

But you can think what you like!

[AQMP]

BBC now reporting that ANY charge against Adams is "highly unlikely"

[Nally Stand]

If you look at what I said, you'll see that I was 'thinking' of voting for SF. That means considering them as a possible choice - that's a few paces off  'going to vote for them' or 'wanting to vote for them'.

Repeatedly terming them "w**kers", or "w**kers of the highest order" and "unfit" in the past few months is also a "few paces off" bullshitting us that until this week, you had been

thinking of giving my first preference to them this time around

[Syferus]

BBC reporting that the PPS will be looking at charges of IRA membership against Adams not the McConville murder.

If true then this proves the whole episode/charade was to try and get at/do and discredit Adams so he'd have to go
Long term that would only help sf IMO
So this must be the last efforts of Adams former ruc/Securocrat enemies still pulling the strings in psni/civil service/dept of security etc

If I was Adams I'd be a tad worried here.
There is no way they can fit him up on charges for mcconville case as it is too serious
That kite could never fly.

However, I'd think they might feel they could get away with charging him with membership -as most gullible people already think he was in it.
So all they need is a few informers to collude and gerrys word I'd fecked.
Under gfa he can no longer be done - but this charge would give northern and southern political enemies so much muck to throw that Adams really would have to stand aside!

Let's face it, membership is most def not a problem for McGuinness.
He is lauded as a statesman now and prob will be our next president.
Adams told the truth that he hadn't the guys to actually be in the IRA- though grew up, was friendly with and was trusted by the various IRA leaders in Belfast - who saw that he was a better talker and politician than they , so entrusted the political side and business with him.

Now if Adams is 'fitted up' he has to leave politics ( IMO) - which is the goal of this whole exercise I reckon!

It's pretty obvious he was a member of the IRA.

Quite the opposite actually!

But you can think what you like!

And you go ahead thinking what you want.

I've learnt there's no point arguing facts with regards SF or Adams with someone who has a dug-in position on them. Needless to say if Gerry is charged he has only one person to blame and it's not a shadowy conspiracy.

[lynchbhoy]

BBC reporting that the PPS will be looking at charges of IRA membership against Adams not the McConville murder.

If true then this proves the whole episode/charade was to try and get at/do and discredit Adams so he'd have to go
Long term that would only help sf IMO
So this must be the last efforts of Adams former ruc/Securocrat enemies still pulling the strings in psni/civil service/dept of security etc

If I was Adams I'd be a tad worried here.
There is no way they can fit him up on charges for mcconville case as it is too serious
That kite could never fly.

However, I'd think they might feel they could get away with charging him with membership -as most gullible people already think he was in it.
So all they need is a few informers to collude and gerrys word I'd fecked.
Under gfa he can no longer be done - but this charge would give northern and southern political enemies so much muck to throw that Adams really would have to stand aside!

Let's face it, membership is most def not a problem for McGuinness.
He is lauded as a statesman now and prob will be our next president.
Adams told the truth that he hadn't the guys to actually be in the IRA- though grew up, was friendly with and was trusted by the various IRA leaders in Belfast - who saw that he was a better talker and politician than they , so entrusted the political side and business with him.

Now if Adams is 'fitted up' he has to leave politics ( IMO) - which is the goal of this whole exercise I reckon!

It's pretty obvious he was a member of the IRA.

Quite the opposite actually!

But you can think what you like!

And you go ahead thinking what you want.

I've learnt there's no point arguing facts with regards SF or Adams with someone who has a dug-in position on them. Needless to say if Gerry is charged he has only one person to blame and it's not a shadowy conspiracy.

aye go on ahead and give us the info to show adams was in the IRA
the rus/psni did their dirty best over the weekend but fell short because he wasn't
but go right ahead and show us all

plenty of us in the north during the 80's knew he was nothing but a friend of the top guys in the IRA as he grew up with them, that's as close as he got. but maybe you grew up beside him and saw different!!!!

or are you from Roscommon and know better?

[orangeman]

BBC now reporting that ANY charge against Adams is "highly unlikely"

No shock there.

All panning out nicely.

[Gaffer]

BBC reporting that the PPS will be looking at charges of IRA membership against Adams not the McConville murder.

If true then this proves the whole episode/charade was to try and get at/do and discredit Adams so he'd have to go
Long term that would only help sf IMO
So this must be the last efforts of Adams former ruc/Securocrat enemies still pulling the strings in psni/civil service/dept of security etc

If I was Adams I'd be a tad worried here.
There is no way they can fit him up on charges for mcconville case as it is too serious
That kite could never fly.

However, I'd think they might feel they could get away with charging him with membership -as most gullible people already think he was in it.
So all they need is a few informers to collude and gerrys word I'd fecked.
Under gfa he can no longer be done - but this charge would give northern and southern political enemies so much muck to throw that Adams really would have to stand aside!

Let's face it, membership is most def not a problem for McGuinness.
He is lauded as a statesman now and prob will be our next president.
Adams told the truth that he hadn't the guys to actually be in the IRA- though grew up, was friendly with and was trusted by the various IRA leaders in Belfast - who saw that he was a better talker and politician than they , so entrusted the political side and business with him.

Now if Adams is 'fitted up' he has to leave politics ( IMO) - which is the goal of this whole exercise I reckon!

It's pretty obvious he was a member of the IRA.

Quite the opposite actually!

But you can think what you like!

And you go ahead thinking what you want.

I've learnt there's no point arguing facts with regards SF or Adams with someone who has a dug-in position on them. Needless to say if Gerry is charged he has only one person to blame and it's not a shadowy conspiracy.

aye go on ahead and give us the info to show adams was in the IRA
the rus/psni did their dirty best over the weekend but fell short because he wasn't
but go right ahead and show us all

plenty of us in the north during the 80's knew he was nothing but a friend of the top guys in the IRA as he grew up with them, that's as close as he got. but maybe you grew up beside him and saw different!!!!

or are you from Roscommon and know better?

Anyone who believes that Adams was not in the IRA is a simpleton!!!

[foxcommander]

The great legal minds will have to consider the 30 year old picture of Adams in shades and beret marching down a Belfast street etc.  the result of 4 days interrogation - an open source picture , as evidence that our Gerry was in the IRA.

Does this mean Peter Robinson should expect a visit to Antrim station in the near future? I recall seeing pictures of him in Monaghan wearing combats, glasses and brandishing a weapon. I just can't make up my mind which organization he belonged to.

He better put an ankle tag on Iris before he leaves in case she gets "lost" again at some young fellas house.

[lynchbhoy]

BBC reporting that the PPS will be looking at charges of IRA membership against Adams not the McConville murder.

If true then this proves the whole episode/charade was to try and get at/do and discredit Adams so he'd have to go
Long term that would only help sf IMO
So this must be the last efforts of Adams former ruc/Securocrat enemies still pulling the strings in psni/civil service/dept of security etc

If I was Adams I'd be a tad worried here.
There is no way they can fit him up on charges for mcconville case as it is too serious
That kite could never fly.

However, I'd think they might feel they could get away with charging him with membership -as most gullible people already think he was in it.
So all they need is a few informers to collude and gerrys word I'd fecked.
Under gfa he can no longer be done - but this charge would give northern and southern political enemies so much muck to throw that Adams really would have to stand aside!

Let's face it, membership is most def not a problem for McGuinness.
He is lauded as a statesman now and prob will be our next president.
Adams told the truth that he hadn't the guys to actually be in the IRA- though grew up, was friendly with and was trusted by the various IRA leaders in Belfast - who saw that he was a better talker and politician than they , so entrusted the political side and business with him.

Now if Adams is 'fitted up' he has to leave politics ( IMO) - which is the goal of this whole exercise I reckon!

It's pretty obvious he was a member of the IRA.

Quite the opposite actually!

But you can think what you like!

And you go ahead thinking what you want.

I've learnt there's no point arguing facts with regards SF or Adams with someone who has a dug-in position on them. Needless to say if Gerry is charged he has only one person to blame and it's not a shadowy conspiracy.

aye go on ahead and give us the info to show adams was in the IRA
the rus/psni did their dirty best over the weekend but fell short because he wasn't
but go right ahead and show us all

plenty of us in the north during the 80's knew he was nothing but a friend of the top guys in the IRA as he grew up with them, that's as close as he got. but maybe you grew up beside him and saw different!!!!

or are you from Roscommon and know better?

Anyone who believes that Adams was not in the IRA is a simpleton!!!

The only simpletons are the ones believing all they read in the press!!

Adams hadn't the guts to join the IRA, not did they want him!
He isn't ( and wasn't) liked by a lot of militant republicans !

[Gaffer]

BBC reporting that the PPS will be looking at charges of IRA membership against Adams not the McConville murder.

If true then this proves the whole episode/charade was to try and get at/do and discredit Adams so he'd have to go
Long term that would only help sf IMO
So this must be the last efforts of Adams former ruc/Securocrat enemies still pulling the strings in psni/civil service/dept of security etc

If I was Adams I'd be a tad worried here.
There is no way they can fit him up on charges for mcconville case as it is too serious
That kite could never fly.

However, I'd think they might feel they could get away with charging him with membership -as most gullible people already think he was in it.
So all they need is a few informers to collude and gerrys word I'd fecked.
Under gfa he can no longer be done - but this charge would give northern and southern political enemies so much muck to throw that Adams really would have to stand aside!

Let's face it, membership is most def not a problem for McGuinness.
He is lauded as a statesman now and prob will be our next president.
Adams told the truth that he hadn't the guys to actually be in the IRA- though grew up, was friendly with and was trusted by the various IRA leaders in Belfast - who saw that he was a better talker and politician than they , so entrusted the political side and business with him.

Now if Adams is 'fitted up' he has to leave politics ( IMO) - which is the goal of this whole exercise I reckon!

It's pretty obvious he was a member of the IRA.

Quite the opposite actually!

But you can think what you like!

And you go ahead thinking what you want.

I've learnt there's no point arguing facts with regards SF or Adams with someone who has a dug-in position on them. Needless to say if Gerry is charged he has only one person to blame and it's not a shadowy conspiracy.

aye go on ahead and give us the info to show adams was in the IRA
the rus/psni did their dirty best over the weekend but fell short because he wasn't
but go right ahead and show us all

plenty of us in the north during the 80's knew he was nothing but a friend of the top guys in the IRA as he grew up with them, that's as close as he got. but maybe you grew up beside him and saw different!!!!

or are you from Roscommon and know better?

Anyone who believes that Adams was not in the IRA is a simpleton!!!

The only simpletons are the ones believing all they read in the press!!

Adams hadn't the guts to join the IRA, not did they want him!
He isn't ( and wasn't) liked by a lot of militant republicans !

How do you know that he hadn't the guts?

I read a lot about Billy Wright being a sectarian murderer. Was I a simpleton for believing that that was true?