Irish governments turn to answer claims of collusion

[thejuice]

From Slugger O'Toole:
Mick Fealty

The News Letter today has a big splash on the Smithwick Tribunal (that's the one the Irish government previously threatened to wind up just about now)... As Philip Bradfield notes, the taoiseach, Enda Kenny has been a hard man for Unionist representatives to pin down on any matter regarding alleged collusion between the IRA and Irish state forces:

Until Mr Kennedy was able to approach the Taoiseach in person at the North-South Ministerial Council in Armagh on Friday, the UUP minister had been trying for months to get the Irish leader to engage.

He goes on to quote Danny Kennedy on the matter:

Apologies have been made by the British government for numerous cases but the Irish government cannot escape their responsibility, specifically when they are making noises about other [collusion] cases [in Northern Ireland]."

Then Bradfield remarks:

The unionists are saying that with every UK statutory investigation into Troubles related deaths, the history of the Troubles is being rewritten to portray British forces as the primary cause of bloodshed. But they point out that the IRA claimed significantly more lives than any other organisation during the Troubles — 1,778 in total — and that a much more balanced historical examination is critical to properly make peace with the past.

Solicitor John McBurney, the solicitor acting on behalf of RUC relatives at Smithwick:

...said that two issues that had to be brought out into the open were the Irish state's frequent refusal to extradite IRA members for "the most heinous crimes" in Northern Ireland and the failure of the Garda to supply intelligence on the IRA to the RUC.

"I suspect there was much intelligence never shared in a timely fashion with the RUC," he said. "Those who carried out the Kingsmills massacre went to ground in the Republic." He said the Garda knew "quite a lot" about the individuals involved and "quite a lot was discovered" about their links to Kingsmills.

"But the PSNI's Historical Enquiries Team report on Kingsmills never once mentions any Garda intelligence on those responsible. Why is that?"

[stew]

From Slugger O'Toole:
Mick Fealty

The News Letter today has a big splash on the Smithwick Tribunal (that's the one the Irish government previously threatened to wind up just about now)... As Philip Bradfield notes, the taoiseach, Enda Kenny has been a hard man for Unionist representatives to pin down on any matter regarding alleged collusion between the IRA and Irish state forces:

Until Mr Kennedy was able to approach the Taoiseach in person at the North-South Ministerial Council in Armagh on Friday, the UUP minister had been trying for months to get the Irish leader to engage.

He goes on to quote Danny Kennedy on the matter:

Apologies have been made by the British government for numerous cases but the Irish government cannot escape their responsibility, specifically when they are making noises about other [collusion] cases [in Northern Ireland]."

Then Bradfield remarks:

The unionists are saying that with every UK statutory investigation into Troubles related deaths, the history of the Troubles is being rewritten to portray British forces as the primary cause of bloodshed. But they point out that the IRA claimed significantly more lives than any other organisation during the Troubles — 1,778 in total — and that a much more balanced historical examination is critical to properly make peace with the past.

Solicitor John McBurney, the solicitor acting on behalf of RUC relatives at Smithwick:

...said that two issues that had to be brought out into the open were the Irish state's frequent refusal to extradite IRA members for "the most heinous crimes" in Northern Ireland and the failure of the Garda to supply intelligence on the IRA to the RUC.

"I suspect there was much intelligence never shared in a timely fashion with the RUC," he said. "Those who carried out the Kingsmills massacre went to ground in the Republic." He said the Garda knew "quite a lot" about the individuals involved and "quite a lot was discovered" about their links to Kingsmills.

"But the PSNI's Historical Enquiries Team report on Kingsmills never once mentions any Garda intelligence on those responsible. Why is that?"

Maybe that is what the brits were doing when they were caught in the south having illegally crossed the border in South Armagh, Louth. maybe they were trying to reach Dundalk to clean house.

I would not believe one word of any RUC mouthpiece.

[All of a Sludden]

Irish police officers colluded in the IRA murders of two senior Northern Ireland police officers, an inquiry has found.

Chief Supt Harry Breen and Supt Bob Buchanan were shot dead in an ambush in March 1989 in south Armagh.

The attack happened as they crossed the border into Northern Ireland after a meeting in Dundalk Garda station.

In the report of his inquiry, judge Peter Smithwick said he was "satisfied there was collusion in the murders".

[haveaharp]

The evidence is circumstantial is it not?

[Saffrongael]

I wonder if Nally Stand is as upset with this collusion.

[Rossfan]

All we need now is the Brits to have an enquiry into the 700 or more equivalents by their agents/employees.

[Eamonnca1]

"You crowd killed more than our crowd, ergo we're better than youse'ns." 

This body-count bingo game is a bit tedious.

[tyssam5]

Irish police officers colluded in the IRA murders of two senior Northern Ireland police officers, an inquiry has found.

Chief Supt Harry Breen and Supt Bob Buchanan were shot dead in an ambush in March 1989 in south Armagh.

The attack happened as they crossed the border into Northern Ireland after a meeting in Dundalk Garda station.

In the report of his inquiry, judge Peter Smithwick said he was "satisfied there was collusion in the murders".

Source?

[stibhan]

Smithwhick has a wider (and probably fairer) definition of collusion - a failure to act - than they would up in the north, it should be stated. If that definition was used up north, it would be found at every level of government.

There are also massive, massive differences between a state that organises the killing of what it terms its own civilians with the forces who are paid by the taxes it took from those same civilians, then continues to salary those involved in the obfuscation of evidence.

That said, it's interesting in relation to the recent vilification of Sinn Féin by TV3: will there be an expose into the state, given the gun-running of Haughey, etc?

By the way, the fact that this is on the front page of the BBC UK section is a bit hilarious. Very short memories.

[Nally Stand]

I wonder if Nally Stand is as upset with this collusion.

Rest assured, Nally Stand won't lose any sleep over an ambush on two senior RUC men; one of whom was named by John Weir in a sworn affidavit as belonging to a loyalist paramilitary group in County Down who were closely tied to the UVF. I am also fairly content to know that any collusion was, as evidenced in today's report, due to "someone", in one garda station who passed on information to the IRA, and was not a functioning, long running state policy, as was the case with british state collusion.

[glens abu]

I wonder if Nally Stand is as upset with this collusion.

Rest assured, Nally Stand won't lose any sleep over an ambush on two senior RUC men; one of whom was named by John Weir in a sworn affidavit as belonging to a loyalist paramilitary group in County Down who were closely tied to the UVF. I am also fairly content to know that any collusion was, as evidenced in today's report, due to "someone", in one garda station who passed on information to the IRA, and was not a functioning, long running state policy, as was the case with british state collusion.

RA needed all the help they could get,just think more Garda should have been helping them instead of colluding with the RUC to kill and jail fellow Irishmen who were fighting oppression in a part of their country.

[Jeepers Creepers]

I guess we are just not used such a damning verdict based on ifs and buts when we had years of concrete evidence in British state collusion which was ignored.

[michaelg]

I wonder if Nally Stand is as upset with this collusion.

Rest assured, Nally Stand won't lose any sleep over an ambush on two senior RUC men; one of whom was named by John Weir in a sworn affidavit as belonging to a loyalist paramilitary group in County Down who were closely tied to the UVF. I am also fairly content to know that any collusion was, as evidenced in today's report, due to "someone", in one garda station who passed on information to the IRA, and was not a functioning, long running state policy, as was the case with british state collusion.

Surely all collusion is bad and should never be something that one should be 'fairly content' about.

[Rossfan]

I wonder if Nally Stand is as upset with this collusion.

any collusion was, as evidenced in today's report, due to "someone", in one garda station who passed on information to the IRA, and was not a functioning, long running state policy, as was the case with british state collusion.

Big difference alright between the "few bad apples" ( or good ones in some eyes)  and a whole state policy.

[qubdub]

I wonder if Nally Stand is as upset with this collusion.

Rest assured, Nally Stand won't lose any sleep over an ambush on two senior RUC men; one of whom was named by John Weir in a sworn affidavit as belonging to a loyalist paramilitary group in County Down who were closely tied to the UVF. I am also fairly content to know that any collusion was, as evidenced in today's report, due to "someone", in one garda station who passed on information to the IRA, and was not a functioning, long running state policy, as was the case with british state collusion.

x2