For Once McDowell is right!

national | crime and justice | news report

Thursday December 11, 2003 10:56

by joe - lp

The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, has strongly criticised Sinn Féin for seeking to take the moral high ground on political corruption at a time when he claims the party is still closely associated with sinister criminal elements. (Irish Times)

He goes on to say - "It ill-beholds Sinn Féin to point the finger at anybody when they have a huge unresolved issue in relation to the close connection of the IRA and organised crime in Ireland," "There is a close connection between Sinn Féin and the IRA and I have no doubt that senior figures in the IRA are at the moment, and have been for many years, engaging in criminal activities to fund the activities of the republican organisation."

When asked if he believed the Sinn Féin electoral machine was financially benefiting from such criminality he said: "I don't believe there are strict Chinese walls between IRA money and Sinn Féin money and I believe it would be naive for anybody to think that there are.

"I strongly reject the implicit suggestion in some of the Sinn Féin rhetoric that their party is in some way morally clean. It isn't. It is directly associated with very, very sinister elements in Irish society."

"One of the things that I find most difficult to take is the Sinn Féin party talking about corruption in political life and pointing the finger at others and they have people very much closer to home about whom they hope the media, and people like me, will remain silent, I certainly won't."

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Comments (9 of 9)

Exactly

by matt

Fri Dec 12, 2003 10:30

On the day the Barron Report lifted a corner of the veil on the dirty war that was collaborated in by the Irish State since 1969, McDowell decides to attack Sinn Féin on the basis of unsubstantiated tabloid stories. What Barron reveals has been known for 30 years. The names of the loyalist cats claws have been in the public domain for over a decade. What we need to know is who ran the Brits terrorist operations in the 26 Counties, and the connections they had to the Garda Special Branch (anyone remember Ned Garvey, Crinnion et al?) and how it was all covered up and facilitated by the Governments of the 1970s and 80s. McDowell talks about SF's dirty hands. Well Cosgrave and Corish and Lynch and O'Malley and O'Brien and others have the innocent blood of Dublin and Monaghan on their hands.

McDowell is a plonker

by anti PD

Thu Dec 11, 2003 22:00

While trying to pull a stunt on SF, all he has done is give the unionists another big stick to beat the Irish government with.

PDs dodgy funding

by Dermot

Thu Dec 11, 2003 21:13

the_meaning_of_it_all at yahoo dot co dot uk

They probably got it from bank robberies carried out by their paramilitary wing, of which McDowell was a key commander until a few years ago....oh, wait

The PDs and dodgy funding

by devoto

Thu Dec 11, 2003 20:26

Would Mr. McDowell like to explain where the PDs got the £50,000 donation when the party was set up in the mid eighties. It was allegedly from an anonymous British businessman. The PDs have never explained where this money came from. Perhaps the "businessman" was acting on behalf of MI5. One never knows. The Brits weren't particularly fond of Haughey at the time and maybe saw this as an opportunity to get rid of him. Exploit the divisions within FF and set up a rival political organisation.

It's interesting how the orignal poster from the Labour Party agrees with McDowell on this one. One assumes this is more to do with their fear of how SF might perform at the local and EU elections next June. If their attempts to bail out the SDLP during the recent Assembly election are anything to go by they have a lot to be worried about.

Also like to remind the Labour Party poster that this is not the first time your party has supported McDowell. I seem to remember they supported the extension of the Offences Against the State Act this year. While their justice spokesperson spoke eloquently about the infringement of civil liberties the Labour Party gave it their full support in Leinster House.

Living in the past??

by Maubere

Thu Dec 11, 2003 13:43

beside the obvious point about the people who are still physically and emotionally injured, the fact is that the people in Britain and the North who did this are all still in power, the people who covered it up in the Republic (politicians, gardaí, media,) are also still in power, the best way to change this country today is to expose the establishment for being the sham sell outs they are

Some of us are living in the present!

by Rayo

Thu Dec 11, 2003 13:12

Altough it is very important to learn from the past and for justice and truth to be uncovered, it is more important to deal with today and the future.

Much of what has been uncovered in the report was known, but not officially explained.

British collusion and a cowardly blueshirt government is a historical fact.

Sad, very sad

Thu Dec 11, 2003 12:27

The mornign after a report on the biggest crime in the history of the state and all you can talk about is whether SF have links to crime and comparing the "morals" of the Irish establishment, do people have some sort of mental block when it comes to terrorist attacks carried out against us??? does the "threat" of more support for SF override the right to life of people in dublin and monaghan??

he does have a point!

by Ray

Thu Dec 11, 2003 11:59

SF continued links to criminal activity and its dubious undemocratic actions during NI elections is a worrying trend for democracy and politics in Ireland, especially considering that they are Irelands third largest party.

Having lived in NI of a time and been canvassing for SDLP and the LP in Louth, i have on a number of occasions meet the brunt of extreme nationalism and sectarianism from SF canvassers and supports.

Although the vast majority of SF members are honest hard working community activists, there is a negative element within the organisation.

Silly sod

by Janus

Thu Dec 11, 2003 11:19

Ummm, but he does stay silent. I mean fair enough, make these allegations, sound, perfectly entitled to do so, but then follow up on them. He says that SF hopes that people won't identify the 'criminals' they associate with but he will, and then he doesn't.

Frankly, all this looks like is the playing out of the results of the Assembly elections in the North, which have put the wind up the Free Staters. Every time SF does or did well up North, the Staters would get all hot and bothered for a while before going back to ripping people off.

In short, if McDowell has evidence, bring people to court. If other people have evidence, bring it to the cops, if you have no evidence, no proof, nothing beyond insubstantial rumours then, with shut the fuck up until you do.

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For Once McDowell is right!

Comments (9 of 9)