Is Jim Slaven Scotland's Denis Donaldson?
international |
miscellaneous |
news report 
Thursday January 12, 2006 16:10
by Freelance Journalist
The recent events regarding "Stormontgate" are now reaching to Scotland.
Is Jim Slaven Scotland's Denis Donaldson?
The similarities between the two men are remarkable and has led to many republicans claiming that it has more to do with design than accident. After recieving a phone call from a New York based journalist asking me to confirm some aspects of a story that they were going to publish in the United States I decided that this was in the public interest and as a freelance journalist I had a duty to put this story into the public domain on this side of the atlantic. Here is a man in my home city and who I have met on several occasions thinking that he was an unrepentant Irish republican and now I discover that it is all a lie.
Jim Slaven and Denis Donalson were extremely close and everything that Mr. Slaven done in Scotland was relayed to Denis Donaldson through his positon on the International Affairs Dept. of Sinn Féin through which Mr. Slaven gave details of everything that happened in Scotland.
The 'Stormontgate' affair is well known to everyone but how many people know about another spying case this time in the Scottish Office. In October 1996 a senior Scottish republican was revealed to be Sinn Féin's mole within the Scottish Office-this man was Jim Slaven. Mr. Slaven who had never been a member of Sinn Féin was also the source for his own outing. Strange you may think but when one considers the fact that he was acting on his own the episode takes a more sinister turn."I was IRA's mole in the Scottish Office" screamed the headline in the Daily Record at the time. Many observers noted that the individual in question was also the leader of a well known Irish republican group based in Edinburgh. Two moles none of whom were acting on behalf of the Republican Movement.How such a prominent figure with such a high public profile could secure a vacancy within the Scottish Office beggars belief and poses the question of how did he pass the stringent security checks?
Denis Donaldson has been credited with the exposure of the Columbia 3. A huge camaign was organised to promote the case of the Columbia 3 of which Jim Slaven was involved and through his involvement he even managed to visit the men while they were held in a Columbian prison. On his numerous journey's to Ireland Mr. Slaven experiances no special attention from the Special Branch, a feat which cannot be shared by the many travelers to and from Ireland who don't have Mr. Slaven's public profile. Denis Donaldson was known to have a similar history of traveling with ease, where he did not have to endure the harrassment from those Special Branch officers who made it their duty in life to detain and question anyone with a history of supporting militant republicanism. Denis was never subject to the same level of scrutiny as other Irish republicans whilst traveling to and from the United States and Mr. Slaven was not suject to the same level of scrutiny as other Irish republicans as he traveled from Scotland to Ireland, even after traveling to Columbia to visit the Columbia 3.
Cairde Na hÉireann was set up in Scotland in 2004 whilst Cairde Sinn Féin was set up in America in 1995. Both orginisations have been accused of attempting to undermine the previously stalwart republican solidarity groups in their respective countries. It is of no surprise that Denis was one of the key architects of Cairde Sinn Féin in the United States whilst Jim Slaven was the key architect of Cairde Na hÉireann in Scotland. Once each orginisation had been established all traces of the militant republican tradition had been wiped clean.
In 2002 Jim Slaven was along with others again at the centre of controversy. When Her Majesty the Queen went to Scotland in 1999 to officiate at the opening of the newly devolved parliament Slaven along with some of his closest associates staged a protest in support of disbanding the RUC they were promptly arrested after breaking a cordon and charging towards the coach and horses carrying Her Majesty the Queen. All of the men were held over night and subsequently charged with displaying provocative posters, shouting slogans, scaling a security barrier and approaching the carriage during a procession which included Her Majesty the Queen and placing the public in a state of fear and alarm..After 3 years the case collapsed in suspicious circumstances when KEY WITNESSES INCLUDING POLICE OFFICERS FAILED TO APPEAR to give evidence. In Denis's case his case was dropped after 3 years because the DPP stated that it was no longer in the public interst to continue with after he was accused of running a spying ring inside Stormont.
Mr.Slaven who is unemployed has been noted for his ability to travel extensively by air and stay in the best hotels while many of his employed comrades have trouble in affording the cost of travel to various republican events.
Coincedence or something more sinister?
This is just the beginning there are more revelations to come regarding the activities of Mr. Slaven.
Comments (26 of 26)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26Slaven, like many other scottish "republicans" always appeared to have their hand in the jar. Some of these are associated with extortion rackets and obviously kept their share.
A couple of years ago when I was a Shinner I seen a letter from some Scot Republicans accusing a mate of Slevins called Steven Lees of been a grass. Any truth in this?
The Republican movement in Scotland was fcuked by outside interferance becoming involved in the Band Alliance.
Republican flute bands were running as well as could be expected, obviously things will be strained now and then, but the funny thing is, the bands seemed to be getting split from outside interferances and some people noticed this and it was not going un-checked or un-noticed.
The bands, which bascically were the backbone of Republicanism in Scotland were being devided from the inside and outside by various people trying to use them for their own ends and this was being resisted, but the powers that be knew that they could wear the bands down slowly, but surley and this is indeed what happened, thus Republicans who were their at the outset and through the hard days of establishing the movement in Scotland were becoming suspicious and dissallusioned by what they were seeing and drifted away one by one.
Bands and Republicans were being split and used and today we find ourselves in a situation of having two band associations, one manufactured, the other trying to retain the identity of the movement that was always their, but failling to see the mistakes they were making on the road to their own demise within Republicanism, they are just as guilty as the manufactued group, posing as the Republican movement in Scotland now.
Why did Scotland need to lose so many dedicated Republicans who were their through the good, bad and really ugly times and why did dedicated bands feel the need to throw the towel in, because of what they could see happening before them, yet others were being used as pawns instead of sticking together and letting the other groups work with them, instead of working them in the big scheme of things.
Remember all this came about around the same time as this story of yer man in New York, you decide what the difference is.
If you think everything in the garden is rosey in Scotland, you need your head examined, infiltrators are a certainty in Scotlands movement. Not a myth in my opinion, but then again people within Republicanism in Scotland let it happen when others seen it and got out.
Oh and I got out, before the rot set in.
It is very disappointing to see indymedia carry the kind of article like the above that offers absolutely no evidence for the claims that it makes. Not only that but to then carry comments that slander more individuals and organisations is tantamount to complicity. We could waste many a long hour gossiping about the strange twists and turns of various left-wing organisations, their British satelites and their leaders. Fingers could be pointed, questions might be asked. Thankfully within the reorganised structure of the republican movement in Scotland we have little time to spend on such irrelevancies. That so-called republicans are prepared to use indymedia to make unsubstantiated allegations and slander individuals in this way confirms the correctness of the movement's decision to cut out the cancer that had been allowed to grow within our organisations in Scotland. The only people that the author and his acolytes who have also posted here are kidding is themselves. Republican organisations are well rid of their like. This is not journalism, nor is it political analysis. It is malicious rumour based on personal animosities and petty jealousies. It is rubbish - plain and simple.
Was it not Denis Donaldson who re-orgaised it ?
Jesus christ dont tell me your proud of that ?
The best thing you could do is dissolve a structure creted by an MI5 agent . In fact that seems fairly essential .
Denis Donaldson had no involvement in the reorganisation of republican structures in Scotland.
WOSBA were asked by the Republican Movement to dissolve and place their bands under the political umbrella of Cairde na hÉireann, a new organisation that would involve republican flute bands and political support groups under political leadership and direction from Ireland but also with a representative committee structure in Scotland.
Denis Donaldson was never involved at any level whatsoever in these decisions, meetings, political directives, nor did he at any time offer political advice during the establishment of Cairde na hÉireann in Scotland.
WOSBA met with senior members of the Republican Movement who were known to them and trusted by them and they rejected their advice and political directives to place their bands within the new structure.
There are those who have failed to adapt to the new situation that faces republicanism after the ceasefires and the onset of the political process. Unfortunately some republican organisations in Scotland, in particular a number of republican flute bands, have either proved unwilling or unable to accept the new reality, or to rise to new challenges that demilitarisation and the turn towards politics presents us.
The root of the problem in Scotland is political, it is not about personalities or informants - that is a smokescreen created by those who have chosen to ignore the expressed instructions of the Republican Movement.
Donaldson was most certainly involved in the restructuring of scotland , just as he was instrumental in the setting up of the similarly named Cairde Sinn Fein in America to replace Noraid .
Apologists for the Sinn Fein leadership have been frantically denying Donaldson was anything other than a middle ranking party hack which is a nonsense and an insult to peoples intelligence .
Not true. Donaldson was not involved at any point in the political restructuring of republican organisations in Scotland. That is categorically the truth and it is a lie to say otherwise.
Where is your evidence of this? What meetings, when and where in Scotland was Donaldson involved in?
This is pointless tittle-tattle based on nothing more than malicious gossip and rumour mongering with not a shred of evidence to support it. You are making it up as you go along in order that it will fit with some warped conspiracy theory that you have about the Republican Movement.
Donaldson never had the remit for Scotland at any time in his political career. That lie is unsustainable and it's clear that you know nothing of the process by which the movement in Scotland was restructured, or the members of the Republican Movement that were central to it.
The references to Donaldson and Scotland are lies on the summit of a mountain of falsehoods.
i remember that once upon a time, long before cairde was suddenly on the agenda, there was something called saoirse in parts of the beloved uk...for example in london...it came to a sudden death...instructions said the führer! could it be?...even to this day i still have tonnes of stickers here in f..g allemagne...but we were told, now theres a new sf rep there and all problems are solved, said a friend of sf...tiocfaidh ar mani
in the year of 1995 poor jim got arrested as a "spokesman" for the james connolly society - a campaign then stated "stop the state frame up of jim slaven"...
The Mitchell Library in Glasgow has the very stories mentioned in their newspaper archive.
I was IRA's mole in the Scottish Office.Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland); October 22, 1996; Stephen Rafferty, and it also has IRA supporter in government job The Mirror (London, England); October 22, 1996; Stephen Rafferty. There is also an article dated 22nd March 2002 in the Daily Record with the headline Queen Demo Case axed.
It's in the papers so it must be true, I suppose? The point made about 'evidence' was not that the newspaper articles did not exist but that the conclusions that are being drawn from them are nothing more than wishful thinking based on malicious gossip and innuendo. It seems that the reaction of certain people and political groupings in Scotland who have now lost their previous position and standing within the republican movement is to point the finger and start shouting 'tout, agent and grass' at anyone that they perceive to be their enemy. It's playground politics.
slevin was involved with racketeers and dealers for years. then he became self sufficient financially. must have been saving his pennies.
sorry erin, but your reaction reminds me of the reaction by sinn fein to the scappaticci-saga...nonono and then he ran away...my question isnow: how long was donaldson in the international dept.? ah yes by the way, go to the tal mag no.7 page 11 and to fighting talk mags no.12-15: there s some coverage about poor jims arrest, the campaign against his possible jailing and the deal in court to save him from the open university...sanctus spiritus
your complaints are a bit rich to say the least, coming from a party leadership that has routinely denounced anyone who doesnt agree with them as "securocrat puppets" and MI5 agents out to destroy the " peace process" . For the past 12 years theyve routinely described anyone who doesnt agree with them as a Brit agent .
You people are most definitely NOT the republican separatist movement .
Youse have surrendered arms on a British demand and are on the verge of joining the British police . To dismiss peoples disgust at that as mere jealousy at not being involved in the opportunity to do Britains dirty work is a disgrace .
A freelance journalist didn’t do the article. Check out the spelling and grammar mistakes. No educated journalist would make such errors. The person that wrote this should maybe learn to spell and find out where to put punctuation marks. They could maybe even use the computers built in spell checker facility if they get really stuck!
Tearing me in two but for the good of the Republican Movement that i walked away from last year (without passing any true comment) these things have to be said .
I was pulled by a security section (they wouldnt ever say which one) in the summer of 2005 offering me payment & asking me to keep an eye on certain on goings and certain peoples actions amung everything else and all the things & PEOPLE ! they were asking me, I eventually came to the conclusion to walk away from my political beliefs Because they (the security service involved) i felt made a huge blunder in not mentioning Jim during their approaches, "why ask me to keep an eye on this and that and NOT jim" ???? that and other suspisions that have came together like a bad jigsaw since brought me to my thinking that , this movement is riddled with Police Agents & that i had to get out .
I believe JS to be so, but sadly i dont think he is on his own, i truely believe that their is many not only in Ireland but in Scotland , Liverpool & the rest of the mainland,.
Where do we go from here, well !! the country itself ie media is starting to unravel the truth, as every week we here more and more allegations of treason, we have to hope they are all exposed and bannished then we will one day be strong once more .
TAL ( I Hope )
Surely if the security agencies were protecting Slaven they would have asked you to watch him just as much as anyone else. They don't tend to blow their agents cover in such a haphazard fashion.
Think that was the guys point and why he reacted the way he did .
as a scottish republican who was involved with pdf and wosba to my knowledge donaldson was not involved in the restructuring of scotjand although he had been present at a republican function in scotland
MY point is that the Branch/MI5 or whoever are not stupid enough to blow their agent's cover by deliberatly NOT asking people about them when they are being interrogated. They're not fools you know.
Maybee he was no interest to them at the time or they had no reason to watch him !! as they didnt find him dangerous enough or at the time active enough !, the point That the guy is making is
They never ! and he obviously new things about JS for him to wonder why not !!
This could go round in circles but the point is people are coming out and making points about JS , never enough to find him guilty (i dont think) but its certaianly enough for people to draw suspision about him .
Get Scap he'll sort it out !!! oops ! forgot about him !!!! :-(
We all know that MI5 & 6 have the whole situation in the palm of their hand,
on both sides ! if you are at the front of your political group especially within the irish conflict the mob will be right on your case , blackmailing and presurising you to turn informer (or they will kill you !! lol ) on occasions they have stated , if you dont we will put it about that you are ! is this maybee who scap was working for, for years ? how many innocent men were capped or even worse through HM Forces Dirty War ? they can black mail with money or even just digging up a wee skeleton from your past , they are determined people under pressure to get results and over the past 5 years my god have they got them, on both sides of the political divide .
As i said anyone who is at the top of their political group is fair game to them, the foot soldiers are no good , its the top men who hold all the cards and have access to all the info the thing we all need to understand and ask our selves is how many of those at the top have actually resisted their approach and how many actually gave in to their presure and lapped up their luxurious offers ?
Lifes a bitch when you've no wife
and the man next doors got 2
I dont know who is and who is not an MI5 agent - I do know that the constant naming of an individual republican in Scotland is a fuckin disgrace. Why dont you pricks post on loyalist websites - the guy that you are setting up is on all their sites. Why dont you have a rumble with them? Why post about a republican in Scotland that has taken more flack than any of you?
If that named person works for MI5 it will come out eventually - what are you wankers doing? Setting him up for a hard time? If you have any decency you would not mention the name of a republican on this website - I am an Irish republican, but you people make me sick.
I support CNE 100%, because there is no alternative.
What do you want - volunteers slaughted for fuck all - do you want to see more Kevin Barry O'Donnels with 400 bullets riddled in them? Or do you want to see the struggle going forward.
The shinners have let people down big time in a lot of different ways - but I would not done what you arseholes have done, setting someone up.
Sad to see history repeating itself with the bold Jim now trying to infiltrate the 1916 Societies withe the same agenda he had with the sinners . Only difference is the Tyrone boys are not as daft as the Belfast boys.
These continued unsubstantiated allegations against Jim are ridiculous . Jim has been a constant advocate of revolutionary republicanism while his detractors have nothing to offer bit lies and falsehoods. We know who you are and we will no longer tolerate your lies.
Indymedia Ireland is a media collective. We are independent volunteer citizen journalists producing and distributing the authentic voices of the people. Indymedia Ireland is an open news project where anyone can post their own news, comment, videos or photos about Ireland or related matters.