Gerry Adams

“Perhaps it’s best to simply regard Gerry’s book as the political equivalent of an ageing hardman action star taking a role in The Expendables…”

Pete Baker on January 23, 2016, 4:03 pm

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The Guardian’s Marina Hyde on the “exciting publishing news”, the terms may be used advisedly, of the forth-coming publication of Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams’ Little Book of Calm Little Book of Tweets. From the Guardian article Enormous congratulations to Gerry Adams, who is formally elevated to irony’s army council. The Sinn Féin president is the subject of exciting publishing news, with the forthcoming release of a collected volume of tweets and selfies. According to the party bookshop’s blurb, “this …

US President Bill Clinton: “We’ve all taken our licks for Gerry”.

Pete Baker on January 7, 2016, 4:06 pm

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The BBC’s freedom of information specialist, Martin Rosenbaum, has been reading through transcripts of calls and meetings between US President Bill Clinton and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, between 1997 and 2000, which were released following a BBC freedom of information request to the Clinton Presidential Library. As he notes, [The transcripts] contain substantial redactions, especially of Mr Blair’s remarks… From the BBC report Much of their discussion was about the Northern Ireland peace process, in which President Clinton played a significant part. …

Gerry Adams on Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy’s tax evasion: Yeah but, no but, yeah but, no but…

Pete Baker on December 20, 2015, 5:23 pm

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After the guilty verdict in the trial of, “key supporter of the Sinn Féin peace strategy”, Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy on 9 charges of tax evasion, Gerry Adams, TD, declared that he had “no comment to make until the legal process has been concluded”. Following criticism of that position the Sinn Féin president has, apparently, decided that some comment would be appropriate after all. The journal.ie has his initial further comment, and the Sinn Féin website has a further, further version. From the …

Question for Gerry Adams: Is Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy still “a good republican”?

Pete Baker on December 17, 2015, 2:34 pm

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As the BBC reports, 66-year-old Thomas Murphy has been found guilty of nine charges of tax evasion at Ireland’s non-jury Special Criminal Court. When, in March 2006, there was a series of co-ordinated raids on properties in the UK and Ireland connected to Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy – who had been named previously as both the UK’s richest smuggler and a former Provisional IRA Chief of Staff – the Sinn Féin president, now Louth TD, Gerry Adams declared, “Tom Murphy is not a …

“Sinn Féin has, at best, walked off the pitch. At worst, it is an enormous act of political cowardice.”

Mick Fealty on November 26, 2015, 5:58 pm

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DING DING: Joan Burton with a rolling haymaker at Gerry Adams over his party’s deliberate equivocation over a welfare deal it helped to move and shape. “At the first sign of a major political challenge, Sinn Féin has, at best, simply walked off the pitch. At worst, it is an enormous act of political cowardice.’’

Portugal – Redux: “I’m less heartened by the way in which individuals misinterpret other countries’ politics to prove particular political points.”

Pete Baker on November 2, 2015, 5:41 pm

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Make that individuals and political parties… Like David, Sinn Féin had another go at framing the narrative over recent events in Portugal. Unlike David, they didn’t reverse ferret totally change their perspective after reading a random blog post… The initial charge (24 Oct) from the Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, TD, was that “Events in Portugal expose anti-democratic nature of EU” …in Portugal we are witnessing the makings of a genuine coup with the unwillingness of the establishment there to …

“in which case, may I be the first to say well done Gerry.”

Pete Baker on September 28, 2015, 3:23 pm

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Aided and abetted by the right-wing nationalists of the Independent Greeks, Alexis Tsipras has been returned to power in Greece at the head of a New Syriza “experiment” to implement the EU bail-out, and associated austerity measures, that the Old Syriza experiment was once elected to oppose. Given the contortions Tsipras has put his party, and his country, through it was interesting to see the Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, quick off the mark to congratulate Tsipras [on his chutzpah? – …

Adams says “Trust is not a pre-condition for making political progress…”

Mick Fealty on September 22, 2015, 9:55 am

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TRUST FREE ENVIRONMENT: Ernest Hemingway said that “the best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them”. Trust in business is often indicated by credit (ie belief). Currencies have no intrinsic value in and of themselves. We invest in them because our empirical experience rewards our belief. So when Gerry Adams says “trust is not a precondition for making political progress”, what does he mean?

Adams on uncomfortable conversations and Unionism

David McCann on September 17, 2015, 7:27 pm

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PLAYING CATCH UP: Gerry Adams delivered an interesting speech in Dublin today under the “Uncomfortable Conversations” topic. He focused on reaching out to Unionists and what he spoke to Prince Charles about when they met a few months ago.

Gerry Adams: “Even if I’m wrong [about the continued existence of the Provisional IRA…]”

Pete Baker on September 14, 2015, 7:16 pm

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PROVISIONALS APPEAR THEN DISAPPEAR: It’s not the Provisional IRA structures that are the immediate cause for concern. It’s the involvement of those ‘structures’ in the events leading up to, and including, the murder of Kevin McGuigan, and the continued denials which have followed.

Has Enda made the calculation that taking on Sinn Fein is more important than devolution?

David McCann on September 5, 2015, 3:30 pm

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We are fast approaching the next Irish general election. Down in the polls at the moment, Kenny is determined to become the first ever Fine Gael leader in Irish history to win two consecutive terms in office. This will go nicely with his claim to have led the party to its biggest ever victory at the last election (in seat count anyway). Often living in Northern Ireland we forget that we are not really a big issue in Southern politics …

Adams: ‘Those who threaten to take action against Sinn Féin in the Assembly and Executive have no basis whatsoever for this.’

David McCann on August 21, 2015, 11:58 pm

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Continuing the round of statements from party leaders, the Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has spoken about the recent developments in the McGuigan murder. Here are his comments; The killing of Kevin McGuigan was wrong and those who were involved in it are criminals who do not represent republicanism. The so-called group Action against Drugs is a criminal gang. It is a mix of criminals and former republicans who have engaged in intimidation and violence in pursuit of their criminal …

“It is rather as if the US and Europe ended up not only accepting the right of ISIS to exist but went on to embrace Islam as their state religion…”

Pete Baker on August 1, 2015, 5:03 pm

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At The Broken Elbow, Ed Moloney responds to the Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams’ recent claim that “the IRA was never defeated” and, in the process, provides a useful corrective to the partial, ahistorical, view held by some. From The Broken Elbow post Adams was also responding, according to press reports, to recent remarks by British premier, David Cameron that, “British resolve saw off the IRA’s assaults on our way of life”, i.e that Britain defeated the IRA. So, who is …

The continuing welfare impasse shows that peace will survive the suspension of the Assembly

Brian Walker on July 29, 2015, 11:45 am

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On the surface at least, few outside the place are noticing. The public seem to be ignoring it, as if in a dream. Civil society stays generally schtum, like jobsworths in the old Soviet society. The parties are crying for attention. Gerry Adams has been polishing up his narrative of entitlement “By slashing hundreds of millions of pounds from the finances of the North’s Executive, the British government has attacked the ability of the political institutions to deliver for citizens.” …

Cartoon – “Sinn Fexit”?

Brian Spencer on June 18, 2015, 8:58 am

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Talk is of Grexit and the latest from Tsipras is, “wife will leave if I surrender to Europe.” The Greek leader isn’t the only one at the centre of an impasse exercise his spouse’s bidding. Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

Fianna Fail-Could they bounce back at the next election?

David McCann on June 9, 2015, 6:29 pm

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Fianna Fail, the natural governing party of Ireland. One of the most successful parties in Europe, second only to the Swedish Social Democrats for both electoral success and length of time in power. All of this changed in 2011 as the party suffered a heavy defeat following three years of recession and austerity. With the exception of 2013, the party has polled at around 19-23% and in the local elections they won more councillors than any other party in the …

What is Sinn Fein’s path to victory next year in the Irish general election?

David McCann on June 4, 2015, 4:44 pm

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Jonny’s post about when Enda Kenny might call the election got me thinking about just how the next election might pan out for each of the parties. The next election is such a hard one to call as the old certainties have gone out the window. Not since 1926 have there been so many unknown variables in the contest that could impact the outcome. The rise of Sinn Fein as a serious force in Irish politics has thrown everything up …

Cartoon – A shared future (of talking to inanimate objects)

Brian Spencer on May 20, 2015, 7:44 pm

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On Tuesday May 19 2015 Prince Charles met and shook hands with Gerry Adams in Galway, composing a vista unimaginable until recently. The Colonel-in-Chief of the parachute regiment meets with Uachtaráin Sinn Féin, arch-monarchist and arch-republican. Brian SpencerBrian is a writer, artist, political cartoonist and legal blogger. Actively tweeting from @brianjohnspencr. More information here: http://www.brianjohnspencer.com/ www.brianjohnspencer.com/

“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

Pete Baker on April 20, 2015, 7:23 pm

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As with the Red Queen so too, it would seem, with Sinn Féin – who published their 2015 Westminster Election Manifesto today. The BBC report notes Deputy leader Martin McGuinness said that he does not believe any of the main parties in Northern Ireland will play a role in the formation of the next government and that any claims to the contrary were “misleading”. Well, Sinn Féin will not play any role. But other Northern Ireland parties might, depending on …

Adams v Martin: Well that escalated quickly

David McCann on April 20, 2015, 2:17 pm

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This morning the Fianna Fail leader, Micheal Martin and the Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams went head to head over remarks made by Martin at the annual 1916 commemoration yesterday where he stated that Sinn Fein where unfit for democratic government. Here is the audio of the tense exchange between the two leaders Who got the better of whom in this exchange? David McCannDavid McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can follow him on …