The Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams, has delivered a big two fingers up to all of his media critics. I know on Slugger I get a lot of “we don’t read that thing” from Shinners but we like to think that every now and then he stops by to see how Mick is keeping. Anyway, below is his latest blog post on the media, his twitter feed and a poem: Certain media commentators have recently made an issue of the …
The Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, TD, would like to change his previous answer to the question. Again. Here’s his new new position on water charges “Sinn Féin is standing firmly with those families and hard pressed citizens who very simply cannot pay the Government’s water tax. As a mark of solidarity, I have decided that I will not pay this Government’s Water Tax. [added emphasis] To be fair, up until a month ago the Louth TD didn’t realise he would have …
listen to ‘Mairia Cahill speaks: "Vulnerable children left unprotected"’ on audioBoom Mairia Cahill reading her article in the Sunday Independent today… The Firementwitter.com/The_Firemen
There was a clear attempt at political revisionism this week, as the Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, TD, sought to, as Anthony McIntyre put it, “claw back lost ground” following an “unprecedented” Leaders’ questions in the Dáil on Wednesday 22 Oct – aided and abetted by interventions from the legal representative of four of those accused, and acquitted, in the Maíria Cahill case. [added in-line link] This is the position the Sinn Fein president attempted to end the week with “I further understand that Peter …
Without further comment… Sample of Michael Harding's Hanging With The Elephant.Only 4 Ted's Mr Sheen persona our kip wud b like that. Is Urs? pic.twitter.com/T18txG86JX — Gerry Adams (@GerryAdamsSF) October 25, 2014 Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
The first opinion poll taken in the South since the BBC Spotlight programme was conducted on Monday-Wednesday of the past week. Here are the results Fine Gael-26% (-2) Sinn Fein-20% (-3%) Fianna Fail-18% (nc) Labour-8% (nc) Inds/Oths-28% (+5) Overall, Sinn Fein will be happy with this poll as in other bad times for the party such as the Northern Bank robbery and the McCartney murder, the party’s support halved in just 9 weeks. This 3% drop is more stable and …
Speaking at a party candidate event earlier today in Belfast, Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams TD made another statement about the Cahill case; below are his remarks to members of his party The allegations of Maíria Cahill have been at the centre of the media and political system North and South, in recent times. Over the course of the past week Maíria Cahill has made serious allegations against myself and named Sinn Féin members. While I am very mindful of the …
In 1997 Ray Burke informed RTE after his hour long session in the Dail that ‘the line is in the sand, from this day on this is D day, I move on’. Within a month he resigned as Minister for Foreign Affairs following an allegation of corruption which led to the setting up of what became the Flood Tribunal. Burke was jailed for tax fraud in 2004. By contrast the retribution of the state seems to hold little fear for Sinn Fein, in the sense …
With the out-going MP for Newry and Armagh, Sinn Fein’s Conor Murphy, declaring his ignorance of alleged abusers in the republican movement being moved out of Northern Ireland – BBC report “I’ve never heard that in all my life as a republican,” [Conor Murphy] said. …it’s worth extracting from the Fireman’s post some quotes from the interview on Newstalk Breakfast with Sinn Féin TD Peadar Tóibín – who, according to the SF website, is a “current member of the Sinn Féin Ard Comhairle.” Here’s …
Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald has posted a twitter response to a blog circulating on social media which describes Maíria Cahill’s alleged rape ordeal as “a year long sexual liaison”. The blog describes the alleged rapist as a man “whom many a 16-year-old would likely fancy”. The blog prompted a twitter question from Maíria Cahill to Ms. McDonald who replied two hours later. The anonymous blogger who reportedly resides in West Belfast and calls himself “Ruaidri Ua Conchobai” …
Madden and Finucane Solicitors, acting on behalf of Padraic Wilson, Seamus Finucane, Briege Wright and Maura McCrory have issued a letter stating their opposition to Mairia Cahill‘s version of events: It states that those accused have been subject to a lengthy police investigation and that Cahill has been “afforded every resource the state could offer”. The letter states that Padraic Wilson had previously been a member of the IRA had been dismissed by a court previously and claims that Mairia Cahill, “would …
From today’s editorial in the Irish Times Adams’s claim that there was “absolutely no cover up by Sinn Féin at any level”, is worthy of the most cynical bishop. It appears to be based on the fact that the IRA came to accept that she had indeed been abused. But its response was not to assist in bringing the culprit to some external forum of justice, or to counsel and assist the victim, but to offer to shoot him. That …
The rape of Maria Cahill was a horrific crime. This writer cannot even begin to think of the suffering and torment that she has endured because of the actions of a depraved individual. There is no sane person who doubts Cahill’s version of events. Sadly, this horrific event has been seized upon by Sinn Fein’s political opponents. It is clear from the words and action of politicians North and South that Maria Cahill comes second in their thoughts. Maria Cahill …
Micheal Martin’s response to Gerry Adam’s blog statement is also worth replicating here more or less in full: “After instigating a vicious campaign of vilification against Mairia Cahill over the course of the last week, it is of course welcome that Gerry Adams has belatedly acknowledged that his organisation did carry out internal investigations of sexual abuse allegations. However, it is deeply disappointing that even as he abandons a key claim he fails to do the right thing by Ms Cahill. …
Over on his blog Leargas, Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams TD has written the following post on the recent Spotlight programme on Mairia Cahill; The recent allegations made by Maíria Cahill are of serious concern to myself and Sinn Féin. While I refute completely Maíria’s allegations against myself and Sinn Féin it does raise the significant issue of how allegations of abuse had been handled in the past by republicans. Abuse respects no political boundaries. It affects all classes, creeds …
Tonight we received this EXCLUSIVE STATEMENT from Maíria Cahill: Let us all remind ourselves of what Sinn Fein’s position was when the party spokesperson Pearse Doherty was asked repeatedly outside Leinster house about Micheal Martin’s assertion that the IRA dealt internally with cases of abuse. “Unfounded and untrue, its as clear as I can make it”. That sounds like a denial to me. On Thursday Dessie Ellis, and again tonight, Gerry Adams confirmed that the IRA did indeed internally investigate …
Maíria Cahill who claims she was raped as a teenager by a man believed to be a member of the IRA and later “interrogated” by the IRA about the incident, appeared on RTE Six One News last night to further clarify allegations of a cover up by Sinn Féin and suggested sexual abuse was more widespread than she originally feared. She claimed her situation is not an isolated case and appealed on the show for members of Sinn Féin who …
If you missed it, it is well worth watching Mairia Cahill on Vincent Browne last night… It’s an extraordinarily well conducted interview by Browne who stays focused the whole way through. Ms Cahill seems to start pretty nervously which provoked a few (mercifully few) Twitter to talk about doubting her story. Other still questioned the timing of these revelations, still measuring this all as a deliberate political attack on an emergent Sinn Fein. On one level the answer is pretty simple. …
So here’s a long response from Gerry Adams to the allegations on RTE’s News At One today, followed by Mairia Cahill’s criticism on Newstalk at lunchtime: listen to ‘Gerry Adams “more than economical with the truth” – Maíria Cahill’ on audioBoom The real meat of the day though was in a Press Conference at Leinster House following a meeting between Ms Cahill and Micheal Martin of Fianna Fail. The Irish Times reports: In response Ms Cahill said: “I am appalled. …
Ed Moloney correctly notes that what Mairia Cahill outlined on Tuesday night’s Spotlight was (and remains) a scandal. If you doubt it, ask yourself why up to 13 individuals tried and failed at the High Court to have their names removed from the programme? The picture painted by Cahill is of Sinn Fein corporately acting on the orders of the IRA: that much fabled and little talked about Movement to cover up multiple rape. Moloney also suggests the possibility that the PSNI colluded with former Provisionals …
