GRIZZLY ADAMS TO POLLUTE POLICING .....
I see that the ongoing choreography between Sinn Fein/IRA and the DUP continues. Comes the news that Sinn Féin/IRA could hold a special party conference on policing by next March if all its concerns were "properly addressed", Gerry Adams said today. (What a surprise!)
In a newspaper article, the Sinn Féin/IRA leader has spelled out clearly his requirements if a party conference to consider endorsing the Police Service of Northern Ireland is to be held within the timetable envisaged in the St Andrews plan to restore power-sharing by next March. Adams said he needed a definite date for the transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster to Stormont, agreement on the type of devolved government department which would handle them and MI5 to be excluded from any civic policing role.
How reasonable. So, just to reprise and translate this from Republican-speak, Adams will lower himself to accept the neutered grossly incomptent Police Service of Northern Ireland (which boasts how it actively discriminates against anyone who is not a Roman Catholic!) just so long as control of such policing can be devolved to potentially a Sinn Fein/IRA Minister! Naturally, Adams is insistent that MI5 would be kept right away from policing issues, we can but ponder why!
What will happen is this. Government will produce a firm date for the devolution of policing in due course, subject to this that and the other caveat. Sinn Fein/IRA will, heroically and to the applause of the global MSM, accept the PSNI..... so long as it gets to control it. The fact that Sinn Fein/IRA murdered HUNDREDS and wounded THOUSANDS of Police Officers over the years will be ignored as not relevant. The DUP will them cautiously welcome the Sinn Fein/IRA decision to polute policing, and will even claim the "credit." Everyone in the political stratosphere will then have a wild Party - and the overwhelming majority of the victims of terrorism will be forgotten. By deed, not by word, their betrayal will be complete.
And we will have won peace in our time.
David Vance
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Reader Comments (11)
From way across the pond, I have a few questions that perhaps somebody can answer:
If SF/IRA "sign up" to policing, does that mean that the police can then question Mr. McGuiness and Mr. Adams about their involvement in terrorist operations, including obtaining a complete debriefing on all IRA operations they directed or took part in, etc., etc.?
And if Mr. McGuinness refuses to answer questions on the grounds of self-incrimination, does that mean that SF/IRA is in breach of its pledge to support policing?
And if that happens, does Tony Blair just shut down the NI Assembly again? Or will SF/IRA then be excluded from receiving its share of executive positions under the d'Hondt formula?
The Police service needs to be getting ready to line up lenghty interviews with the both of them in anticipation of their promise to "sign up" to policing.
If people are to give serious credit to SF/IRA's claim that it will sincerely and honestly commit to support policing, doesn't that mean that the end result will be the exposure of the entire history and details of the 30 yr trail of IRA terror, followed on by prosecution for the murders that took place?
Nigel Dodds says that devolution of policing will not happen within a generation.
Newton Emerson says that as Dodds hails from North Belfast, this will only mean 12 years!
The fifth amendment doesn't exist outside America.
As for the rest the PNSI will and do have the right to question anyone within their juristiction. But support for policing does not mean one has to confess to any and every allegation the police decide to put to you.
You are still, of course, entitled to the presumption of innocence and to defend yourself.
And the police must proced on the basis of evidence not alegation. Otherwise they'll have Gerry Kelly to answer to.
Hugh Orde looking for Sinn Fein support.
The Fifth Amendment may not exist outside the US but the Principle behind it does.
It has long since been a fundemental of the Criminal law that one is entitled to freedom from self-incrimination.
That is where the right to silence orignates from.Even though that right has been qualified in recent years it still exists.
Infrences may be drawn from your silence but only after several criteria are met, with leave of the court and when a prima facia case has been established.
Hope this helps clear up any confusion.
You can be silent but in the US you can refuse to answer on the grounds of self-incrmination. And that's the end of it.
I assume if you said that here it would be taken as a confession.
Our position here was like that of America until a few years ago. When the law was changed it was held that if you unreasonably refuse to answer questions on an issue to which you later rely on in court infrences can be drawn from your silence.
The caution which you are read upon arrest was changed to reflect that.
The fact remains however that until a prima facia case has been established, with the evidence to prove such case, infrences can not be drawn from your silence.
The other side of this coin, and one I find worrying, is slavish Unionist support for police. Blair / Brown / Reid are playing the politics of fear to snatch liberties from citizens. Supporting law and order is very different to acquiescing to a Police State.
PSNI are far from perfect on many levels, both the normal flaws of any police force and many specific to Northern Ireland. They should have to continuously earn the support of all sections of the community. A long time ago a RUC mans sister drove into me when I was stationery, the forged evidence to prosecute me for dangerous driving was outrageous and I have not trusted the force since, though the standard of individual PC’s seems to be improving. I have sympathy with many Nationalists as regard awful policing - though the level of exageration does make it hard to maintain.
A word of warning - I was in Stanstead Airport yesterday; the police and security people are absolutely intoxicated with power and arrogance - it was frightening. There was a happy band of us middle class, middle aged Scots and Northern Ireland travellers who protested our treatment and the security people went in to full-scale harassment mode.
Very interesting observations. I rather agree with your view. Blind support for policing is not to be encouraged.
I went through the security at Birmingham airport twice recently. On both occasions the staff conducted themselves efficiently, politely and with good humour, despite the enormous numbers filing through.