McDowell - A Legacy?

[DaraghM]

And yet again jmcc you show yourself to be a fool. Passport applications aren't state secrets you muppet. Though its funny that Connolly has frequently declare that he won't explain where he actually WAS during the period in question, even though his column in the IT mysteriously went on hiatus at the exact same time. Hmm, what a coincidence... There's also the the inconvenient little statements from the French and the CCTV footage in Bogota.

[DaraghM]

Daragh..

I'm not trying to be touchy with you, especially as it is a close relative and person you admire very much involved in the discussion.. but you might as well understand this

Michael Mc Dowell had nothing to do with bringing about the IRA cessation.. he had nothing to do with the GFA.. he had nothing to do with IRA de-commissioning.. and he had nothing to do with the St Andrews Agreement

therefore, he had nothing to do with an substantial part of the Peace Process at all.... that will be seen in the history of this time in Ireland

You can believe your precious Gerry brought his tribe on the path of peace all you want ROC, but the fact is you don't have guns any more because the PDs insisted upon it.

[DaraghM]

I'm not in the medical profession but have lunch with some medical professionals most days and they are vehemently opposed to Harney (they're staunch FFers but nobodies perfect) . Their only disappointment with the last election result is that Mary is still in place at the Department of Health

Fair enough, but can I ask you this - would these people be SHOs or Consultants?

[Limerick Lad]

I'm not in the medical profession but have lunch with some medical professionals most days and they are vehemently opposed to Harney (they're staunch FFers but nobodies perfect) . Their only disappointment with the last election result is that Mary is still in place at the Department of Health

Fair enough, but can I ask you this - would these people be SHOs or Consultants?

GPs

[jmcc]

And yet again jmcc you show yourself to be a fool. Passport applications aren't state secrets you muppet.

I believe what I said was "state secrets and papers". Now Passport applications would be state papers.

Though its funny that Connolly has frequently declare that he won't explain

It is probably a bit hard for you to grasp that essential tenet of democracy and Western justice - that of the presumption of innocence. McDowell effectively ignored that and leaked those papers to a journalist. Where was the due process? Where were the charges? Where was the trial?

Regards...jmcc

[rockofcashel]

Daragh..

I'm not trying to be touchy with you, especially as it is a close relative and person you admire very much involved in the discussion.. but you might as well understand this

Michael Mc Dowell had nothing to do with bringing about the IRA cessation.. he had nothing to do with the GFA.. he had nothing to do with IRA de-commissioning.. and he had nothing to do with the St Andrews Agreement

therefore, he had nothing to do with an substantial part of the Peace Process at all.... that will be seen in the history of this time in Ireland

You can believe your precious Gerry brought his tribe on the path of peace all you want ROC, but the fact is you don't have guns any more because the PDs insisted upon it.

That is absolute rubbish.. the DUP insisted on it. That might grate with Republicans, but it is the fact of the matter. It became impossible for Republicans to continue with a fully armed and political strategy, to advance beyond a certain point in the mid-90's, and the IRA cessation came into place. Once that had happened, it was simply a matter of time before de-commissioning happened (again regardless of what Republicans said at the time).

The UUP were castrated, and have fallen away, because they had to be. No final political settlement would have been possible unless the DUP were brought into the tent. The price of that, was de-commissioning.

As much as it might pain you to be told this in no uncertain terms, but the Republican Movement wouldn't and didn't give a fig for what the PD's thought.

The PD's might have wanted to look at playing hardball on SF and Republicans in general, but remember, Michael Mc Dowell was the Minister for Justice who was on his way to tell Jerry Mc Cabes wife that he had made a deal over the release of the men convicted of the Garda's killing, until Ian Paisley pulled out of the agreed political deal.

The PD's were an irritation to SF because of their disproportionate access to the media, and their willingness to use that access to try to propose a militant anti-Republican line (which suited the media, and other certain political elements, especially within FF), but in the wider scheme of things, the PD's were never more than an irritant

That's political reality, not party spin or self delusion.

[rockofcashel]

And yet again jmcc you show yourself to be a fool. Passport applications aren't state secrets you muppet. Though its funny that Connolly has frequently declare that he won't explain where he actually WAS during the period in question, even though his column in the IT mysteriously went on hiatus at the exact same time. Hmm, what a coincidence... There's also the the inconvenient little statements from the French and the CCTV footage in Bogota.

Passport applications may not be state secrets, but the handing over of personal information by the Minister for Justice simply to pursue his own personal political agenda, shows how unfit that Minister was to hold his office. If Frank Connolly was suspected of treason, or sedition, or whatever "crime" he was accused of, then in a constitutional Republic, which I believe we still live in, he should have been investigated for such, and charged if evidence was available.

However, he should also have been entitled to the protection of the law from accusations if no evidence, or not enough evidence to hold a charge was available. This was the case. Michael Mc Dowell went against all principles of the law, which as a barrister you'd have imagined he should have been abhorred by, to use the media to "get" Frank Connolly, because the justice system had found there to be no "hard" evidence to bring a case against him

What statements from the French.. what CCTV footage from Bogota ?

Was there enough evidence available to convict Frank Connolly in this country of something.. anything ?

If there was/is not, then like all people, Frank Connolly is entitled to the presumption of innocence.