The ex-MP (one who never sat at Westminister) and President of Sinn Fein has been made a Baron by HMG.

Already dubbed Baron von Kneecap!

You forgot to mention - the man who brought Peace to Northern Ireland !

In The Know wrote:
You forgot to mention - the man who brought Peace to Northern Ireland !

Who?


Trimble, Blair, Paisley, Mallon, McGuinness, Major, Clinton, Obama, Haughey, Ahern, Mrs Clinton ?

Janine wrote:
Trimble, Blair, Paisley, Mallon, McGuinness, Major, Clinton, Obama, Haughey, Ahern, Mrs Clinton ?

None of whom would have had ANY effect without the support, leadership and guidance of Mr Adams.

In The Know wrote:
None of whom would have had ANY effect without the support, leadership and guidance of Mr Adams.

This ex-barman/prisoner seems - in ITK's view - to have had an amazing affect on life in Northern Ireland.

Presumably, his senior role in the IRA, since the 70's, was significant.

But to suggest that the politicians mentioned (including world leaders) took 'leadership and guidance' from him is to verge on lunacy.

I think - hope - he was being sarcastic.

I would like to hope most of the names mentioned as "bringing peace to Northern Ireland" are tongue-in-cheek, ironic though that Grizzly Adams' role in murders will pale into insignifficance when compared to the likes of Blair & the Clintons. While their skills in a multitude of negotiations isn't in doubt, Peace in Ireland came out due to generational changes & a shift in the overall political climate (as well as pardoning murderers etc)

I do sometimes wonder if Irish Terrorism was only negotiated (dropped) when our beloved leaders found a much more convenient terrorism to replace it....

JK2006 wrote:
I think - hope - he was being sarcastic.

You do? JK, you are a man to whom I would shrink from giving advice to. You've created, seen and done too many things. But every rule has its exception and this is it. I'd advise you to think {or hope} again.

Janine wrote:
This ex-barman/prisoner seems - in ITK's view - to have had an amazing affect on life in Northern Ireland.

Presumably, his senior role in the IRA, since the 70's, was significant.

But to suggest that the politicians mentioned (including world leaders) took 'leadership and guidance' from him is to verge on lunacy.

I defer to someone else to answer on my behalf ! -

<< Gerry Adams did more to bring peace to Ireland than John Hume did in my opinion.

He had a far tougher role to play and while John did incredible work, he did not literally put his life on the line time and again as Adams did at critical times.

Adams, of course, did not make the final five, a man so controversial as to be a former IRA leader would not be considered by the good people of Ireland

(Except of course Michael Collins was in the final five as was revolutionary James Connolly who also embraced violence --but that was back then when violence was different you see)

Don't get me wrong, John Hume is a remarkable individual who richly deserved his Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the Northern Irish process.

But the reality is that John's incredible work on that process was going nowhere until Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness created the opening with the IRA.

Of the two , Adams and Hume, Adams had by far the tougher task, convincing the IRA that they must call a halt to their activities and fall short of their stated goal of a United Ireland.

It was the kind of position that got Michael Collins killed and it almost got Adams killed as well.

I am proud to say that I know both Adams and Hume reasonably well and can richly applaud the incredible accomplishments that they both helped bring to fruition along with Bill Clinton, George Mitchell Albert Reynolds, Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair to name a few.

But the first and most vital step in all of this great story was ending the IRA campaign, without which none of the rest would have made even a whiff of sense.

It was Gerry Adams who achieved that previously impossible task. >>

taken from - www.irishcentral.com/story/news/periscop...award-105568063.html

Well well and I assumed anyone with a grain of sense considered Adams a war criminal!

JK2006 wrote:
Well well and I assumed anyone with a grain of sense considered Adams a war criminal!

Surely we should look at the total outcome ?
Thats why I was rather susprised that others tried to decry Adams pivotal role in the peace process.

The IRA were only doing what the Egyptians today are doing - fighting for their own freedom ?

Nelson Mandela was once branded a "terrorist" - he's now probably the most revered man in the world.

In The Know wrote:

Nelson Mandela was once branded a "terrorist" - he's now probably the most revered man in the world.

PLEASE

do not put adams and Nelson Mandela in the same context

Janine wrote:

do not put adams and Nelson Mandela in the same context

Mandela has never mentioned Adams; the latter tries to dignify his gangster mentality by using a great name; he has nothing else.

Nothing at all....

Reltam wrote:
Mandela has never mentioned Adams; the latter tries to dignify his gangster mentality by using a great name; he has nothing else.

Nothing at all....

... except look forward to leading Northern Ireland ?