Stop pandering to bigots and criminals
As we were later reminded by a gloating Mr Paisley, the Taoiseach grovelled for a full nine minutes to that unreconstructed sectarian bigot.
This was a complete humiliation in itself, but now it is compounded by the revelation that SF-IRA were responsible for the Northern Bank robbery, thus exposing Mr Ahern’s naivety in granting virtually all SF-IRA demands, such as the early release of the Det Gda Jerry McCabe’s killers despite repeated solemn commitments never to do so.
Mr Ahern really would want to get a grip. He should stop lining up SF-IRA criminals as possible coalition partners while also sucking up to Paisley.
In previous difficulties in the peace process John Bruton, then Taoiseach, had the sobriquet ‘John Unionist’ unfairly attached to him.
He knew the difference between fascists and democrats and stood up for democracy.
Surely one of Mr Ahern’s spindoctors could explain to him that there is a limit, that the peace process can’t go on necessitating us to turn a blind eye to criminal thuggery.
Or is the “most cunning, clever and devious of them all” losing his touch?
William MacCarthy
Killarney Avenue
Bandon
Co Cork
