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AS NEWS BREAKS of the death of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has been composing a strongly-worded statement about his former nemesis.
As it happens, the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis will be on in Castlebar, Co Mayo this weekend.
Here’s his statement, released ahead of a 3pm speech he is due to make in Belfast today:
Margaret Thatcher did great hurt to the Irish and British people during her time as British Prime Minister.Working class communities were devastated in Britain because of her policies.
Her role in international affairs was equally belligerent whether in support of the Chilean dictator Pinochet, her opposition to sanctions against apartheid South Africa; and her support for the Khmer Rouge.
Here in Ireland her espousal of old draconian militaristic policies prolonged the war and caused great suffering. She embraced censorship, collusion and the killing of citizens by covert operations, including the targeting of solicitors like Pat Finucane, alongside more open military operations and refused to recognise the rights of citizens to vote for parties of their choice.
Her failed efforts to criminalise the republican struggle and the political prisoners is part of her legacy.
It should be noted that in complete contradiction of her public posturing, she authorised a back channel of communications with the Sinn Féin leadership but failed to act on the logic of this.
Unfortunately she was faced with weak Irish governments who failed to oppose her securocrat agenda or to enlist international support in defence of citizens in the north.
Margaret Thatcher will be especially remembered for her shameful role during the epic hunger strikes of 1980 and ’81.
Her Irish policy failed miserably.
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Yeah! The hilarity that is American politics continues to deliver.
Biden is one of the worst presidents in America history.
Trump 2024.
@Hannah Hannah: Biden will not be ranked near Trump’s current 4th worst position. However, I don’t believe he should run for re-election due to his age (please note the obvious implication about Trump as well). Biden’s administration has generally done an effective job (with some major and minor screw-ups and also some unexpected major successes and some expected major successes) and Biden has had the unfair advantage of following Trump, which distorts Biden’s public perception to the positive in almost every way possible. The problem is that the Democratic Party have done very little to establish another potential candidate in the public awareness.
@Hannah Hannah: except for all the rest of them that is
the free pass this guy gettin’..!
is Joe busy may 6th ?
why would the POTUS snub the coronation ?
@GERARD KENNELLY: because the King of England isn’t his boss.
@GERARD KENNELLY: Because no American President has ever attended a British coronation so why should he?
Unfortunately he has not acquitted himself well in the role. But at least he was 100% better than that other option the Republican party were offering. It was most definitely a case of “ANYONE is better than letting Trump back into power.”
I love Joe Biden but I don’t think he should run again.
BIden is absolutely not up to it at all and it is more than essential that the Democratic party find the courage to break it to him . He is quite simply past it and I say it as someone who is a senior citizen myself . On the other hand while he is lost in a nostalgic daze about his Irishness Ireland is the lucky beneficiary . Meantime Hillary Clinton.on Late Late was absolutely flying it , bright as a button , wonderfully articulate .She can’t have been too focused on Bill though ,who looked so utterly ecstatic with the beautiful head of Mrs Colm Eastwood on his shoulder as they hugged each other during all that meet and greet .Hillary ,was robbed before of the top job but would make a great candidate still .
have your say