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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Vicious attacks on presidential candidate Martin McGuinness begin -- Absurd call to have him arrested as war criminal

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Vicious attacks on presidential candidate Martin McGuinness begin -- Absurd call to have him arrested as war criminal

Posted on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 06:47 AM

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The Irish presidential race gets nastier every day since Martin McGuinness entered.

He has touched a raw nerve among the Little Irelanders,who want nothing more than to keep their little Republic to themselves and bitterly oppose any interference from the likes of McGuinness.

We are witnessing the last throw of the dice of the revisionists who would much rather a wall was built around Northern Ireland many years ago and then have averted their eyes to whatever needed to be done.

The latest extraordinary outburst was by Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole who proclaimed that Martin McGuinness if he became president of Ireland, could be arrested for war crimes if he traveled abroad because of his role with the IRA.

"Should we appoint a head of State who could be liable to arrest for war crimes under international law?," he asked in his column.

The blindingly obvious retort is that Nelson Mandela, founder of the ANC, an organization that invented 'necklacing' where a burning tire was placed around a victim's neck, could be arrested too under O'Toole's definition.

That did not stop Mandela getting the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

O'Toole's comments also ignored the reality of the history of his own state.

Sean MacBride, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Nobel Peace Prize winner was a Chief of Staff of the IRA.

Two previous presidents of Ireland, Eamon De Valera and Sean T O'Ceallaigh were members of the IRA before going into politics.

McGuinness is following a long tradition in Irish politics of putting aside the gun and entering politics.

He is head and shoulders above those competing for the race against him in terms of accomplishment.

His two major rivals, Gay Mitchell of Fine Gael and Michael D. Higgins of the Labor Party are second tier candidates from within their own parties.

McGuinness has an amazing track record as a peacemaker, playing a huge role in ending the IRA campaign. forging a deal with Ian Paisley and later with Peter Robinson to share power in Northern Ireland.

It was world statesman stuff, ending an horrific conflict, and was acknowledged everywhere from the Oval Office to indeed, Mandela himself.

It seems like O'Toole and others like him want to forget the last twenty years of incredible progress in Ireland and focus only on McGuinness's IRA past.

Well then, O'Toole,who almost wept with joy when the Queen agreed to visit her former subjects, should apply the same criteria to her majesty and her family.

Prince Charles is Commander in Chief of the Parachute Regiment which killed innocent civilians in Derry in 1972.

Should he be retroactively banned from Ireland?

Of course not. The reality is that the Irish Republic was forged in war and violence,like the United States once was.

We can no more ignore that history than we can the impact The Troubles had on Ireland North and South.

Martin McGuinness was a key player in ending those troubles, arguably the single biggest achievement on the island of Ireland for the past 100 years or so.

O'Toole is revealing a little Ireland mentality that infects many of the great and the good on that island.

Alas, we will be seeing it manifest itself again and again in the coming weeks

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seanomelbourne | Sep 22, 2011, 07:58 PM EDT

I'm amused at the historical references about Dev and Collins. The nitpicking about which of them were right or wrong is irrelevant to the election.Most of the politicians post war were ex IRA members and they eventually died out.McGuiness is no exception (ex IRA).He is head and shoulders above the other canditdates,he is no different to Mandela or Washington they all fought repression.The likes of the plastic Irish,Georgy Dillon and co. cannot make a coherent practical assessment of the situation they lack either knowledge or commonsense.O'Toole is an excuse for an Irishman.

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pilib04 | Sep 22, 2011, 06:45 PM EDT

So this is what it took to wake up Niall. I can't agree more, but why did it take you so long. I guess Marty's candidacy for Uachtaran na h'Eireann pushed your hand (to finally write what needs to be said). I like that "small Irish" comment. Sort of like westBrits. Keep up the pressure, Niall.

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shoobyding | Sep 22, 2011, 06:40 PM EDT

Can you imagine a Irish Journalistic voicing his slanted in favor of the IRA in a popular English newspaper, would it ever get printed and if it did how long would he work for that newspaper afterwords. Can we not see what these British journalists are trying to achieve, why is this garbage, in a so called Irish newspaper, even getting the light of day.

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johhnyb | Sep 22, 2011, 06:23 PM EDT

Hi George. Apologies for failing to make sense to you. You claim that your lack of support for Sinn Fein is because you disapprove of their immigration policies. I find this reason amusing in that, if you can overlook 30 years of questionable behaviour, you can surely overlook a questionable immigration policy. The phrase 'straining at gnats and swallowing camels' sums it up! Is that clear enough? Best wishes.

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johhnyb | Sep 22, 2011, 04:59 PM EDT

ancavker and Dillon, there are conflicting accounts re. Dev's role in the civil war. For example, in one book we've got Frank Aiken, the IRA Chief of Staff ordering his troops to ceasefire in May 1923. In another, it is de Valera, as President of the alternate republican administration, who issues this order. While I accept that Dev probably had limited influence over the likes of Barry and Lynch, had he wanted peace, he alone was in a position to ensure it. Dev did not want peace. What we know for sure is that de Valera was practically revered by the Sinn Fein movement, which elected him president in 1918. He was equally revered by the rank and file IRA. When the Treaty vote in the Dail went against Dev in January 1922, he was crushed. He regarded it not as a betrayal of country - Dev couldn't care less about what the country wanted - but rather a personal betrayal of him. In anticipation of a further and more devastating defeat in the approaching General Election (which went 93 seats out of 128 in favor of the Treaty), he took his case, in March, to heavily republican Munster where at multiple stops he repeated a grim warning: "If the Treay were accepted by the electorate the fight for freedom will still go and the Irish people, instead of fighting foreign soldiers, will have to Irish soldiers of an Irish government set up by Irishmen." A few days later, he added,"The IRA will have to wade through the blood of Irish soldiers of the Irish government ... and perhaps through that of some of the Irish government, to get their freedom." Here's Dev, the great patriot, saying that the Irish people will have to kill their own. These are the words of a megalomaniac, consumed with his own power and self-importance. My point earlier and now: Dev and Sinn Fein/IRA were anti-democratic from the get-go, Dev more in common with Lenin than Jefferson; Sinn Fein/IRA more in common with Bolshevism than democracy and majority rule.

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Trealach | Sep 22, 2011, 03:58 PM EDT

So now we have TWO Braindead racist bigots to deal with - our resident BraindeadDillon in the US, and the self-important-opinionated West-Brit and braindead Fintan O'Toole. Neither of whom has a word of Irish, but have the audacity to claim to be Irish. At least McGuinness had the balls to take on the British and the Loyalists while these two stayed safely behind their mother's apron.

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Brolaur | Sep 22, 2011, 03:31 PM EDT

Martin is the real deal. This is not a glory trip, nor a money trip. Just like the Patriots of our land he's for real. He has put his life on the line. This is a glorious moment for us all. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Let's roll in behind him!

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RedBranch | Sep 22, 2011, 03:18 PM EDT

Things to look forward to if Martin McGuinness is elected: 1). First Palestinian, Basque & FARQ state visits to Ireland. 2).Another Royal visit 3). Muammar al-Gaddafi offered and accepts santury in Ireland 4). A big party in 1916, but no drink (Mr. McGuinness is teetotal) 5).Every employee receive the average industrial working wage (35K) and not a penny more. 6). Unionists will be flayed, roasted and shredded for fish food in Mr.McGuinness favourite salmon rivers. There and that's just for starters!

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JBRAFTREE | Sep 22, 2011, 03:02 PM EDT

Depends who you are. He's a Patriot or a violent "Usurper". The Republic could do worse.

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JohnJoe4444 | Sep 22, 2011, 02:50 PM EDT

It disturbs me to realise that this sort of nonsense in being put in front of Irish America and that it will affect their view of Ireland. Mr McGuinness is an expert on vicious attacks and the column from that eejit O Toole will not disturb him in the least. I realise that in the eyes of Mr O Dowd I am a "Little Islander". No, I do not want a man, with a doubtful track record, from another juristiction to come and be my President. Like it or not the region/state of Northern Ireland exists. There are many, many wonderful people there but there is also an undercurrent of hatred and bigotry on both sides. The people in the Republic coexist in a peaceful manner and do not want the cancer of violence to come here. If that is Little Island syndrome so be it! The obsession with a United Ireland is obsolete. If you want to carry history to the nth degree why not give Co Clare back to the O Briens and have them declare a republic, same for the O Reilly in Cavan, the O Byrnes in Wicklow. History is history. Bad deeds have been done on both sides. Just look forward and make sure the perpatrators of bad deeds are not in positions of authority. Incidentaly, the Republicans turned Statesmen mentioned above did not cover themselves in glory when they assumed office.

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GeorgeDillon | Sep 22, 2011, 02:34 PM EDT

"a sandslide victory". Picturesque phrase, towngate, though I would have thought more appropriate in the Saudi elections, in the unlikely event that our Saudi buddies will ever go democratic.

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cuddlybuddly | Sep 22, 2011, 02:27 PM EDT

Ha Ha say what you want, I will be voting for him as will about ten of my friends who believe Martin Mc Guiness speaks sense, equality and transparency!!! Shining a light on the dark...that's Martin Mc Guinness!!

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Towngate | Sep 22, 2011, 01:50 PM EDT

Niall, a chara: The first casualty ~ a dishonest headline! The second: Martin McGuinness is standing as an Independant Candidate not for Sinn Fein! He claimes he will represent ALL the Irish people even if they have choosen to stay British , and whether they have a vote or not! ~ He has deserted his properly elected Position at Stormont and left his valid voters of all persuasions, to hang out to dry as the Party machine embarks on this premature Caper in the Republic! The time for him to stand (and probably get a sandslide victory) would be when The North has voted to join in union with The South, and the South accepts them! SF knows that is never going to happen,so they are chancing their arm at this route. ~ Gerry Adams should be standing proudly as a Sinn Fein candidate; but I can't help feeling the Boss has sent the Boy ~ echoes of The Long Fella sending The Big Fella ~ on a difficult message. ~~~ Niall you have been clear in your support for him in your post and perhaps he will get a good start, a fair crack of the whip, fair odds, meet the fences bravely as he joins the other runners for the Aras Cup! ~~~ But given your past form ans a Tipster, a chara, it will not be the Green Flag, but the Green Screens ~ they wrap around him that day ! Slainte!

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GeorgeDillon | Sep 22, 2011, 01:11 PM EDT

O'Loonsigh: "attempt to compare him with Mandela in Apartheid South Africa show just how desperate the pro-SF lobby really are." No one will accuse me of being a member of the pro-SF lobby, but I find O'Looney's post to be the usual garbage he offers here. He throws in a big generalization, such as the one I cite above, but there is no analysis, no rational expression of thought, no cogent evidence to support his empty phrase. In sum, put a piece of bread on it and you'd have a baloney sandwich. If you want to see how it should be done, why not download some of my posts and study them, O'Looney? Otherwise you'll never improve.

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GeorgeDillon | Sep 22, 2011, 01:05 PM EDT

johnnyb: "I'm amused that George Dillon can't support SF because of their immigration policies"--What's your point? Your post is badly written, makes no sense.

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