the iRA and the Bank Robbery (1 Viewer)

[Chocohead]

What do you reckon, and why?

like is the RUCs word good enough, or do you think this amazingly fits well with the recent Paisley claim that the iRa are nothing more than crims and need humiliating?

I was talking to a local politician who assures me that the PSNI would never lie, and he believes that.

is this going to be like the 'spyring' where no-one was charged and no actual evidence was ever found to support it?

Asd you can tell probably, I think this whole thing is shit and designed to help get the shinners out of northern politics, which the DUP wants ..

"Our view that the process should move on without those inextricably and symbiotically linked to terrorism and criminality will more and more be seen as the inevitable way forward." - thats what they said recently. sure with no opposition then things wont need to change, will they?

btw, im not interested in the usual counter arguments based soley on hearsay, because such arguments go nowhere, but i'd like to hear what people think on this subject

 

[pete]

right this might be really naive of me, but i really don't give a fuck if was the ra or not that robbed that bank. i always thought the important issue up north was getting people to stop shootin each other and shit, and i woulda thought that politicians should concentrate on politics and cops should concentrate on catching crooks and everything will work itself out grand.

maybe i just prefer bank robberies to sectarian killings.

 

[Chocohead]

how is alienating the republican movement by blaming them for something when theres nothing to back that claim up going to help the peace process?

answer: it wont. in fact it'll probably just open the gate to more killings if the IRA give up on the peace precess - considering neither of the governments or the unionists are too pushed about it

as far as I can see a lot of people have vested interests in getting rid of the shinner threat. thats obviously more important than looking for peace

 

[ITalkShite]

The theory du jour:

The IRA might have done it, or they might not have, but if they didn't, they allowed it to happen, because nothing happens in Belfast without the IRA knowing about it.

To be honest, I'm not sure I buy that, though.

I suppose it's feasible that a load of Michael Caine types sauntered in and did this under the noses of the IRA and the PSNI, but they are the two biggest paramilitary organisations on this island (apart from the scouts), so they tend to have a good idea of what's going on.

 

[Chocohead]

do the IRA still have that kind of power after almost a decade of a ceasefire? I dont know if they do.

Anyway, it was obviously Mi5 - as in the same people behind the dublin/monaghan bombings. blair needed to move the process by hook or by crook - criminalising the republican movement via a big bank job (like what goods 22m northern irish notes to anyone but a government?) was the handiest solution to save blairs rep, keep paisley happy and move the process on(backwards to a unionist run statelet again)

I mean, its only the republicans getting blamed again - sure who gives a fuck about them anyway? - thats what i think the thinking was

The theory du jour:

The IRA might have done it, or they might not have, but if they didn't, they allowed it to happen, because nothing happens in Belfast without the IRA knowing about it.

To be honest, I'm not sure I buy that, though.

I suppose it's feasible that a load of Michael Caine types sauntered in and did this under the noses of the IRA and the PSNI, but they are the two biggest paramilitary organisations on this island (apart from the scouts), so they tend to have a good idea of what's going on.

 

[Chocohead]

according to SF:

For Immediate Release: 07/01/05

Orde Produces No Evidence For Political Allegations

Responding to politically biased allegations made today by the PSNI Chief Constable Hugh Orde linking the IRA to the recent robbery in the Northern
Bank in Belfast, Sinn Féin Chief negotiator Martin McGuinness MP said:

"Hugh Orde's comments today are nothing more than politically biased allegations. He has not produced one scrap of evidence. Within days of the
robbery at the Northern Bank, and following media speculation and PSNI briefings, which suggested IRA involvement, I asked the IRA about this and
was assured that they were not involved.

" We are witnessing a renewed attempt to undermine the peace process. We need to think long and hard about whose is setting this agenda and why? This
is more to do with halting the process of change which Sinn Fein has been driving forward than with anything that happened at the Northern Bank.

" Sinn Féin has a substantial electoral mandate achieved at the ballot box. We will resist any attempt to marginalise, criminalise this party.

" We have told both the British and Irish governments that Sinn Féin will not countenance any attempt by the DUP, or by the governments or by any one
else, to demonise this party.

" The campaigns to smash Sinn Féin, to criminalise and marginalise the republican struggle all failed. Sinn Féin represents the majority of nationalists in the north. The securocrats and the DUP need to come to terms with this political reality." ENDS

 

[nlgbbbblth]

as some who works in the banking industry I think whoever did it are absolute cunts for what they put the two hostages and families through

I hope the perpetrators get cancer / get given the all-clear in error / get cancer again and then get killed in a car crash.

 

[IFF]

how is alienating the republican movement by blaming them for something when theres nothing to back that claim up going to help the peace process?

answer: it wont. in fact it'll probably just open the gate to more killings if the IRA give up on the peace precess - considering neither of the governments or the unionists are too pushed about it

as far as I can see a lot of people have vested interests in getting rid of the shinner threat. thats obviously more important than looking for peace

just a quick question, in a past thread, haven't you said that you are a sinn fein supporter?

 

[Chocohead]

i am a sinn fein member. i was just making the point that scapegoating republicans is obviously much handier for people to do rather than look for peace. Im interested to see how this whole thing is going to pan out now those interested in stopping sinn fein seem to have a way to kick us out of the whole political process.

i cant see what the advantage would be, besides going back to a unionist run stormont in the north and back to the good ol' FF/FG dictatorship down here, but sure we'll see what happens

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

I reckon if they did do it they would just say they did. They've admitted to far worse than that so why not.
Also,I reckon the fact that they have not gotten super frustrated at the idiocy of the peace process and gone back to guns/bombs says alot more for them than any of the others.
I am not a supprter of them or SF.

 

[Unicron]

They'll only admit to things when it's in their interests to admit it, see the Gerry McCabe situation.

 

[Goff]

The only organisation with the balls and facility to do that sort of a robbery are the ra.

The whole problem is with the leadership saying they are going to give up all criminal activity and doing this while they're saying it. Plus it gives the Paisley's and their ilk something else to moan about.

With that sort of money, they are more than likely setting themselves up to be THE godfathers of crime, not retire to some nice little carrribean island. Plus they'll need some money in reserve in case the deal is reneged on. And, in fairness, someone has to be the top dog. If not them, then it'll be the other scumbags. And no one really wants that.

And that's what the PSNI are afraid of.

 

[oh shit]

the money helps fund sinn fein, duh.

of course it benefits the ira on another level - to demonstrate their continued effectiveness. the only time they ever get anything from the UK government is when they offer some decommissioning, or to talk about decommissioning, so it's a timely reminder of why that should continue.

it doesn't matter to them about fucking up the 'process' in the north, in fact it's a good thing for them, because the republican project is far from over. the deal with the DUP is clearly unsatisfactory anyway.

even with things in limbo in NI, at this rate by 2007 sinn fein should be in a coalition governement in the republic, gerry adams could possibly be president of ireland, and they will be a lot closer to becoming the ruling party in a united ireland. the shape of peace negotiations in belfast will change drastically when sinn fein represent both the people of the republic and the provos.

the aim of sinn fein and the ira has always been to take power and reform all of ireland, not merely the end of partition.

chocohead, you must realise this. either you're spouting propaganda to help persuade the users of a music messageboard, or you're believing your own party's bullshit.

 

[hugh]

back to the good ol' FF/FG dictatorship down here

Here, could you go and look up the definition of "dictatorship" in a dictionary and then explain the above statement ...

 

[ITalkShite]

Good old rhetorical flourishes.

Dictatorship. Burma. North Korea. FF/FG. Obvious, really. I mean, if you don't understand, you're really just a lackey of British imperialism.

 

[Cormcolash]

Right. The PSNI would say it was the RA even if it wasn't, just to make it look like they actually know anything about it. They are fuckin morons, and if they are so sure it was the RA, how come they are unwilling to give any evidence whatsoever to show it was them? For that matter, if they are so sure it was the RA, how come they have been utterly unable to retrieve even one note of the money, given that they supposedly know who did it? I would think Twenty-six million quid would be quite difficult to hide. Dicks.
In saying that, the RA definitely at least knew about it. Anything that well-organised would surely come to their attention.
Basically, it might have been the RA, it might not have been, I don't know, just don't believe anything the PSNI say because they are a pack of wankers.

P.S I also heard that it was Loyalists from East Belfast.

 

[Pantone247]

I would think Twenty-six million quid would be quite difficult to hide. Dicks.

This is a big problem isn't it, I mean straight away you knew that 26 million in Norn Iorn notes was utterly worthless... it's such a huge portion of the currency in cirrculation that it was fairly likely to be somewhat trackable, or in the extreme situationm, which happened, cause them to recall the whole currency. Also worth pondering why they couldn't track even a small portion of such a huge ammount of cash.

What were they going to do with 26 mill Norn Iron notes? Wherever they dumped it, spent it, exchanged it, banked it, it was going to cause a big noise. If it was standard sterling maybe not, but Northern notes! I can't believe somebody would think that wouldn't cause any problems.

So that's sort of the the stickler isn't it.. they were organised and professional to pull it off... but stupid enough to think it was a good idea to start with...

 

[Ex-User (250)]

the ra are hanging up their boots. where else are their pensions going to come from??? i mean, what the hell are they going to do now? classy swan song if you ask me.

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

I love how your innocent until proven guilty.

 

[Space]

the ra are hanging up their boots. where else are their pensions going to come from??? i mean, what the hell are they going to do now? classy swan song if you ask me.

Not sure they did it.

I've no time for the PSNI(RUC) at all.

If it was the ra then I'd be thinking along the same lines as you with the pensions and swansong.