How Adams got it wrong on speaking in the Dail
Sunday August 14 2005
The hangover from the Feile may be the only reason to explain last Tuesday's story in the Irish Times which quoted a Sinn Fein spokesman as saying that Gerry Adams had got it wrong about the Taoiseach's alleged promise that he, Martin McGuinness and other Sinn Fein MPs could speak in the Dail.
The unnamed 'spokesman' - almost certainly Adams's shadow, Richard McAuley - gave as a possible reason behind this apparent misunderstanding that Gerry was "confused".
So, a few too many at the ould Feile then, Gerry? Fair play to you. Celebrating the IRA's "historic" statement saying that it was not going to do any more "activities" must have got way out of hand on the Falls Road.
The previous Friday, Gerry Adams wrote in the Irish Times that Bertie Ahern had given Gerry a commitment during their secret/private negotiations that "MPs elected in the Six Counties will be able to speak in the Dail".
Responding to the roar of indignation that erupted, Bertie was roused from his own holliers to explain that there had been "much exaggerated comment on this issue". Apparently in the secret/private negotiations what he felt he had been offering "was much more modest than the right to speak in the Dail".
What the Government had in mind was the facilitating of northern MPs who might attend Dail committee discussions on matters relating to the North - which Dail committees virtually never have.
Stunningly, for someone whose job is supposed to be the promotion of his party leader as the great panjandrum, the spokesman was quoted as adding: "Perhaps Gerry wasn't qualified enough in what he wrote or didn't explain himself enough."
Memo to Richard: somebody's going to get their arse kicked in Sinn Fein and it won't be the boss.
- Jim Cusack
