The Stevens Inquiry by of the London Met. opened up a lot of worms for the British Army and establishment. His office burned down after it was published. His report was edited and cut down and a small version came out, much to his outrage.

One point that always struck me was that out of the hundreds of UVF men that he looked at and investigated that only 4 of them were not working for the state as agents.

Whatever about conspiracies elsewhere, they was only one badly hidden one in Ireland. Loyalist paramilitaries were run, supported and commanded by the Security forces and that killing was a state tool. Govts here knew that but went along with it.

That is so true, and I would think it’s not only in this instance, or this country, or this continent for that matter!!

People are against so many things that their intellects have Jammed. FF did and would handle British/Anti Catholic schemers better.

Tom. FF never acted any differently over the last 40 years, why would they now? All they would have done is ask for a payment. When one considers the vast corruption and criminality that defined FF. It is impossible not to imagine that an enterprising Mi6 spook wouldn’t have arranged for envelopes of sterling to pass over. A dig out as such.

Is there action you suggest they take?

Stop rolling over. Act like normal political leaders just for once in their life. Demand a public inquiry and get this septic mess cleaned up and closed off. Act like men not the blatant cowards they always are.

You may not have noticed Professor Mehoop but the culture of lies and hiding from the truth has never benefited this country. Quiet the opposite in fact.

One was the brother of terrorists and the solicitor of terrorists, the other was a woman showing compassion to a dying man. They are both hideous crimes, but not everything can be equated to each other.

@prof even the british press has now accepted that jean mc conville was an informer. the dying soldier line was put out by the army at the time as part of the propaganda war. seems you still want to believe it though. she should never have died anyway as pat finucane should not have

* files on Dublin and Monaghan

Joan, you have picked me up right,thank you! I couldn’t quite understand the angry backlash! And agreed Savita wasn’t murdered. I was just trying to say that both families would feel a life has been stolen. Anyway,I’ll shut up for now as I’ll only dig another hole for myself!!

Katia.. Everyone’s comment is valuable & everyone is entitled to express their opinion.. including you!! ; ))

Phil,
All I can say is face palm.

What mehoop if your house was raided just because you seen yourself as Irish. Housing,healthcare, education and employment opportunities denied for the same reasons. Army and law enforcement completely against you. Internment, shoot to kill just because you where suspected of been involved. It was so bad a former Irish President compared it to the treatment of jews in 30s Germany. Meehoop now what would you have done.

There was also another brother involved with the IRA but he died in the 70s.

Isn’t there always some mutt that is trying to make excuses for the UFF/UVF. Your a bad egg Patrick. People like you helped cover up countless killings and murders and ye always had excuses.

Certainly not making excuses for the UFF/UVF/RHC etc , but one must ask why Pat Finucane was targeted in this way. They are both conspicicous by their silence today . A guilty conscience perhaps.

@ Stephen.. Very true Comment there

Maybe you should make excuses for them BungaBungaPatrick at least have the courage to state your position, as reprehensible as it is, rather then resorting to smear and innuendo. K.A.T.

There are always excuses from people like you for them and you’ll always have an angle.

Wake up and smell the roses Joan.

Geraldine needs to ask serious questions of those close ( ?) to her . Unfortunately, I think she already knows the answers.

No Excuses Stephen, Dermot Finucane ( aka Superman) was o/C of the Southern Command of the PIRA for several years. Seamus was (is) a Senior Commander of the PIRA in North Belfast for several years. This is well confirmed and documented. They have questions to answer as to why their innocent brother was targeted in this way. No Getting away from reality.

@patrick
He was targeted because he was a human rights solicitor & I find it distasteful what you are trying to do with your comments. He was not his brothers keeper.

Interesting context but that’s not the point or the remit of this investigation

Adhere to the weston park agreement? What’s your suggestion, allow for the murder of Irish citizens by the British state with absolutely no response?

I don’t know, but government-sponsored assassinations happen all the time. It would be naive to think otherwise, and when they are in the context of a war (whether cold, hot, or somewhere in between) they may well be justifiable in order to defend national security. Unfortunately sometimes that line is crossed, as certainly appears to be the case here, but significant blame must lie with the perpetrator of the war – in this case the terrorist group, the IRA. There is one inescapable fact: if the IRA were not committing terrorist atrocities against the British, Mr Finucane would not have been murdered. The British were most definitely and unequivocally wrong to collude where they did, but the IRA cannot walk away from responsibility here either.

Both of his brothers aer very quiet today . Serious questions need to be asked there . Can’t foresee a Happy Xmas in the Finucane household.

Professor Mehoop. For a Professor, you are not very included in your history. British Military forces have always been very pro-active in getting their retaliation in first. The killings of random Catholics was a consistent event by the RUC on a regular basis for the proceeding 50 years before the “troubles” started.

The first RUC men and Soldiers killed were by Loyalists, some of whom went on to be very successful killers of Catholics with British support.

For some in the South the IRA can do no wrong but for some people, often those in politics or media here, the UFF could do no wrong either.

Your no different to any sneaking regarder of killers, you don’t have the balls yourself to say it straight out that you support them.

Stephen,

Not sure what you mean by “not very included in your history.”

I have absolutely no problem whatsoever in declaring that I am eternally grateful to whatever goes on behind the scenes that keeps my family and me safe in our cities and in our neighbours’ cities. If that means preemptive attacks on terrorists, then bring it.

Clear enough for you?

That wasn’t clear by me.

Professor Mehoop thanks for being so clear on your support for Loyalist terrorism. You must have been gutted that they didn’t burn that police woman a few nights back. Maybe you should up your donations.

Stephen,
Such logic by you indicates your level of intelligence. I have no desire to converse with double-digiters.

What happens when they get it wrong & kill an innocent man & leave his children without their father ? what if it happened to you ? What if those same people protecting you shot you 14 times in front of your children ? This man was executed because he was a human rights solicitor not a terrorist.

Peter,

I think you might have missed the point a bit. His murder was wrong, as I have already stated, and one which I condemn. My other point was on the sometimes necessity to remove terrorist threats before they become real. Mr Finucane was not one of them.

However, the “human rights lawyer” term is used a bit too easily.

“Finucane was a lawyer who was a faithful servant of a terrorist group that carried out in his lifetime many hundreds of vicious murders that he himself condoned.” – good piece by Ruth Dudley Edwards that might challenge perspectives a bit. (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/ruthdudleyedwards/100193952/pat-finucane-was-shockingly-murdered-but-that-doesnt-make-him-a-human-rights-lawyer/)

Thought the IRA was and is still considered as a group of dissidents/terrorists. Wonder if any of you guys would have been so supportive of Ossama Bin Laden! Come on the red thumbs….. But honey belongs to the bee

Nelson Mandela, widely regarded as one of the worlds greatest leaders was once called a terrorist but do i equate him with Osama Bin Laden? No, i see through the rather propaganist term of “terrorist” as it clearly shows bias- in nearly all cases i use militants as it stops the confusion you obviously have. I see however that bombard the IRA with abuse have yet to appear- I wonder why?

@bunga what hve his brothers got to do with it. he was murdered for giving legal representation to those that where entitled to it if guilty or innocent of the allegation. the security services had him murdered. how can his brothers be in any way responsible

@mehoop Is a solicitor who represents a person on rape charges to be deemed a rapist themselves?

Damn these ‘terrorist’ solicitors with their uncanny ability to use the law in a court of law. It’s almost as if they want their clients to be innocent until proven guilty. The cheek!!

I’ve read that article, an article that for some reason had a go at the late Pat Finucane for attending college in Trinity at the expense of the British taxpayer. Christ, it’s as if these people now want an education also!

Don’t give me this green v orange shite this is about civilised society and this mans murder for daring to use the legal process. Lawyers everywhere should be extremely worried by these events.

Patrick

I did not miss any of your point, I asked you a question & you chose not to answer it. Your quote & link are from someone I generally would not read but at least you have giving me the opportunity to realise why.

Maybe those red ignorant thumbs still think the IRA is a group of honest politicians cum angels…. Lmfao

Hear hear Professor. The murder of Pat Finucane and the collusion of state authorities was wrong. However, I’ll save my sympathies for the victims of the real atrocities of the Troubles (Eniskillen, Monaghan, Omagh, Dublin, etc.) Rather than for a terrorists solicitor whose actions facilitated the heinous crimes committed by his IRA clients.

“Both sides” what planet are you on? Let me guess Planet Free State. Do you see Nationalists rioting because the Tricolour is not flying over Belfast City Hall or Stormont?

Whether it be on a micro or macro level one cannot move on without the truth. Here ended the lesson.

Looks as though you have entirely missed the point. Just blame the Catholic Church – you’ll find it easier and more rewarding.

Katia. That is one ignorant statement you made.

No need to be so patronising. It would be more helpful if you explained what you think I missed. I don’t even begin why I’d want to blame the church but sure put me into a nice little narrow minded box instead of explaining. It’ever so productive…

Katia. If you can’t see why you received the above responses then you would not likely be able to understand the explanation for it.

@Katia. They are all narrow minded and that’s why the negotiating table was never considered first but war/terror was instead. Same thing happened with the Savita case. Religion has always narrowed people’s mind. Today they say Islam is bla bla bla….but what about Catholicism! So many innocent have lost their lives for the sake of blindly following a religion/sect

What the hell has this got to do with the murder of an Irish Human Rights Lawyer?