Bugging device found in Sinn Fein offices

mycroft

From the news it looks like a fairly sophisicated long term bugging device has been found in Sinn Fein headquarters.

What do people think about

A) The timing of the find days before the Leeds Castle Summit.

The implications of the find for the coming devolution.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0914/sinnfein.html

Sand

Id be concerned if Sinn Fein were an ordinairy political party, but theyre not. They cant get so uppity when theyre treated like they might have a private army under the table that the security services might want to keep an eye on - because they do.

Mighty_Mouse

Aw! Come on Sand!! I'd say even the DUP could admit that the continued harassment of Sinn Fein by the security forces, at this stage, is unacceptable! :rolleyes:

hemlock666

Its just another example of the double standards of British democracy. "Do as I say not as I do" At least weve come this far, 30 years ago the wouldnt need bug cause anyone that spoke out was interned.

Sand

Aw! Come on Sand!! I'd say even the DUP could admit that the continued harassment of Sinn Fein by the security forces, at this stage, is unacceptable!

Like I care what the DUP think?!?! :rolleyes:

Face it - SF cant have it both ways. They cant maintain a terrorist force and yet expect to be treated like the Labour Party. If anything, its reassuring to know the security services are keeping an eye on SF/IRA.

You can keep bleating on about how unfair it is....but as you said yourself about SFs link to the IRA - so what?

Mighty_Mouse

I'm glad your reassured! ok .. lets get this straight. British Security forces are allowed to collapse the government in the North because of SF's history? <Stormont> um! Sorry doesnt make sense to me.

In your clear black and white understanding of whats acceptable and whats not, maybe you can tell us how exactly a stable government is meant to operate in the North when the British security forces constantly seek to undermine it and thereofore provide excuses for Unionists non-participation.

ReefBreak

It's been a while since a good anti-IRA/Sinn Féin thread was started. My gloves are on. Seconds out...

mycroft

A) The timing of the find days before the Leeds Castle Summit.

Notice no one has picked on this point.

It's kind of amazing that Sinn Fein "happened" to find the device the week of the most important talks about the north in years.

I'm not implying that they planeted it, but I'd be very surprised if the didn't know about it for months, and only now reveal it's existance in order to strengthen their position againist the UK Govt in the forthcoming talks.

Villain

It's a disgrace and whoever sanctioned it should be dismissed. As for teh timing well there was another device found in an employees house a week or 2 ago so SF have been searching for these devices for a while now. I wonder where the recordings were going? DUP maybe?

Oh and Sand they don't have a Private army they have links to the IRA, but lets not start that debate again. I wonder are the DUP's offices under the same surveillance ?

sceptre

Might be the DUP. If SF bugged the DUP offices they might get some dialogue going.

Cork

irish1 wrote:

It's a disgrace and whoever sanctioned it should be dismissed. As for teh timing well there was another device found in an employees house a week or 2 ago so SF have been searching for these devices for a while now. I wonder where the recordings were going? DUP maybe?

Oh and Sand they don't have a Private army they have links to the IRA, but lets not start that debate again. I wonder are the DUP's offices under the same surveillance ?

What purpose did bringing this "bug" to peace talks serve?

These talks should be more about tribal politics.

But I actually agree with Irish1 that It's a disgrace and whoever sanctioned it should be dismissed.

There is no excuse for this type of behaviour in a democratic society.

Sand

Oh and Sand they don't have a Private army they have links to the IRA, but lets not start that debate again. I wonder are the DUP's offices under the same surveillance ?

No, go on - Say that SF and IRA arent one and the same. Insult everyones intelligence. Ive got that word file saved, ready to copy and paste in. You can spend all day trying to dispute what takes me 5 seconds to post.

And if the DUP had a terrorist wing they would be under the same surveillance or damn well should be. But they dont and the IRA, wooops I mean SF, does.

There is no excuse for this type of behaviour in a democratic society.

Just leave a link to some FF press release next time please. Itll save you and us time.

There is no exscuse for the terrorists in democratic society. But, through fudge and fear of something worse we have found one in Northern Ireland. Fear of something worse is terrorism by any other name. SF/IRAs consistent threat is that if you dont give us what we want at the negotiating table well go back "to what we know best" - making widows, orphans and widowers.

And they get upset about the security services keeping an eye on them and their terrorist buddies? **** em tbh. What are they going to do about it? Go back to terrorism? Careful now lads - you might justify the suspiscion the DUP views SF/IRA with in your answers! Remember, dont mention the war!

So long as their best negotiating tactic is "if you dont give us what we want, we mightnt be able to hold the boys back!" then theyre going to be treated like what they are - a political front for a terrorist organisation.

The fact that theyre allowed to sit at the table with democrats - no matter how despicable their politics - is bending the rules of democratic behaviour far enough. Ignoring common sense and pretending that SF and the IRA arent one and the same is breaking them - that sort of insanity is for people who are so insecure in their identity that they have to advertise their Irishness in every possible fashion, in case someone forgets theyre Irish. They probably greet everyone with a "Top of the mornin to ya!"

gandalf

The timing of the find is most interesting alright. Nice photo op for Chuckie Adams and the cronies at Leeds Castle.

TBH I do not have a major problem with Sinn Fein being monitored as their armed wing are still in existance. Also remember that quite a few members have been (or still are) senior members of the IRA.

Redleslie2

Must be the worst job in british intelligence. Having to listen to moaning norn iron gits 24 hours a day.

Cork

Redleslie2 wrote:

Must be the worst job in british intelligence. Having to listen to moaning norn iron gits 24 hours a day.

I always tought bugs were away smaller - around the size of a 2 euro coin.

Nice photo op for Chuckie Adams

If I found a bug in my office - I would want it investigated and I would not have brought in to Peace Talks.

In fairness, the IRAs days are numbered and the political situation in NI is changing.

cleareyed

Bugging device found in Sinn Fein offices
Bears found sh*ttin in woods
Pope found to be a Catholic
:eek:

marco murphy

Iam wondering too,they found a bugging device only a few weekas ago also??

sceptre

Bit off the wall this but did anyone see the size of the thing? That pic I saw looked about the size of a foldup wardrobe.

Looks big enough to be a bugging array/combined teamaker/clothes ironer/power shower/emergency political party flotation device. Until I hear something good, I'm going to assume it was placed there in the 1940s and constructed before the widespread availability of the transistor.

Sparks

I think most of it was batteries though sceptre - it looked like it was built to go between joists in an attic or something and if so, what they were showing off was probably the thing that receives and stores or forwards signals from smaller bugs in the building itself.

sceptre

Sparks wrote:

I think most of it was batteries though sceptre - it looked like it was built to go between joists in an attic or something and if so, what they were showing off was probably the thing that receives and stores or forwards signals from smaller bugs in the building itself.

Ah, that makes a bit more sense, thanks.

Sparks

Good grief man, don't act like I actually know!!!! It's just a guess!
*checks outside for Sinn Fein people coming round for a quiet chat*

sceptre

Sparks wrote:

*checks outside for Sinn Fein people coming round for a quiet chat*

Bit easier when they just have to check the Greystones directory for a Mr Sparks though innit? (it's rare that one can actually use the phrase "<nornie tague accent>We know (roughly) where you live</nornie tague accent>" and actually have it mean something) As a guess it makes sense - that wood was presumably there to facilitate the device rather than actually being part of the device - and there has to be some reason the thing was that big as my "made by monkeys in 1930" doesn't make all that much sense.

Fenian

My view is that they knew all along, the timing of finding it is too perfect. They know they are constantly under surveilence, north and south of the border. Misinformation is very valuable, Sun Sze (know i spelt that wrong) The Art of War. "When you are far make them believe you are close, when you are strong make them beleive you are weak." etc

Politics is just like war, just alot more corrupt.

Mighty_Mouse

Ive got that word file saved, ready to copy and paste in.

Yes your unambiguous word file that we've all seen! Don't make me laugh. So the line anti-republicans are taking is that:
A)SF are putting out misinformation and probably found this device ages ago?

Um! Even if true, does this excuse its existence in the first place?

Interesting link on the talks, bugging etc

http://www.thepost.ie/web/Sitemap/1.9did-390939805-pageUrl--2FThe-Newspaper-2FSundays-Paper-2FComment-and-Analysis.asp

and DUP's position etc

http://www.thepost.ie/web/DocumentView/did-82777015-pageUrl--2FThe-Newspaper-2FSundays-Paper-2FNews-Features.asp