McDowell delivers critical blow for Sinn Fein election hopes

darkman2

After Gerry Adams brought up the subject of drugs during the crime portion of the debate, Michael McDowell said Mr Adams 'sold provo know-how to the FARC guerillas in Colombia in exchange for 25 million US dollars.'

This is the knock out right here. What McDowell has done with this is secured his Dail Seat (ive absolutely no doubt) and also revived the old chesnut of Sinn Fein and Terrorism in the electorate's minds. This will be front page news tomorrow and has the potential to turn into something much bigger. What McDowell has done here is brought up the issue of terrorism when Sinn Fein did not want it brought up as an issue at all in this election. I believe he has just crippled much of what were potentially going to be good advances for Sinn Fein. Their hopes of government after this election are now over.

This now makes it impossible for any party to do any deal with Sinn Fein.

Voipjunkie

darkman2 wrote:

This is the knock out right here. What McDowell has done with this is secured his Dail Seat (ive absolutely no doubt) and also revived the old chesnut of Sinn Fein and Terrorism in the electorate's minds. This will be front page news tomorrow and has the potential to turn into something much bigger. What McDowell has done here is brought up the issue of terrorism when Sinn Fein did not want it brought up as an issue at all in this election. I believe he has just crippled much of what were potentially going to be good advances for Sinn Fein. Their hopes of government after this election are now over.

This now makes it impossible for any party to do any deal with Sinn Fein.

Yeah right everyone knows that barring a bizarre outcome from the elections that SF are not going to be in power this time but next time out they will be if the numbers pan out.
Everybody has read McDowells stooges in the Sindo and Sunday World print this already nothing new in it.

Gobán Saor

darkman2 wrote:

This is the knock out right here. What McDowell has done with this is secured his Dail Seat (ive absolutely no doubt) and also revived the old chesnut of Sinn Fein and Terrorism in the electorate's minds. This will be front page news tomorrow and has the potential to turn into something much bigger. What McDowell has done here is brought up the issue of terrorism when Sinn Fein did not want it brought up as an issue at all in this election. I believe he has just crippled much of what were potentially going to be good advances for Sinn Fein. Their hopes of government after this election are now over.

This now makes it impossible for any party to do any deal with Sinn Fein.

So let me get this straight......McDowell has sensationally revealed that Sinn Fein apparently had some sort of links to "terrorism":rolleyes:
Gosh, do you think people will be surprised? There must be lots of people out there who never knew that:D

darkman2

Gob&#225 wrote: »

So let me get this straight......McDowell has sensationally revealed that Sinn Fein apparently had some sort of links to "terrorism":rolleyes:
Gosh, do you think people will be surprised? There must be lots of people out there who never knew that:D

The point is its now fresh in the electorate's minds with only a week to go. With this splashed all over tomorrows papers and Sundays you know as well as I do this will hurt Sinn Fein's vote. Thats the point.

yomchi

The party had this and more thrown at them on a regular bases during 2002. The electorate aren't stupid, your prediction is way off the mark.

The_Minister

I think that the bigger damage was done by his pointing out that Adams claimed the minimum wage, yet has a second house. I'm sure some SF'ers will want answers.

jank

The Paris Hilton remark will be the talk of tomorrow, then when the big 2 go head to head it will be forgotten about.
THought adams was weak tonight but they may have a big say in the next government!

yomchi

You can rest assured SF members are well aware that Adams bought a house back in the 90's in Donegal when it was well within price range to do so and that he lives in a rented council house in Belfast.

No big deal.

darkman2

Jon wrote:

The party had this and more thrown at them on a regular bases during 2002. The electorate aren't stupid, your prediction is way off the mark.

What im saying to you is alot of those voters who were perhaps floating toward Sinn Fein to get them to 10% are most likely having second thoughts again after hearing that. I will gladly wait for the election results to prove to you im right and Sinn Fein's expected vote will be depressed. Maybe 7 seats.


'the electorate are'nt stupid'

Precisely.

gurramok

Funny thing is where is the proof?

Any charges forthcoming on this recycled info to be convicted in a court of law?

If not, it shows how bad the gardai have been in 'cracking crime', oops that is McD's dept.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Adams was winning up until McDowell accused him of of changing the topic to the peace process when he didn't have answers to othehr issues. I'd say Adams is hugely disappointed with his performance overall.

Think the OP has a point: a lot of floater voters might go Labour instead of Sinn Fein after tonight - See how quiet Rabitte went when McDowell was laying into him over FARC

yomchi

I'll hold you to that. Thats some amount of lost votes over one show!! Trust me, you will be wrong. I've seen SF's vote increase a few months after the IRA blew the sh1t out of canary wharf, infact they elected their first TD right after it and while the IRA campaign was hotting up again. This is a no brainer my friend. SF are well used to negative campaigning, their support base is strong.

brianthebard

gurramok wrote:

Funny thing is where is the proof?

Any charges forthcoming on this recycled info to be convicted in a court of law?

If not, it shows how bad the gardai have been in 'cracking crime', oops that is McD's dept.

Hardly, these events (if they are fact) happened outside garda jurisdiction.

cm2000

i think any loss sf will suffer will be because of his rediculously uninformed performance

gurramok

brianthebard wrote:

Hardly, these events (if they are fact) happened outside garda jurisdiction.

So will the right-wing Colombian govt be requesting his extradition to Colombia on drug related charges then due to McD's rant?

ROFL.

DeepBlue

darkman2 wrote:

This is the knock out right here. What McDowell has done with this is secured his Dail Seat (ive absolutely no doubt) and also revived the old chesnut of Sinn Fein and Terrorism in the electorate's minds.
<snip>
This now makes it impossible for any party to do any deal with Sinn Fein.

Jeez, darkman - for someone who claims not to be a PD supporter (according to this post) you sure do post a lot about the party and how they can do no wrong.
McDowell has been beating his Sinn Fein drum for some time now and it's nothing new to the electorate and is hardly worth a thread here for that matter :rolleyes: .

Gob&#225 wrote: »

So let me get this straight......McDowell has sensationally revealed that Sinn Fein apparently had some sort of links to "terrorism":rolleyes:
Gosh, do you think people will be surprised? There must be lots of people out there who never knew that:D

QFT.

Voipjunkie

The_Minister wrote:

I think that the bigger damage was done by his pointing out that Adams claimed the minimum wage, yet has a second house. I'm sure some SF'ers will want answers.

I think you are clutching at straws

Adams has a very modest house in Donegal which was bought about 15 years ago

And AFAIK he has a council house in Belfast.

And he did not claim the minimum wage it was the Average Industrial wage

brianthebard

gurramok wrote:

So will the right-wing Colombian govt be requesting his extradition to Colombia on drug related charges then due to McD's rant?

ROFL.

I'd say the Columbian government has enough troubles on their hands with a near civil war without trying to do things that aren't possible-I doubt Columbia could extradite anyone even if they tried.

Hugh_C

darkman2 wrote:

What McDowell has done with this is secured his Dail Seat.

I smell (yet another) backlash...

Rosita

darkman2 wrote:

This is the knock out right here. What McDowell has done with this is secured his Dail Seat (ive absolutely no doubt) and also revived the old chesnut of Sinn Fein and Terrorism in the electorate's minds. This will be front page news tomorrow and has the potential to turn into something much bigger. What McDowell has done here is brought up the issue of terrorism when Sinn Fein did not want it brought up as an issue at all in this election. I believe he has just crippled much of what were potentially going to be good advances for Sinn Fein. Their hopes of government after this election are now over.

This now makes it impossible for any party to do any deal with Sinn Fein.

Numbers will dictate that nobody is doing a deal with SF anyway. The only gig in town bar the Rainbow is FF/Labour which Pat Rabbite was again tonight - despite claiming to be very clear - ambiguous about ruling out.

There is nobody out there who would be considering at any level supporting Sinn Féin who would be swayed by McDowell. And it is doubtful if he will gain many votes for merely restating a position everyone knows he has anyway.

It will be a very slow news day if this is front page news tomorrow.

marco murphy

I'm sure as Minister for Justice he can apprehend the Colombia Three who are indeed moving around freely. If he is so convinced of such links, why are'nt the Colombia 3 arrested?

gurramok

brianthebard wrote:

I'd say the Columbian government has enough troubles on their hands with a near civil war without trying to do things that aren't possible-I doubt Columbia could extradite anyone even if they tried.

Why not?

$25m is hell of alot of money to a poor country like Colombia, they will want that Colombian money back if it left the country in the first place.

It doesn't add up and any sensible person would see its a false accusation.

Of course if there was charges in a court of law like in any democracy, i'd retract that statement.!

The_Minister

Voipjunkie wrote:

I think you are clutching at straws

Adams has a very modest house in Donegal which was bought about 15 years ago

And AFAIK he has a council house in Belfast.

I didn't realise that. The only TD houses that I am aware of are those I have passed by (AFAIR Colm O'Gorman, Eamon Gilmore, are the only ones)

Voipjunkie

The_Minister wrote:

I didn't realise that. The only TD houses that I am aware of are those I have passed by (AFAIR Colm O'Gorman, Eamon Gilmore, are the only ones)

Well surely you have seen Berties it has been on every news bulletin for the last 2 weeks.

billy the squid

The_Minister wrote:

I think that the bigger damage was done by his pointing out that Adams claimed the minimum wage, yet has a second house. I'm sure some SF'ers will want answers.

Adams didn't say he claimed the minimum wage, he said he claimed an average industrial wage. Although it was funny when adams said that the bank owns his house, mcdowell retorted it was the Northern Bank that owned his house.

The_Minister

Voipjunkie wrote:

Well surely you have seen Berties it has been on every news bulletin for the last 2 weeks.

Funnily enough, I haven't.

gurramok

The_Minister wrote:

I didn't realise that. The only TD houses that I am aware of are those I have passed by (AFAIR Colm O'Gorman, Eamon Gilmore, are the only ones)

Minister Frank Fahey has many houses both here and abroad, worth a few milion when added up.

And of course Ivor the Engine Callelly smartly put his mega portfolio of houses around Dublin in his wife's name to try to evade public scrutiny.

The famous gangsters like The General used to do the same as Ivor, some co-incidence!:D

The_Minister

I just remembered. What may damage SF more is when its membership realises that its leader can't speak Irish!:D
His Irish at the start was forced, obviously learnt off, and stumbled upon. I may be wrong, but I don't think that the man has a word.

EDIT: gurramok, it doesn't matter if those Ministers own all of Lenster, they aren't claiming to be poor.

Voipjunkie

The_Minister wrote:

I just remembered. What may damage SF more is when its membership realises that its leader can't speak Irish!:D
His Irish at the start was forced, obviously learnt off, and stumbled upon. I may be wrong, but I don't think that the man has a word.

.

I think he learned Irish in Long Kesh

gurramok

The_Minister wrote:

I just remembered. What may damage SF more is when its membership realises that its leader can't speak Irish!:D
His Irish at the start was forced, obviously learnt off, and stumbled upon. I may be wrong, but I don't think that the man has a word.

EDIT: gurramok, it doesn't matter if those Ministers own all of Lenster, they aren't claiming to be poor.

How is he wealthy then? (other than unsubstantiated allegations)

My own brother managed to buy a 3 bed semi for 56k near central Dublin '96 on below average wage back then.

Gerry was MP up north for donkeys years and could well afford a holiday home on strength of sterling plus being on average wage in a depressed Irish housing market way back then(before shortly took off) supported the purchase just like anyone else who had a job.

Think you might be confusing asset rich with cash poor, like many in todays housing market.

guinnessdrinker

Darkman, I dont think McDowell's comment's tonight will make a difference to Sinn Fein's vote. People have heard McDowell's anti Sinn Fein rants now for years and they don't seem to have any effect whatsoever on the public, as Sinn Fein keep growing.