[Northern Monkey]

'Jeremy Corbyn has defended his decision to hire a former Sinn Fein staffer who worked for Gerry Adams and has links to convicted IRA terrorists.

Jayne Fisher, who was head of Sinn Fein's London office, is due to start working in the Labour leader's office in January.

The move to hand such a key role to someone with such strong links to the controversial hard-left Irish nationalist party has caused fury among Labour MPs, who said it would further undermine the party’s reputation on national security.'

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.dai...?client=safari

[joeysteele]

Not one of his wisest moves unfortunately.

[arista]

He did it
to keep the Torys busy.

[Brillopad]

Originally Posted by North Star Monkey

'Jeremy Corbyn has defended his decision to hire a former Sinn Fein staffer who worked for Gerry Adams and has links to convicted IRA terrorists.

Jayne Fisher, who was head of Sinn Fein's London office, is due to start working in the Labour leader's office in January.

The move to hand such a key role to someone with such strong links to the controversial hard-left Irish nationalist party has caused fury among Labour MPs, who said it would further undermine the party’s reputation on national security.'

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.dai...?client=safari

The man's a liability and has some pretty dodgy supporters.

[Kizzy]

Has links to?.... that's rather ambiguous :/

more straw clutching ....yawn

[Livia]

The more Corbyn supporters dismiss any criticism of him, the better the Tories like it. And he's giving people a lot to criticise. He's a fool at best.

[jaxie]

Originally Posted by Merry Corbynmas

Has links to?.... that's rather ambiguous :/

more straw clutching ....yawn

He includes a link in the original OP.

[Beso]

He should be done for treason.

[Tom4784]

It's the Daily Mail though...

She seems problematic but unless it can be proved that she has ACTUAL ties to the IRA and not 'she was pictured sitting next to ____' then it's nothing more than another desperate attempt to smear Corbyn by a very terrified Right Wing newspaper.

[smudgie]

Nice little bit of Christmas joy for the Tories.

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by Livia

The more Corbyn supporters dismiss any criticism of him, the better the Tories like it. And he's giving people a lot to criticise. He's a fool at best.

Why, because a tenuous link somehow trumps a direct link to us expediting atrocities in Yemen? :/

[waterhog]

his main one line is - don't go to war - and now this - omg what a disaster this man is.


I got a good judge of character -

[Brillopad]

Originally Posted by waterhog

his main one line is - don't go to war - and now this - omg what a disaster this man is.


I got a good judge of character -

Agreed waterhog, the usual hypocrisy from him and his ilk.

[DemolitionRed]

There’s more than a little hypocrisy going on here. Wasn’t it Tony Blair who indemnified those IRA killers and agreed to shake hands with the leading members of Sinn Fein during the good Friday agreement and he did this without considering the relatives of those who had been murdered? and then there was Jack Straw who gave a known ex BNP member a Labour seat.

As far as I’m concerned, the old Sinn Fein have blood on their hands and until the likes of people like McGuinness and Adams are long gone, we, the people of Britain and Ireland have just cause in looking towards the INP with suspicion but then we should also think on, Sin Fein is now a popular, peaceful and recognized political party and the reason for this is because they shook hands with Blair back in the late 90s and agreed to a deal which immediately brought a halt to a 30 year war.

Just because Corbyn supports a united Ireland, doesn’t mean he supports or ever did support the IRA.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by DemolitionRed

There’s more than a little hypocrisy going on here. Wasn’t it Tony Blair who indemnified those IRA killers and agreed to shake hands with the leading members of Sinn Fein during the good Friday agreement and he did this without considering the relatives of those who had been murdered? and then there was Jack Straw who gave a known ex BNP member a Labour seat.

As far as I’m concerned, the old Sinn Fein have blood on their hands and until the likes of people like McGuinness and Adams are long gone, we, the people of Britain and Ireland have just cause in looking towards the INP with suspicion but then we should also think on, Sin Fein is now a popular, peaceful and recognized political party and the reason for this is because they shook hands with Blair back in the late 90s and agreed to a deal which immediately brought a halt to a 30 year war.

Just because Corbyn supports a united Ireland, doesn’t mean he supports or ever did support the IRA.

They're actually the 3rd largest party in Ireland and have really good and different policies but Gerry Adams being in charge still is holding them back, if his second in command took over i think their popularity would rocket here. She's a great speaker and we need a change from the other two parties who may as well be the same one

[Kizzy]

I think if I say 'unjustified and unjustifiable' it puts into perspective the spectrum of political involvement in this area.

[DemolitionRed]

Originally Posted by McGregrrrrrrrr

They're actually the 3rd largest party in Ireland and have really good and different policies but Gerry Adams being in charge still is holding them back, if his second in command took over i think their popularity would rocket here. She's a great speaker and we need a change from the other two parties who may as well be the same one

Which goes to show how far they’ve moved on since the 90s. I like their policies but then I would wouldn’t I

[MTVN]

Sinn Fein have moved on but their past is their past - they were the political arm of the IRA. That's not a conspiracy, that is fact. This woman was head of their London office - again, that's not conspiracy, that's fact.

These are the circles that Corybn et al have moved in for decades and it shouldn't be a surprise. The only reason it has started to come to light is because he is now head of the primary opposition party

[joeysteele]

It is perfectly in order for him to employ anyone he sees fit to and who he believes will do a good job for him.
I would support anyone's right to do so.

David Cameron for instance employed at least one and likely other shady characters to top positions with himself.

My only issue here is and it is sad it is the case or needs to be,is that he knows he has a media against him.
He knows Labour is well behind at present in polling,( not the margin the polls are saying I would say however).

He is trying supposedly, to rebuild a confident party to have a message and get that message across.
He really has to be sensitive to that fact and make sure near all he does and says,also who he appoints are not going to invite more negativity and controversy.

Take away any senseless ammunition that can be handed to opponents on a plate.

He'd be far better setting out to try to help get Sinn Feinn MPs who are elected to Westminster legitimately in elections, to actually come to Westminster and take their seats there, to then help reduce this govts, fragile overall majority even further by their opposing votes.

[Brillopad]

Originally Posted by joeysteele

It is perfectly in order for him to employ anyone he sees fit to and who he believes will do a good job for him.
I would support anyone's right to do so.

David Cameron for instance employed at least one and likely other shady characters to top positions with himself.

My only issue here is and it is sad it is the case or needs to be,is that he knows he has a media against him.
He knows Labour is well behind at present in polling,( not the margin the polls are saying I would say however).

He is trying supposedly, to rebuild a confident party to have a message and get that message across.
He really has to be sensitive to that fact and make sure near all he does and says,also who he appoints are not going to invite more negativity and controversy.

Take away any senseless ammunition that can be handed to opponents on a plate.

He'd be far better setting out to try to help get Sinn Feinn MPs who are elected to Westminster legitimately in elections, to actually come to Westminster and take their seats there, to then help reduce this govts, fragile overall majority even further by their opposing votes.

I find it appalling that anyone is happy to conveniently 'forget' the crimes of terrorists who intentionally killed and maimed many people to further their political cause.

Sickening!

Once again as long as it didn't happen to any of their loved ones!

[joeysteele]

Oh gosh I am not going to get involved in resurrecting the old troubles, of Northern Ireland particularly.
Things have thankfully moved on since all that, and shocking and tragic as the actions were on both sides at times, hopefully those days never return nor the hatred that went with them.
My whole ancestry on my Mothers side is Irish and I've heard enough awful stories as to those living in the South and North of Ireland as to that, to last many lifetimes.

Back to the topic, I would not have advised Corbyn to employ this individual, for the reasons I mentioned in my earlier post.
However he has, rightly or wrongly,it will be time that dictates if it turns out to be a damaging or just a neutral move.

[DemolitionRed]

Thatcher and her government had reached a stale mate in secret talks with the IRA before Corbyn and other Labour MPs were encouraged to go to Northern Ireland and befriend Sinn Feinn. Thatcher and Blair were aware that Corbyn along with other Labour MPs were all for “unity by consent” and therefore the right men for the job. Corbyn has made no secret of supporting a united Ireland and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. People are either in favor of Irish unity or they’re not. That doesn’t make him a terrorist sympathizer, it just makes him a man who understood how to implicate an alternative route… through a right and fair political process.

Whilst Blair was comended for bringing about the peace process in Northern Ireland, Corbyn and a number of Labour MPs went unrecognized. In fact the good that Corbyn did towards this peace process was one day going to come back and bite him.

The bottom line is and this is regardless of this sitting outside most people’s comfort zone, Corbyn’s and for that matter Nelson Mandela’s association with Sinn Feinn served a very useful purpose.

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by DemolitionRed

Thatcher and her government had reached a stale mate in secret talks with the IRA before Corbyn and other Labour MPs were encouraged to go to Northern Ireland and befriend Sinn Feinn. Thatcher and Blair were aware that Corbyn along other Labour MPs were all for “unity by consent” and therefore the right men for the job. Corbyn has made no secret of supporting a united Ireland and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. People are either in favor of Irish unity or they’re not. That doesn’t make him a terrorist sympathizer, it just makes him a man who understood how to implicate an alternative route… through a right and fair political process.

Whilst Blair was comended for bringing about the peace process in Northern Ireland, Corbyn and a number of Labour MPs went unrecognized. In fact the good that Corbyn did towards this peace process was one day going to come back and bite him.

The bottom line is and this is regardless of this sitting outside most people’s comfort zone, Corbyn’s and for that matter Nelson Mandela’s association with Sinn Feinn served a very useful purpose.

Yes you could say he helped the peace process. So did Gerry Adams, David Ervine, and a host of others who supported and enabled terrorism on either side throughout the Troubles. Blair is commended for bringing about the peace process because he played the biggest part and also because he did it without being chummy with either side as Corbyn and his pals were. If you are going to praise Corbyn for his part in the peace process you have at least to admit that his role was an entirely partisan one. And the fact he was able to assist in it just shows how close he was to Sinn Fein (and by extension the IRA) throughout all the conflict.

[DemolitionRed]

Originally Posted by MTVN

Yes you could say he helped the peace process. So did Gerry Adams, David Ervine, and a host of others who supported and enabled terrorism on either side throughout the Troubles. Blair is commended for bringing about the peace process because he played the biggest part and also because he did it without being chummy with either side as Corbyn and his pals were. If you are going to praise Corbyn for his part in the peace process you have at least to admit that his role was an entirely partisan one. And the fact he was able to assist in it just shows how close he was to Sinn Fein (and by extension the IRA) throughout all the conflict.

That was the entire point. Move these men away from terrorism and towards a political process.

How do you think Blair brought about the peace process? Do you sincerely believe he did this on his own?

Corbyn was a partisan to the cause, not to the process.

[Livia]

Corbyn spoke at the May Day rally last year. He told the crowd that the Far Right were the problem. Hundreds of those in the crowd were carrying Stalin banners. Stalin. A bigger killer than Hitler. So no, it doesn't surprise me that after giving IRA terrorists indemnity but continuing to pursue British soldiers following orders, he would do this.