Dublin North West Sinn Fein TD Dessie Ellis celebrating his 50th murder at the General Election election 2011 count centre, in the RDS.
Irish Independent:: “I know you’ve spoken before about your time in the IRA. Would 50 murders be an exaggeration?”
Dessie Ellis: “I don’t know what they’re on about so I’m not going to comment on it, you know.”
Irish Independent: “Do you know if any of the bombs you made resulted in deaths?”
Ellis: “I’m not going to comment on anything in relation to anything that people are speculating on, okay?”
Fair enough.
‘I Don’t Know What They’re Talking About’ (Irish Independent)
(Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)
It’s probably accurate enough. Give or take a human life or two
So what… George Bush and Tony Blair are linked to the murder of million in their conquest of the middle east,,,yet this man has a miniscule charge in comparison, which was in defense of his country, and he’s the bad guy?
Er, the Republic of Ireland gain independence in 1937 if we’re going to be exact about it. Dessie Ellis was born in the 1950s in Dublin. As far as I’m concerned he was fighting a war that no longer needed to be fought in the Republic. He actively went out and stuck his nose in where it didn’t belong, just like Blair and Bush did. For the nationalist minority in Northern Ireland his militant interference caused more harm than good.
Choice of vocabulary doesn’t win an arguement? haha
The Free State wasn’t declared a republic until 1948.
He’s not *the* bad guy, he’s *a* bad guy.
Lol’d at the photo caption, very nice.
Its vaguely disgusting that people with such well-known, abhorrent, histories can be elected to high office.
And of course, everything the British security services say, particularly about Irish republicans, is true.
f**king idiot
“Mr Ellis (60) has refused to detail his position in the IRA during the Troubles, except to say that he was “at the highest levels”.”
(http://www.independent.ie/national-news/the-sinn-fein-td-who-is-linked-to-50-murders-3337801.html)
If he himself admits to being”at the highest levels” of the IRA during the troubles then he undoubtedly has the blood of innocents on his hands, regardless of any evidence provided by foreign sources.
I’d say he’s washed his hands a few times since then. Even if he didn’t, it would eventually flake off.
If IN&M and MI5 wrote it somewhere, it must be true!
The British haven’t given an account of their murder tally. They could start with Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson.
Yeah people like Devalera, Collins, Harry Boland, etc etc
Not to mention Strongbow, Gearoid Og, Cu Cuchulainn. Of course, historical context and prevailing mores of the tmes are entirely irrelevant. He’s a bit like Moses and his plagues.
While I doubt that Dessie Ellis was in charge of window-box maintenance at the Finglas safe house, and nothing else, it’s worth pointing out that the UK secret services in 1982 were not an unimpeachable source. And that every party in Ireland has its roots in Sinn Fein, even (via mergers) Labour.
Sinn Fein of old is not Sinn Fein that Gerry Adams leads. Different parties as said so by the Supreme Court
Buckley v AG (1950) IR 67
My point is that all our democratic parties have their roots in violence. I don’t know when we start considering that irrelevant, or purely of historical interest. But it’s not as simple as finding everyone who once wielded a gun and deciding that he doesn’t have the right to be in politics.
Absolutely, just saying that the two Sinn Feins are different parties. The days of allowing gun runners and murders to be elected representatives is long gone though.
I agree with you, about active ones anyway. I think it’s important to keep a democratic door open for former terrorists, which is probably the case here.
But then, they should expect to be hassled for it too. If they were willing to “give their lives” for something, they should be willing to take the odd heckle for the same cause. Even from the awful Indo.
What about the Green Party?
Fair point. I forgot they still existed, despite Eamonn Ryan’s big interview in the NYT today.
Yeah, it’s distasteful, but if we want to be serious about moving forward after the years of violence in the North then you can’t exclude these people, as much as we might like to. Still though, you’d think people might consider, oh I don’t know, NOT voting for him?
I would rather exclude murderers than include them in some “new Ireland”.
Sinn Fein’s grasp of democracy automatically excludes them as far as I’m concerned.
What’s genuinely frightening is that they may someday fill the void left by the incompetent, corrupt and clueless governments of FG, Lab and FF.
I don’t think you understand the concept of democracy.
+1922
@ booyah And I think you have either stupidly or deliberately misinterpreted that comment.
I’m going with stupid though
My understanding of democracy involves respecting the will of the majority. It does not involve killing people in the name of a state that you don’t recognise and which rejects your “policies”.
“A rifle in one hand and a ballot box in the other” is not democracy.
You say you’d rather exclude people like Ellis. Do you mean you wouldn’t let them stand for election? I’m not being snarky, just trying to understand.
I believe a criminal record like his should bar him from office but for now I’d exclude them by not voting for them. I’d like others to think about what they’re voting for too… they’re qualified in murder and extortion sure… but that’s not the most sustainable way to run a country.
@ Pedanto – Government by the corrupt and feeble minded is atrocious surely.
Can government by Gangsters and Extortionists be any better? I don’t think so.
Though I don’t think they would have the same difficulty collecting Property Tax – in fairness
A patriot fighting for his country.
Wonder if back in the day any hack journalists asked Michael Collins how much people he killed? Surely George Washington was responsible for more dead Brits during his fight against English rule, doubt the US press sneered at him.
His country voted to end the war in 1922. Fighting a bloody, pointless conflict 50 years after a democratic majority of the people he claims to fight for had voted to end the war marks someone as a terrorist, not a patriot.
Although the Gov of that country actively supported and aided these terrorist for a large part of that 50 years
@Zaccone, Can you tell me the exact point in time, when the British decided that democracy was the way to rule Ireland. I am looking for a date.
In the 1918, 73 of 105 seats in Ireland were won by Sinn Fein. Did the British follow that democratic result?
I don’t know if you are aware but part of Ireland is still ruled by the British. Until recently, the large minority were mistreated by their masters. They resisted that oppression violently, when a sham gerrymandered democracy did not permit a peaceful resolution.
Doesn’t sound especially proud of it, does he? Not exactly being up front and frank and honest about it, is he? If it’s okay for him to have done what they say he did, let him tell us all about it and let the people decide.
Can he not tell us all about what he did at the highest level in the freedom movement?
Seriously, why be so coy unless he is ashamed?
what about the justice of monaghan bombing in Dublin 30 years ago” it Sems like FG and LB are trying to Break good fRiday agreement along with a few retired British MPS like Retired FG and LB Scum who are all for lOyalist in northern Island Not ireland UK settlers go back to britain you Blood trouble makers” A Lepard never Changes its Spots” prods in Northern Island And british are nothing but Trouble trying to provoke and Break Good Friday Agreement” this is a stir up and propaganda Regime
And once again, this time in English?
+1
Genuinely painful to read. Had to stand up and get a glass of water.
I had to get up and drink tequila just to steady my nerves after this linguistic atrocity. sTiLl “thougH, evrY1 enTietld to ” there oWn viEw. “
“Northern Island”, that’s beautiful.
Fair play to him for his heroic resistance to the language of the oppressor. Discontinuity IRA, maybe.
I hate the Labour Barty.
i’M sORrY i caN’T unDeRStaND yOU
Vtech computers are gRatE fUr doIn diS kiNda Stuf
Wow shock horror, I am sure nobody who voted for him was aware of this dark and seedy past or of his previous transgressions!!!
Seriously we all know what McGuiness, Adams and various others were responsible for and the cause of in fact some of us could probably not even start to imagine what they were actually capable or involved in. But as an Island we accepted the Good Friday agreement and the release of prisoners and that is where we should have moved on.
Sadly the Indo are attempting to distract as did Gilmore in the Dail last week from the current administrations failings. I would have thought Broadsheet would be more interested in FG proposals to set up committees to regulate the internet rather than this old news that we all knew/suspected all ready.
I would never vote SF not because of their past but because of their tin pot economics and their social policies. It appears the Indy media is now on election footing.
Could you point out these tin pot economic and social policies?
All of them. They’re the same policies that every other incompetent political party has.
I largely agree with you Keith, but this, ‘I would never vote SF’. I think you will find all of our economic, social problems blah blah, begin and end at the ballot box.
Stop voting and giving these goons legitimacy. The state is not here to help us.
Can someone tell me how the FF/FG/LAB policies are any better than SF?
Are we talking about the 50 murders caused by Irish social media in the last 25 minutes according to a government press spokesman (salary 125,000 EUR)? No. Obviously.
Get over it! These things tend to happen in war. You’ll never see a machine gun throwing out jellybeans.
Which war was this?
The Umpa Lumpa revolt!
What about at the Battle of the Bulge?
AFFS
So if we keep on about a formal enquiry into Pat Finucane’s murder this is the sorta sh1te that’ll start being lobbed in from Cameron and Associates and those of Their behalf
Fine.
But durty tricks operators will need to be a lot smarter this time round. Especially when hiring Spin Message Managers and Press luvvies.
50 murders …. Seriously. Could you not be more subtle.
Aha – Clever of Cameron to order some sort of report implicating the Brits in the murder of Pat Finucane.
Clearly the Brits are lying twatz and Dessie is purer than the driven snow etc. etc.
Oh grow up Sid.
50 murders!
Seriously?
Dessie Ellis might have got away with 50 murders? …. Cop On.
If any Paddy got away with even a tenth of that number I’d say they were working for the other side. Double Jobbing like.
This misinformation spoof is as obvious as a way-too-much face lift.
Very typical
….
Dessie made timers for bombs. Not hard to rack up fifty kills with carbombs.
@ Frilly – sorry about my lack of maturity.
How many murders do you have to commit to qualify as a nasty bastard nowadays?
Dunno.
Fortunately tho’, I can recognise a vintage John Major era muck’spread.
Hopefully others do too.
And the formal enquiry into Pat Finucane’s murder will be a matter of course.
Actually, Labour started that process.It happened decades ago. Everyone knew what happened anyway. His family campaigned continously. There was international pressure for an investigation, even Obama supported one.
This is why social media should be banned in Ireland.
People talking sh1te about stuff they know nothing about. But making it look like they do.
I do it well.
Tickle, you are so right, so much sh1t and uninformed opinion, even the level of spelling is a joke.
I’d say lets scrap all the past crap and start again, say, The GPO, a repeat sit in on Easter Sunday 2016.
Well, you can’t make an omlette without breaking a few eggs!
Great logic lads : The British did bad things so I’m going to put a bomb behind a statue and kill your young daughter and aged father; and then recoil in indignation and horror that people might find that a wee bit indefensible or, perish the thought, require accountability from perpetrators. Wonderful
You would’nt, would you?
Why can’t the Indo get over it?
You see they were very quiet on the loyalists taking over Belfast and Pat Finucane’s murder, so they have decided to change the subject?
Anytime, anybody brought up British terrorism they were stuck in the past and that we need to “mature as a country” bla bla bla!
And Charlie Flanagan has a sudden interest in the PIRA, some gall. Another useless blueshirt corner boy distracting attention.
Did anybody in FG or Lab have anything to say about the appearance of terrorists in NI recently over the flag controversy? No. Pat Finucane? No
Incidentally, where are all these British tourists as a result of the queen’s visit, the Indo et al promised us? There numbers have gone down.
None of your points address the murdering elephant in the room. Which is fair enough given that Ellis is a confessed member of an organisation kinda famous for murdering people. I don’t get any of my news from the Indo btw, I just don’t like murderers pretending to be democratic representatives.
One thing I always noticed about the media was the use of the term “murder” versus ” kill”
Soldiers kill people. Terrorists murder people.
Oh! get over the Indo thing for God’s sake. Its a commercial entity, there to make money for DO’B and Co. The more inflamatory a headline, the sexier a story, the more sheeple will buy the rag to read all about it.
If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.
What about…
Situation…
Etc…
Sitcheeayation.
FFS.
Who bore responsibility for Hiroshima & Nagasaki ?? Truman or Einstein & the project manhattan team & the crew of the Enola Gay ??
The American Taxpayer!
What came first; the egg or the chicken?
And that my friends is all I have to say.
As far as he and his colleagues were concerned he was at war.
Jeez even the great Nelson Mandela killed people for freedom did he not?
Hey everyone.
There’s a peace process.
Join it.
Sorry your honor, I only made the bomb, I’ve no idea who placed them or where they were placed.
Court dismissed.
*said a fella once, not related to this story*