Last Friday, the BBC’s Andrew Neil frustrated a majority of viewer and even the press by spending the bulk of his half-hour interview with Jeremy Corbyn on the topic of the IRA. Others have done similarly and it’s to be expected that Jeremy Paxman will do more than touch on the topic tonight.
One of the main questions that keeps being used is whether Corbyn will condemn IRA violence specifically. Corbyn will answer, because it’s true, that he condemns all bombings.
But he has, in fact, condemned IRA violence specifically. Parliament even has it on record.
In 1994, Labour MP David Winnick proposed an EDM (Early Day Motion) in the Commons commemorating the victims of the IRA bombing in Birmingham 20 years earlier.
The wording of the motion is unequivocal:
That this House notes that it is 20 years since the mass killings of 21 people in Birmingham as a result of terrorist violence; deplores that such an atrocity occurred and again extends its deepest sympathy to the relatives of those murdered and also to all those injured; and strongly hopes that the present cessation of violence by the paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland will be permanent and thus ensure that such an atrocity as took place in Birmingham as well as the killings in many other places both in Northern Ireland itself and Great Britain will never occur again.
Jeremy Corbyn – who had helped bring about the ceasefire – is one of the sponsors of that EDM:
Debate over, or should be. Whether it will be, I guess we’ll see when Corbyn meets Paxman tonight.
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Reblogged this on Sid's Blog and commented:
Not good enough!
Corbyn must try harder!
Fake News!
Corbyn us a terrorist-sympathiser!
He must have had his fingers crossed.
Tabloids tell the truth. Especially Murdoch
Jeremy Corbyn has condemned the bombing and murdering of civilians by all organisations.
In light of the still fragile NI peace agreement, it is most unwise of the British establishment to seek to reopen the wounds of the conflict in Northern Ireland for political gain.
But if it wishes to continue down that path then it is the British establishment which will be held to account, not Jeremy Corbyn.
Should be twitter stormed
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Reblogged this on Christopher John Ball.
Reblogged this on sdbast.
If I’m reading that correctly it took him 20 years to say on the record what most people said at the actual time of the atrocity.
Interestingly the words condemn and IRA do not appear in that motion. The motion deplores the occurrence, but falls short of naming the perpetrators.
Graham , think about it for more than a millisecond eh !
If ( when I hope ) this guy become PM he will have to negotiate brexshit with Southern Ireland and all its complexities with the North Ireland boarder etc to boot. So any foot set wrong now to just please some fuck wit jurno like Andrew Neil who does not and never will have to sit round the table with these guys to try and maintain peace is senseless and stupid politicking of a small nature.
Once again JC is playing it right
The article headline claims that “CORBYN HAS CONDEMNED IRA BOMBING. PARLIAMENT HAS IT ON RECORD” so if we believe the headline, it looks like the foot has already been “set wrong” albeit 20 years late and 22 years ago.
Can’t parse this comment!
@Skwawkbox. I’m contrasting the article which claims that JC has condemned IRA bombing in the past with Rob’s comment that appears to say that refusing to condemn now is playing it right.- to protect Brexit negotiations.
I don’t think one can condemn in 1994 and somehow “uncondemn” now for political expediency.
But as I said earlier neither the words condemn nor IRA appear in that EDM.
I personally find it very difficult to understand why anyone would not be willing to call a spade a spade in respect of the IRA – especially when their targets were innocent civilians.
Reblogged this on MAL's MURMURINGS.