The BBC report that:
The BBC do admit that 'Martin McGuinness, ... has admitted being second in command of the IRA in Derry in the 1970s' but don't link that to the fact that the IRA murdered the Queen's cousin Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, in 1979. Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness's SinnFein/IRA colleague, said of Lord Mountbatten's murder:
Regardless of the answers to those questions, would the Queen want to meet one of the men who at the very least was high up in the organisation that killed her cousin, the man who was her eldest son's favourite uncle?
UPDATE:
I see that Biased-BBC have a related piece about the BBC's lack of interest in Martin McGuinness's IRA background:
'Martin McGuinness would meet Queen as president
Martin McGuinness has said he will be prepared to meet all heads of state "without exception", if he is elected President of Ireland.Sinn Fein announced on Friday that it would be supporting Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister for the role
Returning from a trip to the US on Saturday, Mr McGuinness said he hoped his candidacy would not be divisive.How magnanimous of Martin McGuinness to deign to meet the Queen in the future.
When the Queen made her first visit to Ireland in May, Sinn Fein did not take part in any of the main ceremonies.
Speaking to the BBC on Saturday morning, Mr McGuinness said he had given careful consideration to his decision to stand.
He was asked how he would handle another Royal visit to Ireland, given his party's position on the Queen's historic trip.
He said: "If the people of Ireland decide that I should be their president, my responsibilities and duties would be to meet heads of state from all over the world and to do that without exception and that would be my position."'
The BBC do admit that 'Martin McGuinness, ... has admitted being second in command of the IRA in Derry in the 1970s' but don't link that to the fact that the IRA murdered the Queen's cousin Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, in 1979. Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness's SinnFein/IRA colleague, said of Lord Mountbatten's murder:
'The IRA gave clear reasons for the execution. I think it is unfortunate that anyone has to be killed, but the furore created by Mountbatten's death showed up the hypocritical attitude of the media establishment. As a member of the House of Lords, Mountbatten was an emotional figure in both British and Irish politics. What the IRA did to him is what Mountbatten had been doing all his life to other people; and with his war record I don't think he could have objected to dying in what was clearly a war situation. He knew the danger involved in coming to this country. In my opinion, the IRA achieved its objective: people started paying attention to what was happening in Ireland.'What has Martin McGuinness ever said about this cold-blooded murder? Did he have any part in it, the ordering or approving of it? Have the BBC ever asked these questions? Do the BBC even care?
Regardless of the answers to those questions, would the Queen want to meet one of the men who at the very least was high up in the organisation that killed her cousin, the man who was her eldest son's favourite uncle?
UPDATE:
I see that Biased-BBC have a related piece about the BBC's lack of interest in Martin McGuinness's IRA background:
'why not ask when did McGuinness leave the IRA, exactly? When he was occupying the position as Capo di tutti capo, just how many innocent lives did he arrange to have terminated.Perhaps even more pointedly, how many peope did he murder HIMSELF? What exactly did he "command"?'
2 comments:
The Queen is the head of the British state and as such, she should feel sorrow for the thousands of British subjects murdered during the course of the troubles. Which, to be fair to the woman, I'm sure she does. The fact her cousin was killed over 30 years ago is a total non-story...
Let's remember, many members of the Northern Ireland Assembly have had family and friends killed by paramilitaries. However, every time a meeting takes place you wouldn't expect an "MLA [insert name] had his aunt and uncle murdered in [insert year] by the [insert militia] - an organisation in which [insert other MLA name] was a member. The two meet today to discuss the future of [insert name of some boring community centre in Bangor].
If the BBC were to start mentioning such things it would have become a pathetic broadcaster, concerned with the 'human interest stories', i.e. nonsense, that are currently the domain of crap glossy magazines.
PS. Well done on making the Total Politics list, by the way!
I disagree, there is a difference between the Queen's role as sovereign and her as an individual. And as an individual she must care that her cousin, a close cousin, was murdered by asociates of Martin McGuinness.
The BBC happpily bring up the history of people hey disapprove of, to provide context, but not of those they admire.
Thanks - Four years on the trot I think, and each year higher.
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