We predicted it a week ago: that Bertie Ahern's comments about Sinn Fein's prior knowledge of the Belfast bank robbery would prove ultimately more politically explosive than Hugh Orde's claim that the IRA did the job.
After all, P O'Neill doesn't have standing to launch a defamation suit. Gerry Adams does. Martin McGuinness does. Mitchel McLaughlin does. But I doubt if, after the courtroom-style punishment questioning he got on RTE this Monday, he'd really want to go another 10 rounds.
Now Gerry Adams is demanding an apology:
Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams said he would be challenging remarks Taoiseach Bertie Ahern made about republican involvement in the robbery when they met.
"What the taoiseach has accused me and Martin McGuinness of doing, is being involved in a conspiracy to be involved in the prior knowledge of the largest bank robbery in the history of these islands. I find that highly offensive," he said.
There was "nothing to back it up - it is totally wrong", said Mr Adams.
On Monday, the Northern Ireland secretary and the Irish foreign minister said they were 100% convinced the IRA was involved in the robbery - the UK's biggest cash raid.
In a statement issued on Tuesday signed by P O'Neill, the IRA repeated its denial of involvement.
One assumes he's not going to get one. What then? Well if the war is really over, he'll sue.
Or will Bertie throw them a lifeline anyway? Bertie says he's going to renew talks with SF, even if the Yanks are going to turn the screws(here, here, here ), and seemingly undercutting what McDowell said on RTE Monday night. "No budge or fudge"? That didn't last long, did it?
On David McWilliams' daytime RTE panel show, The Big Bite, Jim Cusack of the Sunday Independent predicted that Bertie Ahern and London would let SF off the hook. We'll see.
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