Scotland, America and Denis Donaldson

international | miscellaneous | other press Tuesday December 20, 2005 16:18 by Red Clydeside

Scotland, America and Denis Donaldson

Noraid chief warned SF about Donaldson

(by Suzanne Breen, Sunday Tribune)

Former Noraid publicity director, Martin Galvin, warned the Sinn Féin ard comhairle about Denis Donaldson's behaviour around 15 years ago.

Galvin told the Sinn Féin leadership he had "serious doubts" about Donaldson's judgement and strategy but his concerns were instantly dismissed.

"I was told that Donaldson's credentials were impeccable, that he was beyond reproach, and that he had the full confidence of the Sinn Féin leadership in Ireland," Galvin told the Sunday Tribune.

"Donaldson had taken an interest in Irish-America from the late 1980s and was sent over to run the Noraid office in New York. Almost from the moment he got there, he was a negative influence.

"He created trouble, he made bad recommendations about genuine people, he attempted to undermine supporters with traditional republican credentials and he pushed those with reformist politics on the North."

Galvin said Donaldson had been sent with the "full endorsement" of a senior Sinn Féin leader whom he refused to name. "Given the importance of Irish-America to the British at that time, it was a great posting for Donaldson. He had access to all our strategy documents, to our political contacts, and to details on all the money we raised.

"I began to notice how he tried to push out people who had hardcore politics and would be more likely to ask questions about strategy and even challenge Sinn Féin policy changes.

"He would say these people were no good, and he would push forward those who were far more malleable politically. He tried to undermine a very senior Belfast republican living in New York and also the sister of a dead INLA hunger-striker."


He claimed the Belfast IRA leadership was told Sean O'Callaghan was an informer four years before it was publicly disclosed, but O'Callaghan remained in place. "Denis Donaldson is only the tip of the iceberg," Long claimed.

It is widely believed in security and unionist political circles that Donaldson was sacrificed by his British handlers to protect a more important mole who is both a senior Sinn Féin and IRA figure.

December 19, 2005
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This article appeared in the December 18, 2005 edition of the Sunday Tribune.


I know that people might question the motives of Martin Galvin but this was said 15 years ago when he was still friendly with Gerry aDAMSthe hard core republicans that Donaldson removed can verify his story.
Steaknife or Stakeknife, nobody will ever know for certain which is the
correct one, but the truth looks like it was a British military
intelligence operation which means that Steaknife/Stakeknife was the
name given to the actual operation rather than an individual informer.


What does any of this got to do with Scotland you may ask?
When seanchai played in Glasgow in 1998 Denis Donaldson was present and was well known to the organiser who was also in charge of the PDF in Scotland. Denis would have saw the way that Republicans worked in Scotland and how even those who did not like each other personaly were now working together for the one goal. Remember there had been another big split in Scotland and the now head of the PDF had resolved that split and managed to convince everyone to work together for the common good.
In 2001 Scottish based Republicans managed to get 10,000 people onto the
streets of Glasgow to remember the Hunger-Strikers. Within 12 months of
this the seeds were sown for a split within the Republican Movement in
Scotland that has become as divisive as it has destructive for all of
those concerned. In early 2002 the man in charge of the Prisoners
Dependants Fund (PDF) Scotland was moved from his position and a
new man was put in charge. The man who had been removed was told that he was being moved to another job and that it was only a matter of time before the new job was ready. The new job never materialised . At a meeting of delegates from the Flute Bands and PDF in Belfast they were told that this man had nothing to do with anything anymore and was no longer a part of the Movement.Those who questioned the removal of the previous leadership structure in Scotland soon found themselves isolated and surplus to requirements. Between the removal of the man in charge and the Easter meeting in Belfast many Republicans who had'nt been told about the changes had drifted away through a lack of communication.
Those who had been classed as having hard line politics and those who
openly questioned the direction that the Movement was taking were
quickly pushed to the side so that others with less forthright views
were given positions of authority. Then in 2003 Cairde Na hEireann was
formed to represent the interests of the Republican Movement in
Scotland, The West Of Scotland Band Alliance at this stage declined
to join Cairde Na hEireann because they considered the possibility of
losing their hard fought for autonomy as being too much to stomach. A
split ensued between those loyal to the West Of Scotland Band Alliance
who were considered to be the old guard and Cairde Na hEireann who were
considered to be the young turks. The young people had little or no experiance and wher not in a position to question the whole debacle. They did not have the older and wiser heads around them to show them were mistakes had been made in the past and to make sure that they were'nt repeated.Both sides have thus far been unable
to reach any agreement with each other and have been engaged in a war
of words for the better part of two years.

There is however another group of Republicans who are aligned to
neither the West Of Scotland Band Alliance nor Cairde Na hEireann who
always questioned the real cause of the split. Their conclusion was
that British Military Intelligence was behind the whole thing. Worried
that Republicans in Scotland had been extremely pro active in
galvanizing support for the Republican Movement and managing to get
unsurpassed numbers onto the streets in memory of the Hunger-Strikers
they decided that those Republicans in Scotland would have to be put in their place. The first thing that they done was to remove the man at the top. Knowing that he was a long standing and staunch Republican with no personal baggage that could compromise him, he was moved out of the job with no suitable explanation ever being given, to this day no-one has ever given a reason for his removal. The next step was to marginalize and isolate those Republican activists who were intensely loyal to their comrade and friend. The next step was the promotion of those who would have no ties with the man and the promotion of those who at one time would never be considered for positions of authority, all of this was done at the expense and dismay of many well respected Republican Activists who had formed the backbone of Republicanism in Scotland. It should be pointed out that when this man's friends in both the North and South of the border in Ireland asked the reason for his removal they were told that it was none of their business. He still speaks to all of his friends in Ireland and is still extremly well thought of in Ireland as well as in Scotland where his experiance is used to give advice to the many Republicans who still call on his door for advice. At the time there was many rumours and innuendo regarding the man who had been removed but when he went to Ireland to clear it up the new man in Ireland who was now dealing with things in Scotland said that if he had been in the job at the time then none of this would have happened.
After all of this was achieved then a new political structure was put in place that would have no need for the old guard of Republican Activists who although loyal to the Republican leadership were becoming more and more concerned about the decisions being taken regarding the state of play in Scotland.

Denis Donaldson was the key to this plan, it has been reported that when Denis went to America he set about destroying NORAID by getting rid of the men and women who would be considered as hard liners. The same thing has happened in Scotland and Denis would have been in the position to influence those Republicans charged with dealing with matters in Scotland. Look at the similarities between the two, a change in leadership resulting in a dilution of Republican Activists with a proven track record taking on roles that they were not suited for. The resoling effect in both cases was damaging splits between the old and new guards which has been greatly sharpened by the continuing misinformation campaign being directed at those who are completely innocent of the ridiculous accusation that have been spread.
.

I would implore the the republican community within Scotland to think about the way things have happened and to come to the same conclusions as those who have spent many years at the coal face, after many a discussion on this matter 99.9% of these Republicans are convinced this is what happened. The admission by Denis Donaldson came as a total shock and now questions must be answered or we could see the total destruction of Republicanism as we know it.



The parallels between the situation in America and Scotland are so stark that there can be no alternative that is in my opinion possible.


None of this is intented as a dig at either the West Of Scotland Band Alliance or Cairde Na hEireann who have both been the victim of British Dirty Tricks and who are in this prediciment because of the success of republicans in this country 5 years ago. Look at the differance between now and 2001. I hope that this in some ways can expalin the downfall of republicanism in Scotland and can encourage people to come together for the common good of republicanism. Please think long and hard about this before replying.