I was puzzled by the court case taken recently against Gerry Adams in London. Three men injured in various IRA bombings in Britain had sued Gerry Adams for a symbolic £1, alleging that, because he occupied a senior position in the IRA’s leadership, he bore significant responsibility for the damage they had suffered.
I wasn’t puzzled by what the claimants alleged. Excluding his fans in Sinn Féin, I don’t know of anyone at a senior level in Irish politics who does not believe that Adams was a key IRA leader throughout the Troubles. I was puzzled by the weakness of the claimants’ legal case. And I’m no political fan of Gerry Adams.