Well, a different war this time. The Guardian’s coverage of the Stakeknife affair has given me the best belly laugh in weeks. However, if one of Gerry Adams’ trusted friends is indeed proved to be not only a tout but a serial killer, the paper writes, discussing the consequences of the discovery. The shock! the horror! That Gerry should turn out to be friends with a serial killer! Next thing, we’ll be told that Martin McGuinness was in the IRA.
When I first went to Belfast, in the early Eighties, I was told by British army sources that Martin “Babes” McGuinness had personally murdered eight people that they knew of, and Danny Morrison, three. Now we know where they got their figures from.
I think the whole story is wonderful news: running the head of the enemies’ murder squad while pretending to go along with their pretence to negotiate in good faith is a better way to deal with terrorists than the alternative, which we also tried, which is simply to shoot, lock up, and torture as many of the bastards as you possibly can. Not morally better, perhaps, but not worse either, and more effective.