Comments on The Pensive Quill: Outside of the Clique

Belfast Bookworm, Richard really did the right th...

2011-09-20T11:43:15.285+01:00

Belfast Bookworm,

Richard really did the right thing in getting Afterlives out. I think after Blanketmen there was so much detail dispersed that it was hard for many to follow. Afterlives pulled it all together and it delivered the coup d'grace to the Clique's false narrative.

There are those who will never believe him, the same type who believe decommissioning never happened. As they say, what was never reasoned in can never be reasoned out.

AM, I think Afterlives was a stroke of genius on ...

2011-09-20T11:34:06.952+01:00

AM,

I think Afterlives was a stroke of genius on Richard O'Rawe's part. After Blanketmen I found it hard to keep track of the chain of events that followed it - all the counter arguments and new information coming to light etc.

Afterlives sorted all that out. His appraisal of the cliques whole PR stunt around the'duping' issue in particular was brilliant.

Unfortunately though, I believe those needing 'persuaded' of the truth after Blanketmen will never be convinced - not because Richard's account is flawed or inplausible, but because they simply dont want to believe.

They're still chained up in Plato's Cave.

Belfast Bookworm, this is a very concise but accu...

2011-09-20T11:11:20.989+01:00

Belfast Bookworm,

this is a very concise but accurate summary.

Afterlives forensically dissects the case that the Clique has been making and shows it to be threadbare.

It is beyond doubt to me that Richard O'Rawe is telling it truthfully. He genuinely believes what he writes unlike the Liars' Club who rush out some spoof forgetting that it is completely at odds with some other earlier spoof.

Very few will apologise to him. The instinct at the top would be to disappear him. They would take the view how dare he challenge such wonderful minds as theirs!
He stood his ground, faced the bullies down and won the day. If he were to run for the presidency he would never be called the President of Lies.

I think if anyone had any misgivings at all of Ric...

2011-09-20T09:40:38.792+01:00

I think if anyone had any misgivings at all of Richard O'Rawe's account in Blanketmen, Afterlives will eradicate any doubts they had left.

It was like reading an adcademic essay - every single contradiction or point of confusion was addressed thoroughly and meticulously, the sequence of events laid out so simply that one would find it impossible not to believe.

It's said the devil is in the detail and in Afterlives all the he saids, she saids and I saids were clarified so efficiently, leaving the reader in no doubt as to who is telling the truth in the whole debacle.

I hope Richard gets some peace now and the naysayers and disbelievers find it in themselves to apologise to him.

Mick, 'Could it have been that Adams wanted t...

2011-09-19T17:40:12.172+01:00

Mick,

'Could it have been that Adams wanted to see something positive come out of the hunger strikes and blanket protest, getting Owen Carron elected would at least leave a legacy on which to build.'

Perhaps. Did he have to sabotage a satisfactory outcome to the hunger strike to do so?

'Could we be blinded by how things have panned out today?'

Some may be. I think others have remained sober in their assessment.

'for me it takes a leap of faith to believe adams is such a Svengali that he planed the whole business to get to where we are.'

I think the evidence is there that this was not accidental. Certainly in terms of the general outcome. The details I don't think we can ever plan for.

'As for McFarlane, he was a serving volunteer in a senior position, if he did not trust his leadership he would have had to stand down.'

He might think with the benefit of hindsight that he should have stood down. I have never been of the view that all those involved knew where it would end up. I would have serious difficulties accepting that Bik consciously sent the boys off to their grave. I have no difficulty accepting that Adams did it.

No one book would cover the prison experience. But a lot more detail about the ordianary life would be useful.

Niall, you would need to be a member of the dopey...

2011-09-19T17:32:04.497+01:00

Niall,

you would need to be a member of the dopey clique not to know

Can you name the members of this 'Clique' ...

2011-09-19T13:11:47.999+01:00

Can you name the members of this 'Clique' or is it only a 'Clique' that knows this 'Clique'?.....

"O’Rawe asks of Gerry Adams ‘was he more inte...

2011-09-19T13:00:55.958+01:00

"O’Rawe asks of Gerry Adams ‘was he more interested in getting Owen Carron elected than in saving the lives of his comrades in the H-Bocks?’ "

Could it have been that Adams wanted to see something positive come out of the hunger strikes and blanket protest, getting Owen Carron elected would at least leave a legacy on which to build.

Could we be blinded by how things have panned out today, for me it takes a leap of faith to believe adams is such a Svengali that he planed the whole business to get to where we are.

As for McFarlane, he was a serving volunteer in a senior position, if he did not trust his leadership he would have had to stand down. Up until this point (2nd HS) did he have any reason to doubt the leadership?

Having said all this Richard has done a great service by writing these two books. He writes well and has a good eye for detail. I would now like him to partially move away from this controversial issue and write more about the mechanics of Republican imprisonment and the grind of daily life as a republican prisoner and not forgetting the great changes which took place within the prison after the second HS ended.

There is a great story to be told about how the prison leadership dealt with the prison authorities, kept up moral, and helped iron out the daily problems prisoners face, etc. Escapes, crackpot or otherwise, the prison characters, the rivalry,
the best and worst of the skrews and Republican OCs.

Marty, I don’t think people realised just how mal...

2011-09-18T21:51:53.866+01:00

Marty,

I don’t think people realised just how malevolent, manipulative and devious the Clique was. Between them they killed six of the hunger strikers. The hunger strikers had broken Thatcher and this gang stabbed them in the back.They have different degrees of responsibility but as a unit they are culpable.

Forget the Green book – that was a bible and as we know about bibles those who preach don’t practice.

Fair play to Richard for standing up to them. And he beat them at every turn, caught them lying and squirming.

Rory,

I think that is true about Bik. In my view a good guy who worked with weasels and was ultimately dragged down in their wash.

We could go into all the arguments again and again...

2011-09-18T19:53:08.239+01:00

We could go into all the arguments again and again. However those of us who were there knew that Bik relied on Big Ricky's advice on everything.
The one other adviser he had has remained silent and I think this says a lot.

Good article Anthony, I just finished Blanket...

2011-09-18T10:43:21.515+01:00
Good article Anthony,

I just finished Blanketmen this week and must say that it was one of the most difficult books I have ever read in terms of the emotions it stirred up in me. Profound sorrow, rage and sheer frustration. I would like to re-visit Afterlives having read the sequel before the first book.

One thing I would say in defence of Brendan McFarlane is that unlike the 'clique', he was imprisoned, on protest and more than willing to go on hungerstrike and die himself. He must have been under incredable pressure throughout the whole ordeal.

I think Richard O'Rawe is an incredably brave man and in the future these two books will have a profound impact on the republican movement and Irish politics.

Rory

Its been a while since I read Afterlives,and yes ...

2011-09-18T09:40:35.902+01:00
Its been a while since I read Afterlives,and yes without doubt Richard proved beyond any reasonable doubt that those six men were sacrificed on the alter of political expediency,what has always troubled me is that not all the AC were members of the bearded ones kitchen cabinet clique,so why was there not a close watch kept on the devolepments around such an important issue, and yes the bearded on may have been delegated to oversee any negotations with the british goverment,so he should have been reporting any and every offer made,so as Richards book points out the bearded one left six men to die,he also lied to his comrades on the AC and his actions caused those deaths, now under green book rules is that not an offence punishable by death,or did the green book just apply to the common five/eights? Richards book shone a light on that sanctimonious bastards devious mind and we are all the better and wiser for it, thank fuck there is still people with balls in our community who wont be bullied or coerced into subservience or silence.