Gerry Adams has been arrested

[Cocolepew]

He's being questioned about Jean McConville.

If they painted it with John Hume's face instead of Adams, the wording would be spot on.

It infuriates me that SF want to take the credit for things the SDLP did and said and that SF most decidedly did not do.

Totally agree Anne - unfortunately John Hume seems to have been long forgotten. (I no longer live in NI, so maybe it's different at home but in England there's no mention of him or the SDLP whatsoever).

Really hope they've got something on Gerry Adams & justice prevails.

I hope that these evil, degenerate people finally get what is coming to them. Arrested, charged and put before a court sufficiently courageous and neutral enough to see it through.

Sinn Fein in the republic are actually analogous to UKIP in Britain - as people have lost faith in the two main parties (recession, corruption, austerity) they have turned elsewhere in protest. One comes from the left and one from the right, but the similarities are striking.

I'm from the republic but live in the North now. Politics here is quite depressing - add someone who is neither nationalist nor unionist there aren't many options. A new guy has started recently at work, his wife is a Sinn Fein candidate for the council elections. His views are... Extreme. And the scary thing is I don't think he realises it. Apparently yesterday he was heard to say something along the lines of "she'd been warned, she should have stopped doing what she was doing, 6 men were shot because of her" about Jean McConville. This is a young, university graduate.

Stokes - that is scary and stupid, especially as a thorough investigation has shown there is no evidence that she was ever an informer - unlike plenty in SF and PIRA who were.

I think Craicdealer has it spot on, Jean McConville's murder was designed to strike fear into the Catholic/Nationalist community, as if a widow could be taken from her children, then anyone could.

I feel sick to my stomach at the thought of what that poor woman must have been through and how utterly traumatized those poor children must have been all their lives. I hope all the people responsible are brought to justice

Yup Gosh. It's terrifying that those words can come out of someone's mouth.

I don't think Nigel Farage has been arranging any murders.

Police have been given a further 48 hours

I hope they are on to something concrete and it's not just that he won't cooperate.

No of course not Aga. You can see what I mean though, the politics of the countries have followed each other:

• Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern elected around the same time, a new wave of optimism coupled with economic prosperity.

• They lose power with the public largely against them - Blair over Iraq, Ahern the finance minister without a bank account.

• Fine Gael and the Conservatives come to power around the time of the crash. Things are tough.

• People don't like what they see in the party in power, but they haven't forgotten what Blair/Ahern did either. Where to turn?

Both Sinn Fein and UKIP have been there to capitalise, dramatically increasing their share of the vote and becoming a presence that the main, traditional parties are having to take seriously, whether they want to or not. The parties are very different (obviously), but their positions in the political hierarchy and the coverage in the media have been remarkably similar and this is what I'm getting at.

Obviously the analysis above is extremely broadbrush.

Anyway, the PSNI have been given another 48 hours to question Gerry Adams.

Must have something to a judge to grant it?

That is a very longtime to hold someone.

Any expert legal types know if the times lines for murder or the (rather longer?) timelines for terrorism are applicable ones here?

I hope so too Pig. If they release him without charge now it will "confirm" that the arrest and extension were politically motivated and enhance his chances in the election

Exactly! They will totally turn it against the PSNI. Hope the DUP don't rise to it- although going by Arlene Fosters performance on Nolan I doubt they will be able to help themselves!

The PSNI have been granted another 48 hours to question him.

sorry just realised that has already been posted.

Gerry Adams makes me balk. I think Ann's daughter is very brave

Apparently being interviewed 17 hours per day That means they do have lots to talk about right? or is it 17 hours of him refusing to speak?

Do you reckon he can stay calm and charming through that or will he be having a tantrum?

I would assume refusing to talk but with a few tantrums thrown in. Unfortunately I think he'll be out tonight without charge.

Yes, onedev I think you're probably right and I dread to think what will happen then.

he is very tantrummy, I've seen him on TV numerous times losing his cool when questioned on something he doesn't like. But I think he is far too smart to do it when being questioned by police, because I'm guessing that the calm reasonable victim demeanour will be far more infuriating.

As for it being the result of dark forces within the PSNI who are opposed to the peace process Well, seeing as the PSNI itself came about after the peace process and most of the senior RUC officers were made an offer they couldn't refuse in order to make them leave, it's a bit of a stretch of the imagination to think that there is some hidden hard core of senior officers somewhere who are determined to scupper the peace process.

Gerry Adams is an odious man and it sickens me to the pit of my stomach how he has managed to portray himself across the world as some great peacemaker. Even pre peace process he had a strong following in the USA, which frightened the life out of me.

Treaclesoda there are a number of senior ex RUC officers who have rejoined the PSNI on a sub-contracted basis.

Stokes that was a pretty good analysis.

I know there are ex RUC working as contractors but I still don't believe that a few of them, outside of the organisation, exert the sort of influence that is being claimed.

And for the record, I speak as someone who does not hold the PSNI in very high regard at all, so I'm not one of those 'the police can do no wrong' people.