It was on Spotlight last night. A northern Ireland documentary series it was naturally interested in the recent judgement in the south against Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy for tax evasion.
The entire show was devoted to Tom Murphy’s alleged republican past its still alleged because there’s no actual evidence he was in the IRA I think that’s important. There is a lost libel case, there was a statement from Eamonn Collins there’s the murder of Eamonn Collins but there’s no suggestion Tom Murphy had anything to do with the murder and none of it is proof of membership of the IRA.
Eamonn Collins was a grass he should have run but he chose not to and his very presence would be an open wound to people who care about things like that.
Enough of unproven allegations about the IRA I don’t support the IRA. I don’t like the IRA. I support fair trials for everyone, there’s so much wrong with the arrest and trial of Tom Murphy it makes me wonder and it makes me angry.
If I were a big time smuggler of contraband of whatever description the first thing I would do is make sure I had a safe place. A priests hole, secret cave, false basement. Anything that would do to house my ill gotten gains.
Tom Murphy no fool and no amateur didn’t do any of that. He put his wealth, or some of it, in black plastic sacks in a barn and that says to me Mr Murphy was not expecting unwelcome or inquisitive visitors.
Did someone lie to him? Did a government or its officers renege on a deal to let Tom Murphy continue as its alleged he always had? If so I think the green light to investigate Tom Murphy was from within the British and/or Irish governments (for those who care that’s alphabetical order)
It would do no good in the first instance of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement for the British or Irish to give their word independently of each other. It had to be agreed by both sides and presumably any betrayal had also to be agreed.
I despise those people who forget their friends as soon as its convenient to do so. I dislike those who return favours with betrayal and I feel contempt for those who make promises in order to achieve something and once it is achieved renege on their promise, their given word.
And so Mr Murphy was arrested and charged with tax evasion and here what is merely slightly hold your nose nauseating becomes sickening in its hypocrisy. Mr Murphy was denied a trial of his peers and made to endure a trial with no jury.
Tax evasion is a crime against the state. It had to be, as all crimes are, investigated by the state it had to be prosecuted by the state and the judge is a state appointee.
No jury in a trial against the state. No mention of the unease all states feel at the presence of more than their own army. No mention that disabling and disarming such an army would be a priority for every government.
Its all very sleazy and whether or not you think Mr Murphy deserves sleaze is irrelevant because the law doesn’t. The law must shine or its not the law its just a bigger gang than the other guys.
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