Hitting the fan

It was a weekend of confusion, reaction, hyperbole and, probably, even more deception.

“If what we are hearing now is true - that one of Sinn Fein’s top administrators turns out to be a British spy - this is as bizarre as it gets,”

- 26-County Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern

“There was a spy ring at Stormont, but it was a British spy ring controlled by securocrats, by people within the establishment who are hostile to the peace process.”

- Sinn Fein chief negotiator Martin McGuinness

“We have had too much secrecy, it’s time for transparency.”

- Ex-Republican Sinn Fein vice-president, Des Long.

“The New Year will see important efforts being made to restore the political institutions. All of this is at risk because of these dissident elements within the British system. The onus to stop this lies with the British Government.”

- Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams

“There is a spin going on here and the spin is going on because actually it’s the republican movement that’s in a crisis today.”

- Former Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble

“As party leader throughout the period of Donaldson’s double agency, Gerry Adams was party leader. The buck stops with him. The only option now open is for Gerry Adams to resign.”

- SDLP’s Eddie Espie

“I think it is a disgrace that the British government has been found guilty of spying on Sinn Fein for 20 years and all the SDLP can do is call for Gerry Adams to resign.”

- Sinn Fein’s Gerry Kelly

“Blair needs to explain whether he knew Donaldson was an agent and, if not, how that could credibly be so.”

- Democratic Unionist MEP Jim Allister

“The reality is we saw democratically elected institutions, a government, brought down by British intelligence and people within the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland).”

- Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams

“There is a growing sense that people in the British system and Provisional movement are up to their necks in all of this stuff”.

- SDLP justice spokesman Alex Attwood

“He created trouble, he made bad recommendations about genuine people, he attempted to undermine supporters with traditional republican credentials and he pushed those with reformist politics on the North.”

- Former head of the irish Northern Aid Committee, Martin Galvin

“There has always been in conflict situations around the world people who betray their comrades and colleagues and the very organisation they publicly claim to be supportive of.”

- Sinn Fein chief negotiator Martin McGuinness

“What has happened in recent weeks is that it has shown that people who for years gave us a dirty war are now prepared, at best, to give us a dirty peace.”

- SDLP leader Mark Durkan

“There must be no attempt at further cover-up.”

- DUP leader Ian Paisley

“The revelations prove categorically that we need a full, proper and public investigation into the Stormontgate case. It is now utterly ludicrous to suggest that the case is not in the public interest.”

- Senior Ulster Unionist Michael McGimpsey

“What would a public inquiry achieve? In the circumstances the unionists have called for an inquiry. Let’s see if they get one. Let’s see if that happens.”

- Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinnness

“I am looking at what we can say and put more into the public domain. But it has to be done in accordance with the advice we receive as to what is legally proper. We are looking at that.”

- British Prime Minister Tony Blair

“Frankly, we have had inquiries galore in Northern Ireland. They cost hundreds of millions of pounds.”

- British Direct Ruler Peter Hain

“There is the distinct possibility, like so many cases in the past, that [Donaldson] is being used as a scapegoat to cover for someone else.”

- SDLP deputy leader Alasdair McDonnell

“These events are fortunately the vestige of the past. We want to put these behind us as much as we can.”

- 26-County Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern

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