Quote:
Originally Posted by grants70
Would admitting it have landed him in prison? From what I read, it's a locking up offence to be a member of the IRA or other subversive groups. It was probably okay for McGuinness to admit it as he had apparently already done his time for membership.
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Current membership in the what remains of the IRA is still a crime, on both sides of the border. Admitting his former role wouldn't subject Adams to any legal liability. A number of former high ranking IRA leaders have admitted their roles, some with remorse, some defiantly so. Adams was always more of a politician with an eye on his future career.
One persistent theory on why he won't own up to his past is that he directed one of the most infamously botched IRA operations of the entire struggle. A woman was dragged from her home in front of her children and later executed as a British informer. While no one really knows for certain, later evidence cast grave doubts on the claim she was a British spy. Adams denies any involvement, but its widely accepted that he gave the orders.