Eamon Gilmore, Pat Rabbitte, the Workers' Party and their links to Murder, Bank Robbery and Racketeering

Eamon Gilmore and Pat Rabbitte

“In Ireland our party has no regular source of income, whatever resources we have secured it has been through our own efforts, we state in confidence to you, that we do not allow ourselves to be restricted in the methods of raising resources,” states a four-page letter to the SED  [East German Ruling Party,the East German Socialist Unity Party of Germany ] central committee, dated February 26th, 1989.

"Legal and illegal means have been employed by us. We well recognize the dangers involved in some of our resources raising activity in Ireland and we are constantly examining ways and means whereby this danger can be eliminated.”

So said Sean Garland, general secretary of the Workers' Party in 1989. In 1989 both Rabbitte and Gilmore were elected as Workers' Party TDs. Gilmore joined the Official Republican movement when he was in college in 1975. Rabitte was first elected as a Workers' Party councilor in 1985. Today Eamon Gilmore today is of course leader of the Labour party,  Tánaiste and Minister for Forign Affairs and Trade. Rabbitte is Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

We are all familiar with Gerry Adams denials he was in the PIRA, but at least he didn't pretend that they didn't exist. The Workers' Party, in which Gilmore and Rabbitte were leading members, routinely denied that the OIRA or "Group B" existed. However with the release of Garlands letter in the Irish Times (incidentally his old buddies in Labour campaigned to stop him from getting extradited to America recently over "superdollar" forgery charges. Garland was ultimately successful in his attempts to block extradition) we have a clear admission that the Workers' Party had no "regular" income and was funded by "illegal" means.

Everyone already knew this, but this letter serves as final confirmation. The Workers' Party was funded by bank robberies, theft, intimidation and forgery. (A printing press linked to the party was involved in forging money)

"Raising party funds was crucial to fight effective campaigns on both sides of the Border, he wrote, particularly as the party had just ordered a new offset printing press costing a total of £170,000 with a five-year bank “laese” (sic).
“Over the past years we have had to borrow large amounts of money to expand and maintain the party. Our technical section has been severly restricted for tactical reasons because of the dangers involved in illegal activity.”

Were the numerous election campaigns of the Workers' Party, including those of Gilmore and Rabbitte during the eighties and later funded by the OIRA? Garland says the party was funded by "illegal" means. Gilmore and Rabbitte have "both denied having any knowledge of illegal fundraising by their former political party." They also stated that they received no funds from Workers' Party headquarters for their 1989 general election campaign. What about their previous election campaigns? Ones such as these for example?

• Eamon Gilmore – Workers Party- Dun Laoghaire- November 1982
• Eamon Gilmore- Workers Party -1985 Local Elections - Ballybrack
• Pat Rabbitte – Workers Party – Dublin South West, 1987 General Election
• Eamon Gilmore -Workers Party -Dun Laoghaire, 1987 General Election 

Are we supposed to believe that Gilmore and Rabbitte never got any money at all from their party to run campaigns or to carry out any other political activity? Ever?

[From "The Lost Revolution"]
“Group B’s continued importance was evident in a financial report…in October 1990. From October 1989 until September 1990, costs covered by party head office had amounted to £360,300, of which WP funds provided £189,900 with the balance of £170,600 met by Repsol.”

Repsol were their publishing organ and were involved, according to the book and other sources, with money laundering and all sorts of other illegal activity. Take a look at who published and printed the election leaflets previously linked.

It is incomprehensible that members of the Workers' Party did not know of "Group B" and their activities. In fact in the book it is asserted that De Rossa (former IRA prisoner, TD, MEP) a close ally of the twosome was assured by Garland around 1990 that Group B was to be wound up and criminal activity would stop... ie De Rossa knew of "Group B" and their activity. Garland lied anyway and activity did not cease. Gilmore, De Rossa, Rabbitte and co split from the workers party and set up Democratic Left after 92 and merged (and later in effect took over) Labour in 1999.

Throughout the 1980s, allegations that the Official IRA remained in existence and was engaged in criminal activity appeared in the Irish press. In June 1982 the feud with the INLA flared again after OIRA member James Flynn, the alleged assassin of Seamus Costello,[13] was shot dead by the INLA in Dublin.[14] In December 1985 five men, including a Mr. Anthony McDonagh, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud the Inland Revenue in Northern Ireland—McDonagh was described in court as an Official IRA Commander.[15] In February 1992 a British Spotlight programme alleged that the Official IRA was still active and involved in widespread racketeering and armed robberies.[16]
These eventually proved a considerable political embarrassment to the Workers' Party, and in 1992 the leadership proposed amendments to the party constitution which would, inter alia, effectively allow it to purge members suspected of involvement in the Official IRA. This proposal failed to obtain the required two-thirds support at the party conference that year, and as a result the leadership, including six of the party's seven members of Dáil Éireann, left to establish a new party, later named Democratic Left.

From Wikipedia

There are certainly questions for Gilmore and Co to answer.

As well as "money raising exercises" the OIRA were involved in numerous acts of violence including the notorious murder of Seamus Costello, this is the only time a leader of an Irish political party has been murdered.

From Irish Election Literature

"Of all the politicians and political people with whom I have had conversations, and whom I have had conversations, and who called themselves followers of Connolly, he was the only one who truly understood what James Connolly meant when he spoke of his vision of the freedom of the Irish people”
—Nora Connolly O'Brien

The OIRA met and were active until at least the mid nineties.

Despite the history of the Workers' Party Gilmore, Rabbitte and Enda Kenny (etc etc) routinely berate Sinn Féin about the provos in the Dáil every time SF ask a question.

This attack by Gilmore on Mary Lou McDonald is a prime example:

TANAISTE Eamon Gilmore has launched his most stinging attack to date on Sinn Fein, declaring: "How many bodies are buried on this island because of Sinn Fein."
Mr Gilmore was responding to Sinn Fein deputy leader Mary-Lou McDonald’s allegations of “sharp corrupt practice” by Health Minister Dr James Reilly.....
Mr Gilmore said McDonald had “some neck”.
“So much illegal activity. How many bodies are buried on this island because of Sinn Fein. You have a neck. You have a neck,” he said.

'How many bodies are buried on this island because of Sinn Féin?' - Gilmore

Kathleen and Bernard Lynch

I think Gilmore and Rabbitte and the other ex stickies in Labour (including Minister Kathleen Lynch who was a member of the Workers' Party too along with Gilmore and Rabbitte. Her PA, wages paid by the Irish people, is her husband Bernard Lynch who was acquitted of the brutal machine gun murder of Larry White on a technicality)  should look at themselves, and Kenny should look at who sits beside him, before pontificating about the IRA.

Workers' Party members have had a huge influence, with secret cumann in organisations like RTE for example, on the media over the past few decades. These "sleepers" are perhaps one of the reasons why Gilmore and co never get asked about their past during interviews like Gerry Adams and pretty much everyone in Sinn Féin does. Vincent Browne is one of the very few media personalities who makes an attempt. As a result of his journalistic investigations into the Workers' Party (it was also known as Sinn Féin the Workers' Party), the OIRA and the murder of Seamus Costello, he suffered death threats in the 80's. You can find many of the articles in question, which first appeared in Magill, at the following links. They are essential reading and outline the links between the Workers' Party and the OIRA as well as describe the types of activity the OIRA got up to:

SFWP - in the shadow of a gunman

The secret world of the SFWP 


Why am I bringing this up?

None of this is widely known among the general public. It should be, so people can see just what these Labour party members have been associated with in the past and that they are in no position to be accusing others of having "some neck".


Tyrants… hypocrites… liars!
P.H Pearse, The Rebel

_________________________________________________________________________

Sources, further reading etc

Books:

• The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers' Party - Brian Hanley and Scott Millar. A must read.

Websites/blogs:

• http://seangarlandextradition.wordpress.com/
• http://www.politico.ie
• http://irishelectionliterature.wordpress.com
• How involved in racketeering and bank robbery were Messrs Gilmore and Rabbitte? - Namawinelake

News Articles:

• Bernard Lynch serves as assistant to his junior minister wife, but also served a year behind bars: The minister, the husband in a State job and a murder conviction that  was quashed on appeal
• Gilmore 'unaware of illegal fundraising' - Indo
• Workers' Party admits illegal activity in letter to East Berlin in late 1980s - Irish Times
• Garland told East Berlin party would not be restricted in fundraising methods - Irish Times
• Vincent Browne: Gilmore and Rabbitte built their careers on cynicism - Irish Times