Corbyn, Mcdonnell and the IRA: a History of Extremism
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Corbyn, McDonnell and the IRA: A History of Extremism A Report by Mainstream - The Campaign Against Extremism Foreword At 2.54am on 12 October, 1984, a 20lb bomb the outrage, the suffering, the killing and the hidden under a bath in the Grand Hotel maiming which is the direct consequence of Brighton, was detonated. the actions of people who are terrorists.” 2 The long-delay bomb had been planted by It was not the last time Corbyn would IRA terrorist Patrick Magee with the intent capture the headlines while the IRA waged its of killing the then Prime Minister Margaret bloody campaign in Northern Ireland and on Thatcher and her Cabinet, staying at the hotel the mainland. for the Conservative Party conference. The full extent of Corbyn’s links to and The blast ripped open the front of the hotel support for Sinn Féin, is today laid bare on the sending masonry crashing down on guests 35th anniversary of the Brighton bombing. below. Five people died and 31 more were It reveals new details about Corbyn’s injured. The Prime Minister and her Cabinet controversial Parliamentary meeting with survived. convicted IRA terrorists just days after the The IRA, claiming responsibility for the horrific attack. bombing the following day, issued a chilling And, using previously unpublished warning: “Today we were unlucky, but material, it reveals Corbyn’s links to those who remember we only have to be lucky once. You glorified in one of the worst terror attacks ever will have to be lucky always.” 1 to take place on British soil. Thirteen days after the atrocity, Labour It charts how, over two decades, Corbyn backbench MP Jeremy Corbyn hosted a used his position as an MP to promote the reception for two convicted IRA terrorists at republican cause during the height of the the House of Commons. Troubles and it catalogues his damaging The timing of the reception caused political intervention, as senior politicians widespread revulsion and was condemned on worked to achieve a lasting peace for Northern all sides of the House. Ireland. At the time the Labour party’s Chief Whip Finally, a brief mention is made of fellow warned the Islington North MP that he risked traveller John McDonnell, whose own track people “thinking you are actually indifferent to record on the matter at hand speaks for itself. 2 Jeremy Corbyn and the Brighton Bombing The invitation: Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was involved with. MachLochlainn was also the working on her conference speech in the official Sinn Féin spokesman in London. early hours of October 12 when the IRA bomb Corbyn met the pair in the Commons ripped through the Grand Hotel Brighton. central lobby and took them to a committee Refusing to cancel the final day of room. At the time Corbyn told reporters the conference, the Prime Minister delivered meeting concerned no jury trials and strip her leader’s speech before visiting victims of searches. the terror attack at the Royal Sussex County He said: “The denials of justice in Northern Hospital. Ireland are very serious. My purpose in She removed the attack passages aimed at discussing them with Mr MachLochlainn and Labour and told delegates that “attempts to Linda Quigley was to get a first-hand account destroy democracy by terrorism will fail”.3 of what is going on and the best way to do that Thirteen days after the bombing Jeremy is to speak to ex-prisoners.”5 Corbyn invited two convicted IRA terrorists to Corbyn was to later claim the pair had told the House of Commons. him they were not members of the IRA. Gerard MachLochlainn was imprisoned News of the meeting sparked outrage on all in 1981 and had served 32 months of a six sides of the House and MPs raised concerns year jail sentence for conspiracy to cause the visit could be used to gather intelligence explosions. for a potential Commons attack by the IRA. Linda Quigley had two terrorist convictions Corbyn was branded a “dupe” of the Sinn for bomb and firearms offences, including Féin propaganda campaign and then Labour helping to plant a bomb at a hotel in Northern leader Neil Kinnock said the backbencher had Ireland. acted “stupidly”.6 Asked by the media about her view of the Hauled in to see Michael Cocks, then Grand Hotel Brighton attack, she said: “I Labour Chief Whip, Corbyn was given a support the right of an enslaved people to 30-minute dressing down. Cocks described resist an occupying force and its Parliament.” 4 Corbyn’s sponsorship of the meeting as Corbyn had met both previously, Quigley “thoughtlessness of the highest order”. at a Labour fringe event in 1983 and He added: “I think that unless you are very, MachLochlainn had become a constituent very careful any contact with people of this after his release from prison. Corbyn sort gives credence to their case, and unless had helped secure Government funds for you are very careful that can lead to people ‘community groups’ that MachLochlainn was thinking you are actually indifferent to the 3 outrage, the suffering, the killing and the Corbyn responded: “‘Are you saying that maiming which is the direct consequence of MPs do not have a right to talk to people from the actions of people who are terrorists.”7 Northern Ireland or anywhere in Britain about Corbyn was unrepentant, emerging from conditions in prisons or about their political the meeting to insist he would be prepared to views?”12 meet them again. The newspapers were equally outraged, Corbyn’s actions were debated in the The Guardian accused Mr Corbyn of a “sordid Commons and condemned on all sides of romantic infatuation with the Provisional the House as furious Conservative MPs and IRA” and that “it was a very stupid political Ministers demanded Labour withdraw the gesture from someone who is an elected whip. member of a party opposed to terrorism. Then Under Secretary of State for Northern It was appallingly timed, so soon after the Ireland Nicholas Scott said Corbyn “had Brighton hotel bombing”. shown himself totally unfit to be an MP.”8 It continued: “The right thing for The then leader of the Democratic Unionist somebody in Mr Corbyn’s position to do (and Party, the Rev Ian Paisley, said: “Every right- he has some clout in these fringes) would have thinking person in Northern Ireland utterly been to spare his party this embarrassment abhorred the action taken by the hon. Member and, even more, to have used his influence for Islington North.”9 to denounce the IRA openly at such a time. Mid Ulster DUP MP William McCrea said: However, that seems too much to hope.”13 “It ill becomes any Member of the House to The Times was equally scathing saying give succour or encouragement to murderous, “anyone who shares the moral sensibility butchering groups such as Sinn Féin and the of the vast majority of British citizens will fellow travellers of the IRA.”10 despise and condemn the action of Mr Jeremy Ulster Unionist Ken Maginnis told Corbyn’ and questioned his ‘moral vision’.”14 Corbyn : “I noted your pen portrait in the Corbyn insisted he would do it again and Parliamentary Yearbook stated you liked dismissed the furore as an attempt to “stir up animals… The IRA whom you have brought some non-story as a way of avoiding the real into this House are animals in the worst causes of the problems of Northern Ireland.”15 possible sense of the word.”11 The editorial: In October, 2015, the Telegraph established including Corbyn and its Political Editor Corbyn’s links to the hard-left magazine Graham Bash. London Labour Briefing. Corbyn has insisted he was never a member The Briefing, which still survives to this day, of the editorial board but he was one of the gained notoriety in the 1980s for calling in the magazine’s founders. wake of the Brixton riots for a better riot next In December, 1984, the magazine’s editorial time. board wrote an article under the title: ‘Briefing Briefing operated an ‘open editorial board’ and the Brighton Bomb’. policy but in reality it centred on a few people, 4 It went on to praise the terror attack saying 2. A London Labour Briefing Conference the atrocity showed “the British only sit up advertisement December 1981 appears to and take notice [of Ireland] when they are be organised by Jeremy Corbyn. bombed into it.” 3. An article by Corbyn in LLB from March Corbyn wrote the front-page story in the 1983 inviting contributions to London same edition of the Briefing and it carried a Labour Briefing showing he dealt with letter praising the “audacity” of the attack. the mailing list. “What do you call four dead Tories?” the letter 4. A 2004 Parliamentary Profile report asked, “A start.” shows Corbyn as both a member of the It went on to mock Lord Tebbit who had editorial team and as General Secretary. been injured in the blast, his wife Margaret 5. Corbyn is described as part of the was left paralysed by attack. editorial team according to Wolmar, Lord Tebbit had famously urged people to Goss and Lansley as part of their book, ‘get on their bike” to look for work “Try riding The Rise of the Municipal Left (1986). your bike now, Norman,” the letter added.16 6. The Sunday Times describes Corbyn as a In May, 2017, Corbyn was handed a copy of member of the editorial board.18 the controversial edition during an interview with Sophy Ridge on Sky News. The controversial article was published She asked the Labour leader if he was in the National Briefing, a supplement general secretary of the Briefing’s editorial publication that featured within regional board at the time.