The rearrest of Sean Kelly is "unjust" and "reprehensible" says Gerry Adams – strong words indeed from a man not into the politics of condemnation. The Bearded Wonder couldn't even bring himself to use such language after the Shankill bomb killed 10 people. But the Sinn Féin president isn't the only republican shooting his mouth off over this rare and, let's face it, statistically inevitable event.
Gerry Kelly North Belfast, Assembly member, for example, reckons that arresting Sean Kelly was "a calculated decision that will increase tensions".
As this is not a credible accusation to level against the Secretary of State or the Chief Constable, who might be behind such a Machiavellian move? Yes, that's right – it's those pesky securocrats again.
"Deliberate attempts by anti-agreement securocrats and unionists to undermine the peace process should be resisted," continued Gerry Kelly, implying the connivance of a shadowy chain of command – presumably much like the one that ordered Sean Kelly to walk into a crowded shop carrying a bomb. But alas for Sinn Féin the securocrat defence is wearing a bit thin.
The intelligence establishment does exist of course but its true political agenda is clearly to make life as easy as possible for senior republicans. So the danger of securocrat conspiracy theories is that they can easily implicate senior republicans as well. Might a leading Shinner have lifted the phone and given the nod to Kelly's arrest, for some reason? That's no harder to believe than the existence of a hidden network of disgruntled spooks hell-bent on restarting the Troubles.
Tellingly, on the one occasion Sinn Féin has been asked to identify a securocrat, Martin McGuinness blurted out the name of an unremarkable Stormont civil servant whose crime against peace was criticising the party at an ambassador's reception. My goodness Coco, with these paranoid fantasies you are really spoiling us.
Another republican fantasy currently doing the rounds suggests that Sean Kelly's arrest was a sop to unionists by the new Secretary of State to make up for his ludicrous lefty past. There are two problems with this theory.
First, neither main unionist party has expressed any concern over Peter Hain's appointment. Second, both main unionist parties have expressed concern over Sean Kelly's arrest.
The DUP in particular fears that, because the details of Kelly's review hearing need not be reported, another juicy set of republican misdeeds is about to be swept under the rug. Perhaps Nigel Dodds should start complaining about securocrats – he certainly has the better excuse.
Confusion also reigns over the matter of Sean Kelly's Ghandi-like powers of kerbside conciliation.
Gerry Kelly says: "He has played an invaluable and positive role in keeping the situation calm at interfaces in north Belfast." There's nothing quite like a sectarian mass murderer running around to really take the sting out of a riot – as the PSNI apparently agrees. This Monday a letter surfaced in which the police informed a UUP assembly member that Sean Kelly was not suspected of involvement in street disturbances. Gerry Kelly claimed this was evidence of a politically motivated arrest.
However, according to the Secretary of State, Sean Kelly was arrested because he has: "become re-involved in terrorism and is a danger to others".
So all the police letter proves is that Sean Kelly's alleged re-involvement in terrorism is of a more serious nature than chucking bricks across the Crumlin Road.
This is apparently the Taoiseach's view as well. Bertie Ahern is a master of saying two things at once without committing to either but his verdict on Sean Kelly's arrest was, by his standards, very straightforward.
"It is either one of two things," he said. "Either it is a mistake and if it is the authorities will look at it, or there must be substantial evidence that he is not kosher. It must be one or the other."
No mention there of a securocrat conspiracy or a political plot – just a case to answer before the sentence review commissioners that may or may not be proved, as the law requires.
Everything the authorities have done and said to date is entirely consistent and in line with the regulations governing Sean Kelly's licence, the terms of which are set out in an internationally-binding agreement which Sinn Féin has signed.
Even assuming entirely self-centred motivations in others, none of the accusations advanced by republicans add up. Five years after the prisoner release programme, one of those 474 prisoners has an interview with his parole board.
What's so unjust, reprehensible or even surprising about that?
