Gerry Adams recalls John Hume being ‘pilloried, vilified and condemned’ for talking to Sinn Féin
Gerry Adams has spoken of how John Hume was ‘pilloried, vilified and condemned’ by the British government and most political parties and large sections of the media in Ireland for talking to Sinn Féin as the peace process developed in the late 1980s.
Mr. Adams said the former SDLP leader refused to bow to pressure from the establishment and managed to pave the way for peace.
The erstwhile Sinn Féin President made the remarks at the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement just before Christmas.
“A key part of our focus...was about turning the governments away from [the] disastrous, undemocratic and deeply flawed policy of refusing to talk to Sinn Féin.
"Sinn Féin argued in ‘A Scenario for Peace’ in 1987, in our talks with the SDLP in 1988, in ‘Towards a Lasting Peace in Ireland’ in 1992, in my joint statements with John Hume, and in the Hume-Adams agreement that inclusive dialogue was essential for building peace.
"John Hume was pilloried, vilified and condemned by governments, most of the political parties and by large sections of the media here for daring to talk to me. Thankfully, he refused to give in and succumb to that pressure. Imagine where would we all be today if these folks had had their way,” said Mr. Adams.
The revelation that talks were ongoing between Mr. Hume and Mr. Adams met with a largely negative reaction. recalled Mr. Adams.
“It generated enormous public attention when it came into the public view accidentally. Most of the attention was negative, as the establishment in Britain and Ireland pushed back against any new approach,” said the senior republican.