Dirty Tricks II: Haddock Shooting

Perhaps I spoke to soon on Tuesday:

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see more smears against Sinn Fein as the political process continues, and if there is another election, it will be interesting to see how the DUP goes about finishing off its Ulster Unionist rivals.

After all, if the UUP now has official links to loyalist paramilitaries, the DUP may have unofficial links to their handlers.

That same day leading UVF member and alleged Special Branch agent Mark Haddock was shot and severely injured, apparently by members of his own organisation.

If its true that there are elements of the PSNI Special Branch prepared to engage in dirty tricks in support of the DUP, then the attack on Mark Haddock would kill two birds with one stone.

Firstly, if Haddock had been killed his silence would have been guaranteed over this story:

Speculation has been rife in recent months that a police ombudsman investigation into loyalist murders has found "explosive and damning" evidence linking Mark Haddock to at least a dozen killings.

There are strong suggestions that Nuala O’Loan’s report – expected to be published within weeks – has found that Haddock was involved in the murders while acting as an informer for the RUC Special Branch.

The report, which has been billed as the most extensive since the Omagh bombing investigation, is expected to implicate six Special Branch officers in the cover-up of more than a dozen murders. (Irish News)

Secondly, it would do major damage to the UUP, given their new alliance with the David Ervine, the leader of the UVF’s political wing. That might well be a bonus for the elements in Special Branch close to the DUP.

All of which makes it difficult to take Martin Ingram seriously when he says this:

Speaking of the MI6 transcript and the verification he said he got from a Special Branch man, Ingram said: "The man is a serving Special Branch officer who’s coming to the end of his time and is frustrated at what’s gone on, and I have no reason whatsoever to doubt him when he says J118 is McGuinness." (Belfast Today)