Croydon Council education boss quits over IRA links (From Croydon Guardian)

Croydon Council education boss quits over IRA links

4:28pm Tuesday 2nd December 2008

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Croydon’s education boss has quit suddenly after confessing she had connections to the IRA Provisionals during the 70s.

Councillor Maria Gatland dramatically resigned as cabinet member for children, young people and learners and was suspended from the Conservative Party after her former links to the terrorist organisation emerged.

Maria Gatland, under the pseudonym of Maria McGuire, was discovered to be the author of a kiss-and-tell book detailing her time with the Irish militant group.

The book called To Take Arms: My Year with the IRA Provisional led to her being sentenced to death for detailing her relationships with some of the Provisionals’ top men, according to a review in Time magazine in 1973 .

This morning, she admitted penning the work and resigned from her position as cabinet member for education.

The book was published in September 1973 and put in her so much danger she fled to England with a British journalist.

A memo to council staff from Croydon Council chief executive Jon Rouse read: “Councillor Gatland, informed the leader of the council that during the early 1970’s she had been an active member of the Provisional IRA, operating under a different surname.

“She immediately offered her resignation from the cabinet which the leader accepted.”

A statement from the council said: “This has come as a complete shock to Croydon.

“It is understood that urgent steps are being taken to replace her as cabinet member.”

The council distanced itself from the revelations saying it had no idea of Coun Gatland’s past.

The revelation began during public question time at Monday night’s cabinet meeting when Dr Peter Latham, part of the Save our Schools campaign, referred to Coun Gatland as Coun McGuire.

He apologised and said how he taught history and was currently reading a book on the Provisional IRA, adding “you Coun Gatland might have heard about as you are are Irish".

Conservative deputy council leader Steve O’Connell refused to comment.

Leader of the Croydon Labour party, Tony Newman said: "This is truly shocking news.

“However regardless of the situation surrounding the councillor involved my overwhelming concern is with the education issues.

"The question that must be answered is what did the Croydon and national Tory Party know or not know about this issue."

The review of her book revealed how a trip to Amsterdam resulted in a planeload of Czech bazookas, rocket launchers and hand grenades being impounded, with Coun Gatland and senior IRA figure just escaping the authorities.

It also claims one IRA leaders Roman Catholic scruples would not even let him bring back from the Protestant North a box of contraceptives his men needed to make fuses for their bombs.

The Time review said following Bloody Friday on July 21, 1972, with 11 dead and hundreds injured, she realised the impact the Provisional’s actions were having and decided to quit, fleeing almost immediately.

She was court martialled by the IRA in her absence and sentenced to death.

The book published by Viking Press is still on sale on Amazon.

A spokesman for the national Conservative Party said: "The Conservative group has acted promptly and correctly and we fully support them."

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