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Gerry Adams’s book of tweets is the best peace dividend yet Gerry Adams’s book of tweets is the best peace dividend yet
(7 months later)
Enormous congratulations to Gerry Adams, who is formally elevated to irony’s army council. The Sinn Féin president is the subject of exciting publishing news, with the forthcoming release of a collected volume of tweets and selfies. According to the party bookshop’s blurb, “this little book shows the lighter side of his personality”.Enormous congratulations to Gerry Adams, who is formally elevated to irony’s army council. The Sinn Féin president is the subject of exciting publishing news, with the forthcoming release of a collected volume of tweets and selfies. According to the party bookshop’s blurb, “this little book shows the lighter side of his personality”.
I think that’s probably best, considering the alternative. Still: it’s potentially an explosive Volume II.I think that’s probably best, considering the alternative. Still: it’s potentially an explosive Volume II.
By way of a nod to what we might airily generalise as “Before”, Gerry’s digital musings will be consubstantiated into paper form – not the precise equivalent of being voiced by an actor, but perhaps close to it. Maybe Stephen Fry could do the audio book. Or indeed Stephen Rea, who has some familiarity with the part, having voiced Gerry occasionally during the late 80s and early 90s.By way of a nod to what we might airily generalise as “Before”, Gerry’s digital musings will be consubstantiated into paper form – not the precise equivalent of being voiced by an actor, but perhaps close to it. Maybe Stephen Fry could do the audio book. Or indeed Stephen Rea, who has some familiarity with the part, having voiced Gerry occasionally during the late 80s and early 90s.
Anyway, My Little Book of Tweets is available for pre-order via the Sinn Féin bookshop at the competitive price of £6.88. I say “competitive”, but in truth this is still a sparsely populated genre. Publishers may correct me, but to my knowledge this is only the second formally released such compilation, coming after last year’s Selfish, which was – naturally – a self-curated collection of Kim Kardashian’s selfies.Anyway, My Little Book of Tweets is available for pre-order via the Sinn Féin bookshop at the competitive price of £6.88. I say “competitive”, but in truth this is still a sparsely populated genre. Publishers may correct me, but to my knowledge this is only the second formally released such compilation, coming after last year’s Selfish, which was – naturally – a self-curated collection of Kim Kardashian’s selfies.
Though Gerry has (yet?) to journey into the arena of the belfies and whatnot that sustain the Kim K brand, the publisher’s synopsis promises a real playfulness, explaining that the tweets often feature “rubber ducks and teddy bears”. We must take their word for it. Despite having followed the certainly idiosyncratic Gerry on Twitter for some years now, I confess to having missed the cuddly toy stuff – though in one sense teddy bears have long attended his work.Though Gerry has (yet?) to journey into the arena of the belfies and whatnot that sustain the Kim K brand, the publisher’s synopsis promises a real playfulness, explaining that the tweets often feature “rubber ducks and teddy bears”. We must take their word for it. Despite having followed the certainly idiosyncratic Gerry on Twitter for some years now, I confess to having missed the cuddly toy stuff – though in one sense teddy bears have long attended his work.
At present, the volume will only be available via the Sinn Féin bookshop, though should it become a runaway success after its publication next week, the publisher may set its eye on expanding to other markets. Why not gift catalogues? I confess to being an avid scourer of the more recherché gift catalogues. A personal favourite for those “hard to buy for” recipients is something called Museum Selection, from which I have recently purchased a 1930s motoring-based board game called Touring England, as well as two volumes entitled Britain’s Lost Regiments, and Dr Beeching’s Axe 50 Years On: Memories of Britain’s Lost Railways. Might Adams’s My Little Book of Tweets not make an eye-catching addition to Museum Selection range next Christmas? I merely volunteer the suggestion.At present, the volume will only be available via the Sinn Féin bookshop, though should it become a runaway success after its publication next week, the publisher may set its eye on expanding to other markets. Why not gift catalogues? I confess to being an avid scourer of the more recherché gift catalogues. A personal favourite for those “hard to buy for” recipients is something called Museum Selection, from which I have recently purchased a 1930s motoring-based board game called Touring England, as well as two volumes entitled Britain’s Lost Regiments, and Dr Beeching’s Axe 50 Years On: Memories of Britain’s Lost Railways. Might Adams’s My Little Book of Tweets not make an eye-catching addition to Museum Selection range next Christmas? I merely volunteer the suggestion.
New ducks. They light up! Made my Christmas. pic.twitter.com/VZ9x7EvymlNew ducks. They light up! Made my Christmas. pic.twitter.com/VZ9x7Evyml
As for how the book competes with the more esoteric end of the official merchandise flogged by other political parties, it must be said this is an increasingly surreal retail category. During the election I spent some time in the various parties’ online shops, and consequently was wildly tempted by everything from Tory babygrows reading LITTLE IRON LADY to a selection of SNP onesies for adults from their diffusion line “the Nicola Signature Range”, and the branded “UKIP AT WORK” hi-vis jacket. I see Labour’s legendary “controls on immigration” mug has now been withdrawn from sale. Or sold out, you know? It could totally have sold out. Either way, it doesn’t matter, as I already own one. As well as a scale replica of the Ed Stone.As for how the book competes with the more esoteric end of the official merchandise flogged by other political parties, it must be said this is an increasingly surreal retail category. During the election I spent some time in the various parties’ online shops, and consequently was wildly tempted by everything from Tory babygrows reading LITTLE IRON LADY to a selection of SNP onesies for adults from their diffusion line “the Nicola Signature Range”, and the branded “UKIP AT WORK” hi-vis jacket. I see Labour’s legendary “controls on immigration” mug has now been withdrawn from sale. Or sold out, you know? It could totally have sold out. Either way, it doesn’t matter, as I already own one. As well as a scale replica of the Ed Stone.
For those coming newly to this side of him, it should be pointed out that the whole eccentric, cuddly uncle feel to My Little Book of Tweets is not new – Adams’s social media followers have been familiar with it for years, and the official trail chooses to meet the theories head on by pointing out that: “Gerry Adams’s tweets have been described as bizarre, weird and as part of a clever strategy.”For those coming newly to this side of him, it should be pointed out that the whole eccentric, cuddly uncle feel to My Little Book of Tweets is not new – Adams’s social media followers have been familiar with it for years, and the official trail chooses to meet the theories head on by pointing out that: “Gerry Adams’s tweets have been described as bizarre, weird and as part of a clever strategy.”
Even so, it is tinged with WTF-ery, particularly as Gerry’s most significant recent mention in dispatches came throughout those transcripts of calls between Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. “We’ve all taken our licks for Gerry,” Clinton remarks testily at one point. “I don’t know what the real deal is between him and the IRA,” the president says in exasperation at another dicey point during the peace process.Even so, it is tinged with WTF-ery, particularly as Gerry’s most significant recent mention in dispatches came throughout those transcripts of calls between Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. “We’ve all taken our licks for Gerry,” Clinton remarks testily at one point. “I don’t know what the real deal is between him and the IRA,” the president says in exasperation at another dicey point during the peace process.
“It’s hard to put pressure on him when you don’t know what’s going on. It’s just bizarre.”“It’s hard to put pressure on him when you don’t know what’s going on. It’s just bizarre.”
Related: Blair and Clinton transcripts reveal global concerns of two buddies
It feels quite a jump from that to My Little Book of Tweets – but then, it is a marked feature of this age that so many end up self-ironising in the end. Perhaps it’s best to simply regard Gerry’s book as the political equivalent of an ageing hardman action star taking a role in The Expendables, the movie franchise where Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger and so on have graduated into gently sending up the 80s versions of themselves.It feels quite a jump from that to My Little Book of Tweets – but then, it is a marked feature of this age that so many end up self-ironising in the end. Perhaps it’s best to simply regard Gerry’s book as the political equivalent of an ageing hardman action star taking a role in The Expendables, the movie franchise where Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger and so on have graduated into gently sending up the 80s versions of themselves.
As the publisher’s notes remark cheerily of the Sinn Féin president: “Many years’ experience of politics have taught him not to take himself too seriously.” Although, of course, Sly and Arnie and Gerry all took themselves very seriously indeed back in the day. As Arnie said only this week: “[Sly] and I were at war in the 80s. We hated each other and the reason was we both have a big ego. It was a battle of who makes more money at the box office, who has more muscles, who killed more people … we are now great friends and realise we really used each other as motivation.”As the publisher’s notes remark cheerily of the Sinn Féin president: “Many years’ experience of politics have taught him not to take himself too seriously.” Although, of course, Sly and Arnie and Gerry all took themselves very seriously indeed back in the day. As Arnie said only this week: “[Sly] and I were at war in the 80s. We hated each other and the reason was we both have a big ego. It was a battle of who makes more money at the box office, who has more muscles, who killed more people … we are now great friends and realise we really used each other as motivation.”
Well, quite. The sadness is that Gerry’s arch rival died without having been bitten by the Twitter bug. Though we might that speculate Ian Paisley’s tweets would have tended toward the one-note – one-word, mostly – it would have been nice to have had the companion volume to this doubtless charming forthcoming release.Well, quite. The sadness is that Gerry’s arch rival died without having been bitten by the Twitter bug. Though we might that speculate Ian Paisley’s tweets would have tended toward the one-note – one-word, mostly – it would have been nice to have had the companion volume to this doubtless charming forthcoming release.