So says Tony Blair and it's about time! The IRA has changed and is finally "committed to peace" after thirty plus years. Might this be a model for other terrorist organizations to follow?

Susan

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

The IRA haven't been a threat for many years now. They announced a ceasefire in 1997, completed the decommissioning of all their weapons in 2005, and for the most part, have managed to control their members from engaging in criminal activity. It is the unionist/protestant side that have been dragging their feet on the issue of facilitating the restoration of political institutions. They have been looking for any excuse not to share power with catholics. Contrast the leadership shown by the republican movement with that of the unionist paramilitary groups, who haven't even begun to decommission weapons or control their members from engaging in murder and criminal activity. It is these loyalist paramiltaries who are widely recognised to be heavily involved in organised crime, violence and drug dealing in Northern Ireland.

Peace with catholics leaves many loyalists with nothing to do. For example, the largest protestant/unionist paramilitary group (the UDA) recently asked for £8.5 million from the british govt in order to help their members make the transition to peace http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/5400470.stm. This is a bit of a laughing matter in Northern Ireland because the British will probably give it to them and we all know where the money will end up . It'll not be invested in peaceful projects anyway.

For the republican movement, peace, civil rights and equality are the only incentives needed in order to keep the process on track. Wait and see, if there is no restoration of the power-sharing government on nov 24th, it wont be the fault of Sinn Fein who have been very proactive in keeping the peace process alive.

I find it good news because I'm sick of the bleating from some who try and compare the global threat of islamic terrorism with the global threat of christian terrorism.

Despite the hundreds (thousands?) of muslim terrorist groups, only 1 name pops up repeatedly when asking for examples of this massive christian terrorist invasion - the IRA.  Not that they were ever involved in a religious war anyway, but this official retirement now kills off the inane comparisons regardless...

Hats off to the IRA!

In response to Jazz, there are a number of factors why we are at this point. The point being that we are achingly close to a final settlement in Northern Ireland if only the DUP (largest unionist party) grasp the nettle and agree to form a government with their bitter rivals Sinn Fein (largest nationalist party).

Factors include:

- Realisation by the republican movement (IRA + Sinn Fein) that armed struggle can only take you so far. At some point the politics has to take over.

- Infiltration by MI5/MI6 of the upper echelons of the IRA's army council.

- Realisation by the British government that catholics can no longer be treated as second class citizens. The IRA, if necessary, had the will and capability to continue its bombing of Mainland Britain if the status quo wasn't changed.

- Election of a Labour government and Tony Blair in 1997. The previous conservative government never had the will or political capability to break with the existing mould and actually have serious dialogue with republicans.  The good friday agreement (1998) which involved dialogue between all political parties (except the DUP) in N.I and both the British and Irish governments was the result of the willingness of Tony blair's government and the UUP to achieve a framework for power sharing and hence a deal between unionists and nationalists.

- Finally 9/11 helped the process along somewhat. Rebel IRA members were much more easily convinced that the international community (particularly the US administration, and Irish Americans) were significantly less sympathetic to armed struggle and that political struggle was the only way forward.

I don't normally add to the Politics threads, but I just wanted wanted to give a thumbs-up to LetsRoque's excellent summary on the NI situation.

I'd've probably waffled on pages and pages*.

DMG

* .... as Mark Foley said to the bishop (ahem!)

I hope they cannot see / The limitless potential / Building inside of me / To murder everything / I hope they cannot see / I am the great destroyer

LetsRoque, you say that Sinn Fein are proactive in the peace process. Can you tell me exactly what Sinn Fein want? Do they want NI to remain as pary of the UK or to become run from the south?

Raymond, Ian Paisley isn't the only Unionist politician in NI. I am not having a go at you here, but it seems each time someone, somewhere mentions NI, his name is brought up. Just because his mouth is rather big and he shouts a lot, it doesn't go to say that people listen to him.

You're right, but I stay well clear of all that "Soldier's Song" and "Fenian Blood" sh1te.

I imagine that there's probably some Irish blood in my veins, but none from my most recent and known of descendents - so I take a very distanced, impartial view on these things - much in the past to the annoyance of some of my more Republican-minded associates.

 But don't worry, I still hate Rangers though!

Senna, Rev Ian Paisley (for right or wrong) is the best known unionist in NI. More people know him than, say, David Trimble - and at the moment his party is the most popular among unionist supporters (as shown in the most recent elections). Anyway, the reason I mention him is to recognise that after years of coming out with the most vile, unChristian comments about the Pope and Roman Catholicism - he's actually chosen to enter into a dialogue with Ireland's most senior cleric: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6031821.stm. Regardless of what his motivations are for doing so, such steps are to be commended.

And as for Sein Fein, well they're stuck in the same limbo as the SNP in Scotland. Yes, ideally, their goals and principles are based on separation - but in the meantime, they are happy to work within the political framework and process before them.

DMG

I hope they cannot see / The limitless potential / Building inside of me / To murder everything / I hope they cannot see / I am the great destroyer

Well I wouldn't compare the soldiers' song to the 'billy boys'. The soldiers song is not shite, its the Irish national anthem. The 'billy boys' is a sectarian song that celebrates murder of catholics!

 In response to senna, Sinn Fein is the only 32-county party in the Island of Ireland. That means it is the only party north & south of the border that is represented in both legislative assemblies. Their ultimate goal is a united Ireland at peace. To achieve this on a practical level, as Run pointed out, Sinn Fein has accepted and embraced the northern assembly as a means to achieve that goal. This has signified a major shift in republican attitudes since it wasn't that long ago that Sinn Fein didn't even recognise Northern Ireland as a political entity. The current situation demonstrates the oddness(in the context of Irish political history) of such recognition because it is currently pressurising the two governments to get the Northern assembly at stormont back up and running!