IRA gives up campaign of violence after 30 years

[Medvedya]

I was on the Falls Rd the day they signed the Stormont agreement - nasty run-down depressing place.

Cue the stylus being knocked off the Enya records that those doughnuts in places like Boston associate with the 'Cause'

Oh yeah? What's that then - the protection rackets, drugs, prostitution, punishment knee-cappings and worse on members of their own communities? Be under no illusions, both the Nationalist and Loyalist paramilitaries do the lot.

Outside of that - if you ever visit Ulster you'll see for yourself that the Troubles are very much in the background and that the countryside there is really picturesque and that the vast majority of Northern Irish are in reality hospitable and friendly folks, who are sick and tired of this crap that has been going on for thirty years.

[evangilder]

I can see why. 30 years has gotten them where? Did they accomplish anything after all this time aside from alienating themselves? I am glad to see that they are finally hanging up the weapons.

[trackend]

I don,t know if anybody noticed but after the UK pledged support for the US in Iraq 1 & 2 the activities of the IRA diminished I believe there has been a lot of political dealing in the background to curb there Noraid funding this was the reason for the huge increase in IRA criminal activity (Robbery, Drugs, Protection rackets etc ) to fund there campaign I have many Irish friends both north and south of the boarder most southern Irish do not want a reunited Ireland as they feel the North has just been a big pain in the arse, they do not want a million protestants within their Catholic society and it has caused immense damage to their economy by stopping inward investment. and the majority of Northern Irish will always vote to remain part of the UK as most are Protestants. The IRA was never an army it was a mish mash of groups within the half million Catholic population who had become second class citizens over many years EG the B-specials (police unit ) and the force in general was made up of Protestants and Catholics tended to be over looked when applying for any of the better paid employment in general . They have never acted as an army dishing out summary kneecappings and shootings with Kangaroo courts to whom so ever they felt had got out of line in the mean time the vast majority of the law abiding population bore the brunt of there bombings with tit for tat killings between the IRA and the UDA/UFF the link with Noraid is a lot more important to the IRA than many realize this is why Martin Mc Guinness went to the states too inform them of the situation this week, not to really brief US government officials. the Violence has reduced considerable but there are still units such as the Real IRA who will continue to meat out violence also many of the Loyalist UDA/UFF and Catholic IRA members have become very wealthy on the backs of the criminal activities and are not about to give up their Capone style empires without a struggle. But anything that can return Northen Ireland to a more stable situation should be supported.
I also agree Med that the troubles are far more in the background than in the past.

[plan_D]

My dad was in Aldergrove, N.Ireland in 1973 he says it's the shittest place on the planet. Maybe that has something to do with being mortared almost everyday...

[Nonskimmer]

Naaah!

[schwarzpanzer]

I have no time for most Irish and no I'm not racist, 'cos I'm part Irish before anyone starts!

However:

and the majority of Northern Irish will always vote to remain part of the UK as most are Protestants.

Wasn't there a lot of trouble over Northern Irish Catholics(?) being part of Britain (unenviable IMHO) yet not being allowed to even vote?

[plan_D]

That was many decades ago. Britain doesn't allow anyone to vote now because they're all too stupid to be allowed. We let them have power sharing and what happened?

Anywho, the majority are Protestant so it'll always be a part of the United Kingdom. I'm glad they've finally grown up and realised there's no point.

But...for how long?

[Medvedya]

And the Dáil in Dublin has pretty much implied that it would rather eat cold rat sandwiches for the next million years, than have the six counties, and the trouble that would go with it.