Factual contributions only please and /or reasoned assessments.
Now that the PIRA has gone away and the Loyalist paramilitaries seem headed the same way and the oul angle grinders are working on the Brit bases, can we reach a view on what was achieved by the violence in NI since 1969?
I think you have to ask what has the political use of that violence achieved?
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
"and the Loyalist paramilitaries seem headed the same way"
Really?
Have you heard something I haven't...as far as I can see the Loyalists are having one of their traditional feuds at the moment.
they could be involved in some 'awful' fisticuffs in the street and not notice the speeding steamroller coming down the road, or they could get tatoo poisoning or something. never know, it might happen....
na, they're finished. they are more twatlike than republicans so they will still be robbing folk and flogging crack, buts its more profitable and carries less jail-time than stabbing catholics so i think they will move away from they laughably call their 'cause'...
as to the OP, 30 years of political violence has acheived nothing that 3 -5 years of democratic political discourse would have acheived. the 'victories' of provisionalism (as i'm corrected by my mate Risteard), policing, inclusive government and cross-border government were on offer anyway, and 25 years of reasonably peaceful, politically inclusive wealthly co-existance might well have removed unionist doubts about the republic - though to be fair they might also have killed off republicanism/nationalism within the traditionally nationalist community.
they acheived nothing you couldn't of had for a thousandth of the price, and set the main aim so far back that i doubt any united ireland created by the much-hyped nationalist birth-rate will be anymore peaceful that northern ireland has been.
in short: a counter-productive, self-defeating catastrophe.
The truth is we really don't know. I personally believe the same outcome where nationaist were treated equally could have been brought about peacfully with protest a la Gandi, but we just don't know and we never will. Maybe the violence had to come so that we would arrive at this place. Prehaps things would be far worse now for nationalist had the IRA not taken up arms. The question has merit but is best left to the past and deal with the current set up where every party involved has a voice and are treated with respect and issues are dealt with in a dignified manner.Originally Posted by cleareyed
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote