When the IRA murdered Robert McCartney, it must have been quite shell-shocked to suddenly find that it was being held to account for that despicable deed. After all, as the Belfast Telegraph details here, 39 people have been murdered by the IRA since it went on cease-fire. 39 lives have been lost, 39 families devastated. Anyone who doubts how cruel, how utterly despicable the IRA actually is, should read the list - it details how the IRA deal out "justice."
Don't you then think it odd that so many people can be savagely killed and yet the Government of the United Kingdom, egged on by that in Dublin and Washington, insisted on putting members of the IRA Army Council (According to the Irish Justice Minister) into the Government of Northern Ireland? Isn't such SPINELESS appeasement morally abhorrent?
39 is very high.
Posted by: Howard | March 19, 2005 at 10:57 PM
1 is too high.
Posted by: David Vance | March 19, 2005 at 11:11 PM
I agree.
We have turned a blind eye to 39 people being murdered by the IRA. It is something that I don't think most people realise.
Posted by: Howard | March 19, 2005 at 11:24 PM
Quite so - though I place the blame on the Government and the media who have combined to throw confusion and uncertainty on the complicity of IRA killers. 39 graves care of the IRA - and yet, Government wasn't even bothered. Repulsive.
Posted by: David Vance | March 19, 2005 at 11:53 PM
Does anyone know how many murders groups like the RIRA, INLA, UDA, UVF and LVF are responsible for?
Posted by: Siobhán Ní Deorain | March 20, 2005 at 01:37 AM
Does anyone know how many murders groups like the RIRA, INLA, UDA, UVF and LVF are responsible for? (Since 1997)
Posted by: Siobhán Ní Deorain | March 20, 2005 at 01:37 AM
Siobhan,
I haven't seen a list but the answer is - plenty. Those scumbags have also felt it OK to kill with impunity - the UVF burned the 3 young Quinn Boys in Ballymoney for example. You see, the fact that paramilitaries on both sides can kill - and still be deemed as being "on ceasefire" - is the dark immoral heart of what passes for peace.
Posted by: David Vance | March 20, 2005 at 10:03 AM
The decision to release the members of terrorist groups in 1998 should have been absolutely conditional on demonstrable complete disarmament and disbandment of those organisations carried out in tandem with the releases. It should have been done in stages with the govt. halting the releases in the event of the slightest stalling by the groups who benefited.
Instead, the terror groups got all their members out and from then on had no incentive to disband. An act of weakness by the government in allowing the outlaws to ride roughshod over the rule of law.
Posted by: Colm | March 20, 2005 at 10:16 AM
Colm,
The terrorists can smell weakness wafting from Government and that is why they do not take Blair and Ahern seriously. They take Bush seriously, but he will be guided on what the UK and Irish F.O. say - so its a vicious circle of appeasement. Meanwhile, innocents die.
Posted by: David Vance | March 20, 2005 at 11:12 AM