A Sweeping Brush, a Sofa, a Set of Thumbscrews, and a Metaphor

When you're cleaning the house there comes, on rare occasions, times when you just can't be bothered to do the job properly.  For example, instead of vacuuming underneath the sofa, you clean round it.  Should you come across copper coins or similar paraphernalia, you sweep it under the sofa until such time as you have the effort to conduct a proper exercise of housework.  You know there are coins, etc., under the sofa but as they are out of sight, they are effectively out of mind.

Yesterday, we saw the political version of sweeping things under the sofa.  As HM Government wants to corral democrats after the Yuletide festivities into opening the way for terrorist, subversive riffraff to again assume control over an area they are pledged to destroy, the NIO (allegedly) conspired to have all the dark facets of the Provo persona hidden from public view under the sofa of expediency in the House of Ulster.  Once the three-seater had been safely put back in position the landlord at the house, one Peter Hain, went to the cellar to collect some thumbscrews given to him by chums in the ANC (they were probably used to torture some Afrikaners).  His buddy, Bertie, who lived next door was a quintessential Irishman - stinking of Guinness and full of blarney.  He was anxious to join with Hain into forcing the tenants on the first floor into lying down with the filth Mr Hain's minions had just swept under the aforesaid sofa.  Using the thumbscrews might just persuade them.

Metaphors aside, 2006 is going to get nasty....very nasty.  The exercise of sterilising the bacterium of Provo murderers and their hangers-on is almost complete.  Stormontgate is a busted flush; the Northern Bank heist is largely unresolved with a monkey in custody whilst the organ grinder plays his tunes; the Colombia 3 remain unscathed by the Oirish authorities; a former Sinn Fein worker imprisoned for 4 years is conveniently and coincidentally released on bail on the very day Stormontgate is buried.  I wonder what other goodies the Ali Babas of governmental authority have up their tainted sleeves.

Do not expect this degree of kindness to the DUP.  Knives are out.  Pete and Bertie (the interfering one) are determined to see the project implemented by their respective outfits - the pleasure of the Provos at everybody else's expense - brought to a successful conclusion.  To prevent that eventuality, Unionist representatives have to be as nasty, as ruthless, and as determined as their enemies and pledge never to entertain the evil of Sinn Fein in a democratic forum.

Comments

[David Vance]

Have to fully agree with Andrew's analysis here - the sanitisation of the Provos is almost complete. 2006 will witness the pressure being applied to Unionists.

[rich]

i agree too, that politics has interfered in justice.but im a firm beliver that everyone needs to up their game and fight SF in the arena and not just with words from the outside. but then i suspect tht is exactly why the likes of the dup are against it in the first place. because they have expended all energies on barking and have no policies with which to operate a government.

[Peter]

Depressing, but true. The acts of appeasement become more blatant and shameless with each passing week. From memory, in the past three months we have had:

*Disbandment of the home batallion of the RIR.
*Dismantling border watch towers.
*Troop withdrawals.
*The return of the "Columbia Three".
*The scandalous OTR legislation (drafted by the IRA?)
*The collapse of the Stormont spy-ring case.

I'm sure I've missed a few here, but the trend is unmistakable. What they demand, they get.

[Henry94]

Peter

A lot of the things you mention were part of the deal that brought about decommissioning. What possible reason could there be for watchtowers in South Armagh today? It is as quiet and peaceful a place as there is anywhere in the world.

Unionism needs to and will split between those who accept the new reality and those who can't.

[Todd]

Peter,
You forgot about the Super councils, Irish language stuff,President of Ireland walking around the north as if she owned the place,Peter Hains statements that the North is pretty much a failed entity,Smoking laws soon to be same as south etc etc...

What will happen in 2006.

[Peter]

H94, South Armagh my be peaceful now, but it's also the centre of major criminal rackets run by republicans, involving diesel smuggling / laundering, dvd piracy and many others.

Todd, I'm not sure the super-councils are part of the appeasement process, more a case of cutting beaurocracy to the minimum. But I agree that Hain's remarks in the USA were outrageous.

[Henry94]

Peter

South Armagh my be peaceful now, but it's also the centre of major criminal rackets run by republicans, involving diesel smuggling / laundering, dvd piracy and many others.

All the watchtowers in the world won't stop that. A combination of agreed policing and tax-harmonisation is the way to go.

[Peter]

I hear the PSNI have made a start on Jonesborough market and a few other places in the area. Way to go!

[joc]

Agreed Peter.

I think some innovate monitoring of local filling stations wouldn't go amiss if rumours of late night fills and engine damage following fills from certain stops are anything to go by. Electricity companies have got very good at spotting meter tampering by monitoring usage trends. Why can't customs and excise apply the same standards and inflict enough penalties that the activity becomes uneconomic.

[Jo]

"*Disbandment of the home batallion of the RIR.
*Dismantling border watch towers.
*Troop withdrawals.
*The return of the "Columbia Three".
*The scandalous OTR legislation (drafted by the IRA?)
*The collapse of the Stormont spy-ring case."

With respect the use of the words "appeasement" and "concession" can not realistically be applied to all of the above. In my own view the only element which is directly linked to satisfying a specifically SF/IRA issue is the OTR matter - and even that seems destined to actually benefit HMG by airbrushing all those embarassing police/army breaches of discipline/unlawful activity over the years.

The first 3 save Treasury money which, combined with determined efforts to hike up lcoal taxtation, mean that the true price of direct rule will be brought to bear on all NI citizens, in line with taxation on all other UK residents.

The return of the C3 is not appeasement, the subsequent inactivity by the Irish Govt is due to a variety of diplomatic and internal law issues. How can the attitude of the UK government to the Irish governments treatment of Irish citizens be appeasement?

The collapse of the spy-ring case cannot reasonably be regarded as a "concession" given that the act whch precipitated this groundless set of allegations worked directly against the interests of SF.

To make a concession would be to ignore evidence. What evidence is being ignored?

Its collapse does not move SF forward one iota - it simply a reflection of how pointless and political the initial act was.

Sorry, the above list is too simplistic.

[Peter]

Jo, the Columbia 3 appeasement is obviously by the ROI government. They are folowing an identical policy to the UK.

As to the OTR bill, the idea that they don't even have to appear before a judge while their vicims do is outrageously one-sided. The security force issue is a red herring, since no member of the army or police is wanted at the present time, as far as I know.

[Henry94]

Peter

The Irish government have no role in the Colombia Three case. It is a matter for the courts to respond to any extradition request.

As the men were cleared in open court in Colombia because there wasn't any evidence against them it is hard to see the basis for any extradition.

[Concerned Gael]

Haha, its funny how the bitter people have to hide their useless arguments in sterotypes and racism