Ireland Today...
Ireland it seems could descend into chaos, the IRA last night all but suspended the peace process after comments by the Irish and British governments blaming them for the bank raid in the North late last year along with other comments calling into question their decommissioning acts and the need for photographic evidence as requested by the loyalists. This might be a good time to leave this island for pastures new, if the peace process ends as things could get a whole lot worse before they get better both here in the South and also in the UK. I have to sympathise with the IRA's position and also that of Sin Fein. Both governments and also the PSNI need to produce evidence to show that the IRA was or was not involved in the raid. Under UK law you are innocent until proved guilty and as there has to date been no evidence brought to the public domain except the declarations by both governments to the effect that they know the IRA was involved, so please come out and prove it before it's too late. It seems too easy to blame a paramilitary organisation, and due to the British stance there was no chance that the British would blame the loyalists for the raid at the risk of upsetting Dr Paisley and co.At this rate there could well be a return to the bad old days where death and destruction reigned down not only on the streets of Northern Ireland but in the UK and to some extent in the South as well. If there is a return to the hostilities that once occurred I have this fear that it will be a lot lot worse. Both paramilitary organisations could open an open war With each other with anyone or any place considered as a legitimate target. The spread of Terrorism and terrorist tactics over the past few years has shown how little human life is respected and that the more destruction is caused the more media coverage it gets and so the more likely it is to occur again.
It is strange to be in Ireland and watch the Northern Irish news at the moment. I haven't seen the news from the North today but almost everyday there is some instance of paramilitary style shootings, security alerts, riots, all related to the troubles and all delivered by the various news stations in such a manner that it shows you that these events are everyday occurrences and this is all with the backdrop of a ceasefire and the Good Friday agreement, imagine if you can what it would be like without it? it does not bare thinking about.
Where do we go from here, there needs to be a cessation of all blame on the IRA until evidence can be produced. We have seen over the past few years where certain governments have tried to influence their respective populations over intended action by saying that they have evidence proving that certain things occurred. As Tony Blair once stated, "if you knew what I know" well we did, we knew there was nothing and here we are once again being asked to trust not just one but two governments on what they know without telling us what they know, well Mr Blair and Mr Ahern we don't believe you unless you show us what you know. The whole situation is far too serious to just throw around allegations against one side because it looks politically sound to. Don't forget that Mr Ahern represents the so called Republican party in the South, however, Sin Fein have made huge in-roads into the political system in not only the UK but in the South of Ireland and now are if not the second party in the South they are certainly the third largest and so Mr Ahern with his comments was not so much denouncing the IRA but trying to score points against another large party in the South by trying to discredit them. Well it looks as if it has backfired, so show us the evidence, show us what you know and we and Sin Fein might just believe you. Until that time please shut up.
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