Article

2004-01-16 Britain

Blair: IRA Failure to Disarm Hinders Pact

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Posted by Steve White 2004-01-16 12:19:40 AM|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Sectarian violence in christian Ireland. Old grudges that should be finished. John Bull, are protestants not welcomed in a unified Ireland?

Posted by Lucky 2004-1-16 12:36:36 AM|| 2004-1-16 12:36:36 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Paisley's Democratic Unionists had their own armed wing called the Ulster Freedom Fighters and they were considered the nastiest of the militant groups concerned only with killing catholics.

And BTW I lived in Belfast in the 70s and it was where I decided that if you have 2 or more ethnic groups in one state who don't want to, or can't live together, then partition the land and give each group its own state.

And yes I am aware that violates the UN charter or something but but its just another reason to disband the UN and forget the whole sorry mistake that is the UN.

Posted by phil_b 2004-1-16 3:28:51 AM|| 2004-1-16 3:28:51 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Can't partition Ulster any further, can you? Lots of Catholics in Belfast, lots of Protestants between Belfast and the Irish border, in any direction.

Posted by liberalhawk 2004-1-16 9:00:07 AM|| 2004-1-16 9:00:07 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Ulster Freedom Fighters "used" to have weapons? Does anybody really think they have given up more than a token amount of their armament?
I admire the British. If it wasn't for them we would all be speaking German right now. Those of us who hadn't been made into lamp shades, that is.
That doesn't change the basic fact however. One of the major defining events in Amercian history was slavery and the cvil war. Similarly, one of the defining events in British history is their 700 year occupation of Ireland. Both have about the same moral standing.
Irish Catholics trust the British? When hell freezes over and the Red Sox win the World Series.
The Irish and the Israelis could have the same outlook on life: Ourselves alone. Come to think of it, they do.

Posted by Slumming 2004-1-16 9:57:17 AM|| 2004-1-16 9:57:17 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 Never lived there, but stayed there for a lengthy amount of time in '96. Had a few first hand accounts of the hatred and violence that place has seen from both sides. Slumming & Phil make good points. UDF/UVF & Red Hand need to disarm as well. I don't condone some IRA actions but don't blame them for not just turning over their weapons. I also empathize w/the moderate Protestants because it is their country to. The hatred cuts deep on both sides. Irish Catholics don't trust the Brits and the moderate Protestant's don't want a backlash if the Brits ever pulled out. I'm about as Irish as any Yank can be (my family came from Derry in 1869) and sometimes I think based on my family's antics those folks just like to fight.

Posted by Jarhead 2004-1-16 10:57:21 AM|| 2004-1-16 10:57:21 AM|| Front Page Top

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