[Shasown]

Originally Posted by setanta

But they disolved it for awhile and took total control of the area, right? And they didn't cover themselves in glory furing that period either. Look, it was a horrible situation but they didn't deal with as best they could really.

And Maggie was just plain silly in what she did.

I am not denying it, major mistakes, that in the end cost lives, were made on all sides.

Do you honestly think there isnt a politican involved in the whole episode who doesnt look back and think, if only.... That includes maggie head up her arse thatcher, If Wilson had dissolved the national assembly in 1969, just after allowing the troops to enter Derry, he may have took some flak for it, but on the other hand there may not have followed the twenty odd years of carnage that did happen.

If the Paras hadnt been sent to the province, if another less aggressive unit had gone, If the Paras had been rotated back off the line in 1972, and a proper inquiry set up, instead of the Widgery fiasco, the whole sequence of events investigated and proper criticism and charges levelled at all those responsible......

We will never really know how different it could have been.