[setanta]

Originally Posted by Shasown

And lets not forget for all the great gains that have been made there, it wouldnt take much to undermine the whole process.

I honestly dont think either side has fully decomissioned, and to be frank If I was in PIRA, I wouldnt fully trust the loyalists, their politicans yeah maybe but definately not their fighting arms. I am sorry, I just cant.

Wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them.

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by setanta

Wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them.

PMSL Honestly, me neither.

[setanta]

Originally Posted by Shasown

That was the problem though, yes they were fighting for a cause, however if they had targeted only government installations or troops, they would have had a lot more respect. It was the indiscriminate nature of some of their attacks.

Crippling the centre of Belfast and Derry, again nope its simply attacking the society they live in.

Obviously the tit for tat sectarianism did neither side any good, however the british press did play down a lot of unionist atrocities. That was totally wrong. Very few reports went in depth on things like the Shankill Butchers.

Just like the Catholic Community quickly turned against the troops, reason, they were in support of the civil power, technically an aid to the police. Who were the police? The loyalists, so they were ordered to stop civil rights marches, tear down barricades that were actually needed to defend communities from loyalist attacks. Disarm the catholic communities and ignore the loyalists, for the moment. While it seemed that the loyalists were getting away with murder(well they were literally.)

But that society had targeted them too, you know? Looting, violence etc. They were hardly in a comfortable position and were obviously enraged.

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by setanta

But that society had targeted them too, you know? Looting, violence etc. They were hardly in a comfortable position and were obviously enraged.

I know but thats what most people dont understand. They could have sat back and took it all, lost a decent number of lives and waited, eventually Stormont would have been dissolved, eventually the loyalist factions would have been rounded up and disarmed. But how many lives did they have to lose.

Thats why I dont really lay blame on either the troops or the IRA. In fact there are quite a few members of the IRA I hold in great respect. Certainly McGuinness has done a lot to foster peace over there. Similarly for all I dislike Tony Blair, Bill Clinton and George Bush, some credit should be given to those three as well amongst a whole host of others.