Nearly had to kick my radio in listening to the Today programme this morning

[Burney]

I think McGuinness was probably better company than Adams, he seemed to have a sense of humour. But that's as good as it gets.

The IRA won. They won in the way terrorists win, not by winning but by not losing. Unless you crush terrorists by slaughtering them and their families and friends and supporters and sympathisers, there's always one to carry out an attack which create the same fear and uncertainty whatever the effect. The IRA was not in Al Qaeda league but they messed up UK for decades.

They won because they gained a share of power and an agreement which legitimised their violence at the expense of moderate Republicans (who remembers the SDLP now?).

They won because demographics dictates that in a very few years there will be a Catholic, pro-Eire majority in Ulster. At that point there will be a referendum and Ulster will vote to leave UK. Many opposed to this will move to UK, they will be followed - as happened after the creation of the Irish Free State etc - by many Catholics, some of whom may vote to stay in UK and some who will vote to leave but still take advantage of the incredibly lax and stupid attitude of UK who treats the Irish people as if they were sons from an errant province that might return to their fold rather than citizens of an entirely different country.

They won because a piece of **** party whose only political weapons were violence and extremism is in the process of establishing itself as the main party both sides of the border.

The demographics were always shifting that way (although, actually, support for reunification in the catholic community is not exactly staunch). If you think the aim of fighting the IRA was to cling on to Northern Ireland at all costs, you're mad. We don't want it, but we recognise that, while a majority of its population wants to be part of the UK, we have to respect that. If it shifts and it can be done peacefully, we will let it go its own sweet way.

The aim of the UK in Northern Ireland was to keep the lid on it, not allow it to descend into outright civil war and bring it to a peaceful condition whereby it can determine its own future. The characterisation of it as some sort of colonial war with Britain desperate to keep Northern Ireland is entirely false. The SDLP went because it only existed to represent a non-violent nationalist electorate. With the IRA's renunciation of violence, Sinn Fein has taken on that mantle and the SDLP is effectively redundant.

[SWv2]

I think McGuinness was probably better company than Adams, he seemed to have a sense of humour. But that's as good as it gets.

The IRA won. They won in the way terrorists win, not by winning but by not losing. Unless you crush terrorists by slaughtering them and their families and friends and supporters and sympathisers, there's always one to carry out an attack which create the same fear and uncertainty whatever the effect. The IRA was not in Al Qaeda league but they messed up UK for decades.

They won because they gained a share of power and an agreement which legitimised their violence at the expense of moderate Republicans (who remembers the SDLP now?).

They won because demographics dictates that in a very few years there will be a Catholic, pro-Eire majority in Ulster. At that point there will be a referendum and Ulster will vote to leave UK. Many opposed to this will move to UK, they will be followed - as happened after the creation of the Irish Free State etc - by many Catholics, some of whom may vote to stay in UK and some who will vote to leave but still take advantage of the incredibly lax and stupid attitude of UK who treats the Irish people as if they were sons from an errant province that might return to their fold rather than citizens of an entirely different country.

They won because a piece of **** party whose only political weapons were violence and extremism is in the process of establishing itself as the main party both sides of the border.

The first bit is a little harsh I would suggest and the second an error which many make, Ulster and Northern Ireland are two different and separate things.

[Burney]

The first bit is a little harsh I would suggest and the second an error which many make, Ulster and Northern Ireland are two different and separate things.

Mo doesn't seem to get that the British have done the slaughtering everyone thing several times before and it's proved remarkably ineffective at stamping out violent Irish nationalism.

t also rather like the idea that you can occupy/run a country for 900 years, treat it as part of the union, have untold familial, cultural and business ties develop over centuries and then treat its citizens as complete strangers the moment they get independence.

[Sir C]

Mo doesn't seem to get that the British have done the slaughtering everyone thing several times before and it's proved remarkably ineffective at stamping out violent Irish nationalism.

t also rather like the idea that you can occupy/run a country for 900 years, treat it as part of the union, have untold familial, cultural and business ties develop over centuries and then treat its citizens as complete strangers the moment they get independence.

They definitely shouldn't be treated as strangers, because we know them only too well.

They should be treated as our bitterest, sworn enemies, but 70 years of socialism has rendered us physically and morally weak, so we pander to them. Do you know they are allowed to enter this country without showing identification? There should be, at the very least, a period of quarantine to keep their diseases out.

(I don't like them much.)

[Burney]

They definitely shouldn't be treated as strangers, because we know them only too well.

They should be treated as our bitterest, sworn enemies, but 70 years of socialism has rendered us physically and morally weak, so we pander to them. Do you know they are allowed to enter this country without showing identification? There should be, at the very least, a period of quarantine to keep their diseases out.

(I don't like them much.)

This seems rather harsh on your poor mother.

[SWv2]

They definitely shouldn't be treated as strangers, because we know them only too well.

They should be treated as our bitterest, sworn enemies, but 70 years of socialism has rendered us physically and morally weak, so we pander to them. Do you know they are allowed to enter this country without showing identification? There should be, at the very least, a period of quarantine to keep their diseases out.

(I don't like them much.)

You have just consigned yourself to the rest of your life looking over your shoulder, pal.

[Sir C]

You have just consigned yourself to the rest of your life looking over your shoulder, pal.

A kneecapping, is it?

Why change the habits of a lifetime?

[Sir C]

This seems rather harsh on your poor mother.

She, quite sensibly, renounced any connection with the place at the earliest possible opportunity, and as a British passport holder was as British as you or I.

Your racist taunts against my poor, dead mother will not rouse my ire, b. My hatred for them is a cold, clear flame of rage which burns with the focus of an oxyacetelene torch and will not be distracted.

[Norn Iron]

Interesting times ahead for Northern Ireland.

We're set for another election if we don't get an agreement before the 27th March. Sinn Fein were almost the biggest party last time. Brexit, Marty's death and the thought of actually having a chance of winning the election might bump them over the line.

I look at it from a Unionist point of view but it makes me sad that people choose to vote Sinn Fein. Being connected to murder enhances your political career in Northern Ireland. Look at Gerry's history, it's probably worse than Marty's.

[Norn Iron]

A kneecapping, is it?

Why change the habits of a lifetime?

I've SW pegged as a Sinn Fein/ IRA sympathiser. Just give me the nod C