Anyone within Irish Republicanism who really does dissent from the sovereign will of the Provisional Army Council throughout the thirty-two counties is taken out with ruthless efficiency. I Can’t Believe It’s Not The IRA is, in fact, the IRA, which is not exactly the same as Sinn Féin, but which certainly does control the party that, after all, regards the IRA’s ruling body as the highest authority in the land.
It is always good to hear David Miliband, since it reinforces the pleasure of not being David Miliband. On the Today programme, he explained that, while Hezbollah’s “armed wing” was proscribed in the United Kingdom, its “political wing” had to be treated better than that, since it had “a Cabinet Minister” in Lebanon.
Just the one? What small fry and amateurs Hezbollah must be. And after all, Hezbollah does not regard Lebanon itself as an illegitimate entity, instead asserting the sovereign authority of the ruling body of its “armed wing”, a body including the Cabinet Minister from its “political wing”.
Still, being a friend of Syria and Iran is hardly a problem these days, now that even the President of the United States is a friend of Syria and Iran, Middle America having flocked to his banner not least for that very reason.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Alas the Irish Republican Army is exactly the same as Sinn Féin. Richard Englishs book indicates that SF in the early 1970s was merely the non combatants (fathers and mothers of IRA men/women).
ReplyDeleteA certain logic in that I think.
Ive heard it said that the Provisionals were formed by middle aged men and teenagers and that the "dissident movement" replicates this formation as the RIRA is made up of older men marginalised by the Peace Process and teenagers who are easily influenced.
But it would be a mistake to think "no difference" in PIRA and RIRA.
Alas it is considered very bad form these days for the IRA to shoot people. It was much simpler in the old days.
But its always amusing to hear Govt ministers (from John Major "we do not talk to terrorists" circa 1992 to David Milliband in Mid East try and make a distinction.
Terrorists are Terrorists are Terrorists.
Its not exactly rocket science.
"Alas the Irish Republican Army is exactly the same as Sinn Féin"
ReplyDeleteReally? That gives an awful lot of IRA members. On the same side, yes. Enough of a crossover that the latter is completely controlled by the former, yes. But "exactly the same"?
"Alas it is considered very bad form these days for the IRA to shoot people"
So it calls itself something else and does it anyway.
Gerry Adams popped up yesterday to say that the threat was "exaggerated". He was certainly quick to defend these supposedly "dissident" Republicans.
Oh I think you understood that I was not actually saying they had the same membership.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is true that some IRA members are not in SF and of course the vast majority of SF aew not actually in the IRA (and which of course is......despite protestations by SF to the contrary...is still very much intact)...the crossover is such that SF is not independent of the IRAs control.
Adams.....and tonights inevitable incident in Antrim....I think proves it......is in a corner.
The only people who could actually have brought the dissidents under control was the IRA.
They would love to have done so but the methodology would have ended the Peace Process.
Likewise after tonight Adams will be under pressure to support the police and army......which of course he cannot politically do. There are many traditional Republicans who will se Antrim as a success.
So the "Peace Process" (an odd term for terrorists in government) will collapse.
Which is of course what the dissidents predicted.
A repeat of tonights incident will not be possible because its "success" was down to limited security but nevertheless within a year the whole thing will begin again.
I hate to say this but all wars require a winner and loser.
The "conflict resolution" much favoured in QUB tells us that we are all right and all wrong.......and of course we have al won and no-one has lost.
Personally I never thought it made sense.
See today's post on the Real IRA.
ReplyDeleteYou forget here that the Provos have ended the armed struggle and that they were never the only armed group (INLA, anyone?)
ReplyDelete"You forget here that the Provos have ended the armed struggle"
ReplyDeleteEvidently not. In the immortal words of Gerry Adams, "they haven't gone away, you know".
"they were never the only armed group (INLA, anyone?)"
They are the only one on that side still in existence.