Could the IRA be on the verge of handing in its weapons in time for the Northern Ireland elections due on 29th of May?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/2979875.stm

IRA spokesperson the Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has clarified statements made by the IRA over the last few days "Secondly, the IRA has clearly stated its willingness to proceed with the implementation of a process to put arms beyond use at the earliest opportunity. "Obviously, this is not about putting some arms beyond use. It is about all arms”.

In light of the world opinion being so against terrorism following the world tower and other acts of terror like the Omagh bombing in 98. It seems to me both sets of thugs are realising that the general public no matter which side of the political fence will turn on them if there is any murder of innocents. There has of course been many murders and kneecappings carried out amongst and to thugs from both sides in the last two years, but speaking now as an outsider the recalcitrant nature of the general public seems to have mellowed to one of let democracy rule.

Or is this just another false dawn?

TO put it mildly they have all been playing this game for a while. Things in the north always get done the hour after the last hour of the extension of the deadline as provisionally constituted by blah blah politics and gameplaying. What was it that Churchill said again about no matter how the world changes the dreary churchspires of armagh and tyrone will always loom out of the mist at us again? Why anyone would want the place I don't know. Belfast really is that grey oppresive hell hole that you see on the tv. It really is that bleak and unpleasant. Whoever wants it is welcome to it and if they can detatch it from the rest of the island so much the better.

[ 04-29-2003, 09:06 AM: Message edited by: jabidas ]

<font color="#bfb2d3">Seems like I have heard all this before......</font>

That is an interesting perspective Jabidas.

Timeline 2009... The republicans finally gain the majority in NI. Britain drops it like a hot potato and says to Ireland she's yours mate, then runs like hell But the Irish take one look and say bugger that it's a sh1#*4hole you can keep it [img]graemlins/laugh3.gif[/img] :D

If you ever go you will understand. Do not go, you really do not want to understand. The south isn't exactly the nicest place on earth sometimes and we despise our government as well but no way does anyone want to have anything to do with Adams, Trimble and Paisley or any of the other clowns and madmen. If only we could some how prevent ourselves from listening to them. Yet they are regularly on the tv here foaming at the mouth and screaming the same old rhetoric (Paisley does actually foam, its hilarious).

Well I like the North and the South - who can say if Royal County Down is better than Ballybunion - they are both masterpieces. Long live the golf courses of the Emerald Isle.

Walks away, whistling :

She was young and she was pretty
She was a girl of Belfast City [img]smile.gif[/img]

Yes he does [img]graemlins/laugh2.gif[/img]

I still have this mental picture of him *paisly* saying, "The pope is the antichrist" while bursting a blood vessel [img]graemlins/heee.gif[/img]


I've not had anything to do with NI for 20 years now but I still keep a keen eye out for it. And the people I know tell me the heat as gone out of the heart of many. They just want a government that runs the place properly. I believe rank corruption and standover *mafia* payments are still rife everywhere.

edit for insert of paisley's name

[ 04-29-2003, 09:42 AM: Message edited by: wellard ]