n. ireland deaths

[JustCallMeGoat]

i can't quite believe the only reference to this on mumsnet is this

don't know whether to laugh or cry

I was really impressed by Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness on the news tonight. They have come such a long way, totally renouncing violence now whilst still aspiring for a united Ireland. Shows a lot of guts and statesmanship.

It's so sad to see this violence again. Those poor young men.

I still have reservations about GA and MMcG--the former still looks like a wolf, I think.

But--if they can stop this present round of brutality, good luck to them.

I'm from NI too. I haven't been on here much because of spring cleaning but I was on the day after the Antrim killings and I must admit I was surprised to see nothing about it mentioned that I could see. I thought it's either a bit of political hot potato or no-one in England cares about it? I don't know which.

I can honestly see the arguments for both loyalist and unionist and my parents taught me that it doesn't matter what religion you are or whether you believe in a united ireland or not, a terrorist is a terrorist.

It's disgusting these men have been killed because of just performing their job.

My parents are ex-RUC. I had to live through the checking your car to see if there was a bomb beneath, having to move house because of receiving a threat at it, lying to friends and teachers about what your parents do. Even now I'm changing my name.

People in Northern Ireland have got used to a 'sort of' peace (the odd blip but far better than it was) and there is no way we want to return to what as been before.

Wow, Nigirl, those must have been very, very frightening days for your family. I have a lot of respect for the former RUC and its members. They gave some very good policing under a lot of stress.

It's interesting about whether or not we on the maintland still care about it. I think a lot of us just felt WEARY when it all ended. Obviously London didn't have nearly the number of bombs that NI did, but I was very close to three explosions and to the mortar attack on Downing STreet. I can't remember feeling frightened, more increasingly frustrated and angry. After the Good Friday Agreement I was just relieved that it seemed to have stopped. All the same, I always worried that there were some people whose lives had a kind of warped purpose during the Troubles and who would 'miss' it all.

Sadly, that seems true. But it's heartening to see that many people in NI are so angry about this breach of the peace.

I still don;t trust Adams or McGuinness. The pair of them are as slippery as a bucket full of monkey's foreskins. They have that sly way of talkin' out da corrner of der mouths.

I was amused that, in the first power-sharing agreement, Sinn Fein had the Education and Health briefs. This meant they would be responsible both for teaching you a lesson and for helping you deal with the consequences.

"I was really impressed by Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness on the news tonight. They have come such a long way, totally renouncing violence now whilst still aspiring for a united Ireland"

i have been less than impressed (in fact absolutely disgusted) with Adams. the difference in his reaction to the killing of a psni officer and a british soldier is very telling. quick to condemn the murder of a police officer because sinn fein and catholics in general (do not want to assume they are one in the same) have much more to do with the psni than they ever did with the RUC so he is condemning an attack on his own people as murder. however with the british soldier their was a lot of reference to "action" "movement" "counter-productive" but never an out and out condemnation of a cowardly murder.
to me this speaks volumes of A) his (and many of the old school sinners like him) attitude to the english as an unlawful occupying force.
B)i think he is waiting to see the lie of the land.if the killings continue at any substantial rate. if there is any retaliation from loyalists.or more importantly if it gets to the stage where the psni need the assistance of the army to police the streets, it is my belief that adams wants no record of out and out condemnation of the killings as he will use it as a platform to reignite the old agenda.

i really hope i'm wrong and reading to much into it, but i fear i am not.

He sounded bored and uninterested and uncommitted when he was 'condeming' the deaths of the soldiers.

Gerry Adams needs to retain some sort of credibility with the Catholic community, so I'm not surprised he was restrained in his condenmation at first. I agree that McGuiness was stronger. However the fact that both are now apparently engaged with a peaceful polictical solution rather than openly supporting terrorism is a huge step forward. And you have to remember that the Catholics have "lost the war" in the sense that NI is still part of the UK (at the moment). The fact that they seem to have accepted this is impressive to me.

that's a fair point.
is it too much to expect his condemnation? i suppose to some people of his mindset the killing was probably just due to the soldier being part of an unlawful occupying army so he does have to keep credibility you are right.

The pair of them are as slippery as a bucket full of monkey's foreskins

This is a phrase which will haunt me today!

GA should condemn murdering.

He can do this without appearing to concede ground for his side/constituents/catholics (?)

Afterall, he's put down the gun and donned a suit and stood for election. I'm glad of it, I respect that he is trying politics now over terrorism..

However, he's not somebody I'd vote for because he personally has blood on his conscience hands from his early days, not a nice man Imo.

McG the same.

"However, he's not somebody I'd vote for because he personally has blood on his conscience hands from his early days, not a nice man Imo."

i'd be willing to stake my house that i will never vote for anyone in the SF party in it's current guise.

I live in NI, and it has totally shocked and appalled all of my friends and colleagues - but weirldy not at much as it should have, if you see what I mean.
It's as if we are still kind of used to something like this happening. IMO all there really has been is a load of MP's etc and Gordon stating that they dont condone it and it won't spoil the peace process!

There are plenty of scum living here too and they really dont give a damm about peace or anything like a normal life for the rest of us.

Me neither.

I have noticed that their front men (in my area) are chosen for their looks which I find particularly nauseating. I say 'looks', I mean, slightly less ugly than the average politician.

I aint fooled (I can only talk for my area, not sure about beyond). Luckily there aint much of a Sinn Fein stronghold in Kilmacanogue. Even "the" wall the wall , on the N11 now has palestinian protest slogans. Hallelujah.

agree mrsboo.

there isn't that much shock.

as my husband says, northern ireland has always been in recession, the last ten years have just been a blip!

bit like the violence.

it's in our nature to accept repression! good old irish philosophy dictates that you tut, shake your head and get on with it.

"I aint fooled (I can only talk for my area, not sure about beyond). Luckily there aint much of a Sinn Fein stronghold in Kilmacanogue. Even "the" wall the wall , on the N11 now has palestinian protest slogans. Hallelujah.
"

haha yeah.thankfully they haven't invested too much hope or effort in securing the votes of blackrock so i rarely have to put up with them at any sort of local level

I worry though. They are cunning little articles. They have a nauseating tendency to swoop in on a problem that hasn't been sorted out by the other politicians. (Ignore everything else, whatever will make them look like the heroes of the hour, that's their agenda)