Mar 10 2009
We don’t want to go back to the bad old days
At the weekend two British soldiers were murdered in Northern Ireland. They where outside their barracks collecting pizzas from pizza delivery men, (the delivery men were also seriously injured in the attack). Younger members of the community displayed a sense of disbelief that something like that could happen here, older members displayed a sense of devastation, frustration and anger. The question lingering in their minds was ‘are we headed back to the bad old days of the troubles?’
The last soldier to be killed in Northern Ireland was in 1997, Northern Ireland has come a long way since those days (outwardly at least), one thing is clear people don’t want to go back to the bad old days. It was made clear by the politicians that the peace process and the political institutions that have been set in place were not going to be threatened or destroyed by the tragic events at the weekend.
The ‘real I.R.A’ who owned up to this atrocity has negligible if any support within the nationalist community. People here are tired of violence and the general consensus is that if the provisional I.R.A could not bomb and shoot its way to a united Ireland with the (albeit ambiguous) support that they had no other outfit will be capable of doing it. Republicans have decided to take the route of using the establishment to further their aims; they hope to use a democratic method that is where their mandate lies. If Ireland is ever to be united it will be through the will of the people, all the people of this Island. The Union has never been (as far as I am concerned) so secure and the importance for the imperfect peace we have here to work is highlighted even more when terrible events like what happened at the weekend happen.
Last night a policeman was murdered in Armagh, this is more devastating news for the average person who lives in Northern Ireland. It is clear to me that people here want to use democratic methods. We voted for peace, we voted for democracy and now all sections of the community are being encouraged to take an active role in developing Northern Ireland and making it a place that other countries will look to as a viable place to invest and create jobs.
When I was younger I used to feel that Britain and the Republic of Ireland looked on this small corner of their world, Northern Ireland, as a bit of an albatross and a weight around their necks. This is our time to come into our own and show the world what we can offer.
It is hard to imagine what the dissident Republican groups are trying to do or what their ultimate aims are. These thugs, who are estimated to be less that 200 think they have some sort of mandate? Or think they know what is best for the average Northern Irish Person? What a joke. This is the time for people who support the Republican agenda who may know something of these dissidents to show their support for the democratic institutions that Sinn Fein has signed up to, to come forward and give their information. We need to work towards getting Northern Ireland on its feet democratically and economically before we can start thinking about whether Northern Ireland should be British or Irish. We need to make Northern Ireland a place that both Britain and the Republic would be proud to have as part of their ‘territories’ We, Northern Irish finally feeling no longer like the poor relations in either house.
This is sad! It should be more peaceful instead of devastation like this!