IRA Statement Historical

Today is a historical day in the history in the occupied six counties of Northern Ireland. The Irish Republican Army has announced that it will end the armed struggle for a 32 County republic. After years of bombings and murders by both sides, this is, hopefully, the first step toward a peaceful Ireland.

Now that the IRA has made this large step, what will happen next? Both side, Unionists and Nationalists, have to decide the future of Ulster. The ending of the armed struggle is only one part of the equation. Many other questions need to be answered.

Sectarian violence is the first issue that needs to be addressed. Sectarian July 12th marches need to be scaled back. Protestants marching through Catholic neighborhoods with the 'we kicked your Taig asses 300 years ago' attitude needs to end. The IRA statement will not end this violence. I don't know if there is a lack of understanding about the feelings of the Catholics toward these marches, but it should the the responsibility of the Unionist politicians to put out these sectarian flames. But the Unionists politicians will not do this alone. Prime Minister Tony Blair should 'require' Unionist politicians to educate the Protestants about Irish Catholic history. Gusty Spence, cold blooded sectarian killer turned peace advocate, would be a perfect spokesman to heal this sectarian strife.

Another issue that needs to be addressed is Loyalist paramilitary organizations and their actions. The IRA are decommissioning all of their arms and putting them beyond use. Will the Ulster Defence Association, Loyalist Volunteer Force and Ulster Volunteer Force do the same? If the IRA stick to their word, they have shown good faith toward the peace process. Hopefully, this will pressure the Unionist communities to ask for Loyalist paramilitaries to disarm. The problem is that it seems the British government is 'okay' with 'pro-British government' paramilitaries. Again, Blair should make a bold statement on this issue as well.


The peace process in Northern Ireland is a two-way street. The IRA cannot disarm without there being something in return. Things like the July 12th marches in Catholic neighborhoods and the anti-Catholic rhetoric of Ian Paisley needs to end. Mr. Paisley needs to be decommissioned. His words have done as much harm to Northern Ireland as the Provos have. Many people who have joined the UVF, UDA, LVF and so on did so with anti-Catholic speeches of Ian Paisley.

With this, it is time that the Unionist political parties, especially the DUP, look for more moderate leaders that can bring this type of change to Northern Ireland. 'The Pope is the Anti-Christ' attitude will NOT bring peace to Northern Ireland. It is time for the DUP to dump their founder and leader. If Ian Paisley speaks for the majority of Protestants in Northern Ireland, then there will never be peace. I feel that it is time for Ian Paisley to step down and hand over control to respectable leaders.

The DUP needs Peter Robinson. He is the voice of reason for the DUP. While he is strong and sticks to his convictions, he also understands that being ignorant and stuborn to the issues will not move the peace process foward. I feel that Mr. Robinson wants to see peace in Northern Ireland. On the other hand, Ian Paisley is one of the founders of The Troubles. The last thing the DUP needs is another Paisley as well. If they pick Nigel Dodds, Paisley Jr., or, yes, Peter's wife Iris Robinson, I feel that sectarian violence will continue to move forward.

With this IRA statement, the ball is in the DUP's court. If they want to comply and really make change and bring the peace process to Northern Ireland, they can do so. But if the DUP wants to stall, even with the ending of IRA violence and complete political participation by Republicans, this will just prove that the Unionists want to continue to rule Ulster with an iron fist and really do not want peace or co-existance. If they continue down this road, then the Republicans will gain more support in the United Kingdom, Ireland and around the world for their cause. No matter what the outcome, this move will benefit the Republican cause.

Again, this is a masterful political move by Gerry Adams. Now we will just wait and see.