03.15
I’ve just read an American article about the current state of Northern Ireland politics entitled, “Sicily Without Sunshine”, written by John F. Cullinan. The title refers to the IRA’s perceived status as some form of organised crime group like the Mafia. My feelings about the NI situation have been made fairly clear in the past so I won’t regurgitate that now, but the article is pretty rounded and deserves a read itself.
It links to a recent cartoon (see below) that illustrates the fact that so far, eyewitnesses have reportedly claimed to be in the toilets when the McCartney murder took place.
click to see full-size image
Much press has been had by the victim’s family over here in the UK, and rightly so, but there never was much coverage of the event itself. Certainly, I wasn’t aware of the full horror until recently. Here is a quote from the above linked article, detailing the event itself:
By all accounts, Robert McCartney, a 33-year-old forklift driver, had sought to calm a dispute arising after words were exchanged between his friend, Brendan Devine, and a senior IRA figure (who bellowed, “Do you know who I am?”). But when the IRA man drew his finger across his throat, at least a dozen men attacked McCartney and Devine with broken bottles and knives taken from the bar kitchen. After being dragged outside, both victims were repeatedly stabbed, struck with iron bars, and left for dead. Devine miraculously survived; McCartney, who was disemboweled and nearly decapitated, did not.
I hope someone (as in: a politician with a spine) takes this whole thing on soon and sorts the situation out once and for all. It is clear that the IRA and Sinn Fein will not give up their old ways and all the time they are allowed to carry on doing what they’ve always done then nothing will ever be resolved. In the words of Bertie Ahern, “What sort of eejits do they take us for?”
The sort of eejits that let murderers out of prison in the name of ‘peace’ - that’s what…
Indeed, it was an horrific event, and unconscionable. But unfortunately, this sort of violence has been business as usual in Northern Ireland for many years, on both sides of the Republican/Loyalist divide. The Troubles weren’t a bit of argy bargy and a few extremists with bombs, they were an out-and-out war.
This sort of thing has been going on for a generation or more, and it’s testament to the success of the peace process that it is now not only a major issue, but that the McCartney family are able to come forward and demand justice. But it is vital to remember that this is a process, not a solution, and the end of the road has not yet been reached.
Sadly, I suspect that ‘sorting out the situation once and for all’ won’t happen until this generation of ‘men of violence’ are long gone. Look how long the South African situation took to resolve, and they had an explicit Truth and Reconcilliation Commission. Some gung-ho politician with a spine could just make things worse. Where is Mo Mowlam when we need her?