Political Yogurt - Northern Ireland Flavour

On a scale from one to yogurt my sympathy for the republican cause is just not that creamy more of a Tesco value diet natural yogurt passed its best before date then a fresh gourmet yogurt. But none the less still a dairy product. It is more a sympathy for the plight of nationalists in the 60s and the 70s then any desire for a united Ireland. To me the IRA have ruined the lot of nationalist in the North. Where in the early 70s and late 60s and the unionist state was subjecting the Nationalist community to vicious pogroms both the Irish and British governments had abandoned them and the civil rights movement was being attacked and hounded. The IRA was needed to defend the people as no one else would. However as the World stood up and took notice. The IRA terrorist violence was no longer about defence it was about attack. No longer was it about preventing loyalist mobs descending on nationalist areas to burn them it was about the opposite the IRA descended on the unionists and the British. This lost the nationalist the sympathy of much of the world and more importantly the normal British voter and thus any chance of real change. Instead of furthering the cause of nationalism they were hindering it. But they are not the only group who seem to be hindering their objectives. I’m a scientist and to me logic is key. To me special relativity is like an Organic Walnut and honey yogurt (How many more yogurt analogise do you think I can get in before the end place your bets now) perfect in all ways. However the British policies in the north of late seem more like a Brussels Sprouts yogurt. Politics in the north has always been polarised. However Lord Alderdice had a third way. The Alliance party was setup as a non sectarian party it was tapping into the many Northern’s whose concerns are not the Union or border but the economy health etc. Its profile was rising the Alliance party was gaining momentum. It had a strong leader. Then Lord Alderdice had to resign from the party to become the first speaker of the northern assembly. He was elevated the House of Lords taking him out of Northern Ireland politics. Without his leadership the third way in Northern Politics was gone. Since its demise the political landscape of the north has moved to the extremes and the centre ground is now empty. The British government should have been more forceful in insuring that he did not leave the political arena Stormountgate is possible one of the most bizarre incidents in the north in recent memory. The Donaldson’s revelation makes it even more amazing. The PSNI raided the Sinn Fein offices arresting people including Donaldson. Then 2 years later drop the case with a poor excuse and then he is outed as a spy. The manner in which the case was dropped was very suspicious. They announced that the prosecution for the offences in relation to the accused are no longer in the public interest.. Why did they say that why not just say lack of evidence or something plausible. What trial has ever been dropped as the prosecution for the offences in relation to the accused are no longer in the public interest very nature of the wording of the break up of the trial seems to me to be either foolish or intended to create friction. Also the searches that took place only involved two computer disks and one office. Why then did it require a fleet of armoured cars? The searchers themselves were limited. That might be explained by the fact that they knew exactly what to go after. But if they knew exactly what to go after why did they take so long to move on the spy ring? Also why was the evidence returned. Surely it would be required for a court case. When the raid took place the Assembly was on it last legs, the Ulster Unionist were on the verge of leaving. Also the raids took place at the same as raids in West Belfast which found documents. So was the timing of the operation due to the fact that when the Assembly collapsed they did not want the Ulster Unionist blamed in an attempt to save David Trimble or they didn’t want the Ulster Unionists to walk out denying the DUP of using that in elections against them or maybe something else or just a coincidence? Some say the outing of Donaldson is an attempt to shield a higher up member of Sinn Fein working undercover. But if it is why are rumours coming out that this is the case. If they were trying to protect someone would rumours be coming out? Rumours come from somewhere. If this is an attempt to undermine Sinn Fein it is shockingly a bad one. The republican community in the North need to see the British as something other then the bogeyman. They need to see them as a government that can be trusted. By allowing Sinn Fein to spin this story as “the brits are still trying to undermine Irish democracy no surrender” they are only boosting Sinn Fein. The On the runs (OTRs) legislation is particularly not very creamy. The on the runs legislation is supposed to be about a new start. Yet the British and Irish governments want to let the OTRs back in to the country without Sinn Fein joining the police board. That should have been a stipulation of the deal. The OTRs are allowed back to signify that the North has changed yet Sinn Fein has not accepted that the change has happened. Why was this allowed? Also now Sinn Fein are rejecting the legislation as it covers soliders as well. What a double standard. This legislation is a joke no one but the governments seem to want it. The main tacit that the British seem to be using to make the parties sit down to talk. Is to bring in as much policies as possible to piss off the people of Northern Ireland. Water charges hospital closings, education reform. They have this kind of team Actimel of direct rule ministers. They pretend to be protecting but they really are a gimmick. That seems to have a desire to be unpopular. Perhaps all the British policies are based on a clever long term game plan. Mess up the province, piss off everyone and they are sure to get sick of us and work together.