interesting article in The Independent

the article was in the Europe section of the paper, Republic of Ireland, it was about the IRA and its splinter groups getting involved in "gang land" style attacks in Dublin, even involved in bombs...

anyone else heard about this?

IRA involved in bombs, you say? That really is news!

Seriously though, even the crime bit doesn't seem new... now the 'upper levels' of the IRA are being incorporated into the legitimate political scene, the rank-and-file probably has little prospects but to resort to crime, unless they are die-hards and wish to continue the fight, either way, bombs and crime. There was that bank robbery last year that comes to mind.

They have organisation, manpower and no aversion to crime, but don't have a clear political purpose anymore... they're basically a mafia waiting to happen.



[edit on 17-12-2005 by koji_K]

well, i knew that,Unionists have been arguing that for years.

but i thought they agreed to stop all criminal activity? wasn't it apart of that famous "we've finished" speech?

I think there is no doubt that individual members or small groupings from all the paramilitary gangs are likely to remain a crime problem in all of Ireland for a while yet.

Such are the inescapable realities of where we are and where we have come from.

This is IMO not at all inconsistent with the (very welcome) pronouncements of their various leaderships.

It is also worth pointing out that the IMC (the Independent Monitoring Commission) are confirming that IRA activity is enormously diminished if not completely extinct.

One should also remember that there are 'normal' criminal elements in the Irish Republic with no connection to para-militarism; a point some prefer to ignore or just gloss over when trying to promote a particular agenda.

In fact to attempt to use such unpleasant realities to halt political progress (as certain unionists have dreamed and desired to do) is in all probability far more likely IMO to lead to the emergence of new political instability and possibly even new paramilitaries.

We are fortunate that right now the paramilitaries of each side have very little (or no) popular support.
We should be careful not to waste the real opportunities that now exist.

IMO whatever is left to tackle a mafia style situation is a hell of a lot easier to deal with than a low-level civil war.