Bomb drama at Stormont,

Former loyalist Michael Stone has been arrested after trying to get in to Stormont while a key debate was taking place,
He walked in with a bag that he claimed was a bomb,

police are looking in to the possible device,


news.sky.com...

This will also bring up s debate about the security there,


This is not good for the political happenings,

[edit on 24-11-2006 by asala]

There He Goes Again

Please pardon my naivete, but what the hell is this guy doing running around loose in the first place?

He was said to have now been an artist?

There are conflicting reports that a gun was also involved and that there has been some injuries,

This though could be due to the struggle that happened,

Here is this Vid of today's events,


news.sky.com...

Originally posted by Majic
Please pardon my naivete, but what the hell is this guy doing running around loose in the first place?

- One of the terms of the 'Good Friday Agreement' (sometimes referred to as the 'Belfast Agreement' by certain Union politicians upset by the connotations of such a title) was the release of both the so-called 'Loyalist' prisoners and the republican prisoners on licence.

It was not just the paramilitaries on each side; it's believed by more than a few that the British Army also took these political moves as reason to be more lenient than might otherwise have been in a few cases; if not actually active steps then 'finding ways to a suitable outcome' (the Lee Clegg case for instance).......this is also expected to be the case when the OTR's - on the runs issue resurfaces, as it must one day.

Basically they are, and have been, looking for ways and mechanisms out of this mess and for the 'book' to be closed on almost all connected judicial proceedings on all sides; it hasn't been 'pretty' nor something to be proud of in every case but such is the on-going tragedy that is Northern Ireland and our attempts out of the darkness we suffered.

There are more details on the powers of the Sec of State and those licences here, here and the full terms of the international treaty (which is what the 'agreement' actually is) here The Good Friday Agreement.

What it boils down to is that protagonists on all sides agreed that when the 'war' is over the prisoners should come home.
This system tho has the added ingredient of a 'licence' being involved in all cases....they were not just 'getting off' the rest of their sentences (it's a little like a suspended sentence) and there have been cases of licences being revoked when individuals have broken the law again.

Stone is a mass-murdering psychopath and I have no doubt Stone will get some sort of punishment (his licence revoked?) but I'd be amazed if it turns out that he did anything more than stage a little stunt (and that he got close enough to do that) to try and halt proceedings today and deflect attention from the politics (not) being done and the sheer farce at Stormont today.
(which it appears he has managed to do)

No doubt as far as the 'bigger picture' is concerned this little choreographed dance will take a while longer to get us back to the point where we have a functioning devolved Gov.


[edit on 24-11-2006 by sminkeypinkey]

BBC says that Stone was also carrying a knife. Just a few months ago BBCNI televised his apology to the mother and father of a man who hem killed, unfortunately it looks like he his returning to his old ways. He deserves to be locked up for life

It seems that Gerry Adams was his target.

news.bbc.co.uk...