Ahh here we fecking go again.

You are absolutely right. It would take so little for it all to kick off again from both sides.

Meh! Going to be cynical here I'm afraid, private sector investment in NI has less to do with 'peace' than it has to do with comparitively extremely large incentives offered by both Governments for people to set up shop here as part of the Belfast Agreement.

Do you mean that dissident UVF type people are likely to try and seek revenge? If so I think you're sadly right. While the peace process has been remarkable there is are still I'm sure pockets of hardline individuals looking for any reason to resume fighting.

The more I think about this the more I hate them, really hate them. Who do they think they are to try and derail something which is so beneficial to the whole area regardless of your political/religious persuasion.

Totally agree with this. I also think, in their pathetic little minds they're thinking "ooo boo hoo everyones forgotten about us, they're all scared of Musliems now weepy weep" tossers.

Also think they had to wait for Sep 11th to die down to get any kind of sympathy whatsoever for their cause.

I just hope now Amercians have realised what terrorism is they won't be funding them again. I know it doesn't cost mush to buy a gun but funding is essential to any kind of movement like this.

Those poor, poor familes. I bet their parents were terrified of them going to Afganistan. I bet it never occured to them to worry about them on camp in NI.

This adds not a thing to the debate as it were, but I stopped at the barracks on my way home this evening (I was literally driving past anyway) and its just so bizarre and upsetting.

From what I gather, at least at Stormont they all seem to be singing from a fairly similar, if not exactly the same hymn sheet, but at the same time WNickS about a counter attack.

There have now been two arrests for the shooting of the policeman.

Just typed a massive reply only to lose it with stupid wireless cutting out!

in a nutshell i was saying

a tiny minority support these scumbags, i'm glad that hitchers have responded to this thread as i was feeling a bit annoyed that this shocking thing had happened in northern ireland and it warrented 3 replies to two threads on sunday, normal decent catholic and protestant people in northern ireland have never wanted troubles or partaken in the nonsense that went with it all.

my other reply was much more in depth but lets hope these shitebags are brought to justice swiftly and never get to see the light of day for years to come.

Peace in our wee country of northern ireland is the goal of the majority that live there and these people wont be allowed to return us to the 1970's

I didn't respond as it's a subject I know so very little about (although I know that doesn't stop me usually). I've struggled to think of what to say here - I just hope like mad it doesn't all kick off again.

Https://www.facebook.com/pages/Belfast-United-Kingdom/IRA/45281466606?ref=mf astounds me that this is allowed as a facebook page yet a breastfeeding group was taken off 6 months ago or so.

things like this will never help northern ireland. No-one should be able to publically support paramilitary organisations.

That page is quite sickening, QB, especially some of the comments on the wall. Even more so when you see just how young some of the posters are. ?

Unfortunatley some of the young posters will grow up to follow in the footsteps of their "Heroes"

These organisations should never be allowed to be glory worshiped. Its a shame and i hope facebook remove it once it gets reported enough

Sadly, the paramilitary groups always relied on a stream of idealistic young idiots to do their dirty work, I believe ☹️

This is true. The Eirigi stands I mentioned earlier were manned without exception by young men/boys. However, I am not suggesting that all Eirigi members are dissident group members in training.

I can't speak for the north, but in Dublin the republican movement (with some people going to the extremes of IRA support) is certainly more prevalent in the deprived areas of the city. It's a very complex situation but the IRA or people acting in their name have in the past been at the forefront of tackling Dublin's huge inner city heroin problem. They became 'involved' with the group 'Concerned Parents against drugs' and either threatened or actually did carry out punishment beatings or worse on known drugs dealers and at the same time moved them out of areas. This kind of actions certainly garnered them support from parts of the community. Whether they were also involved covertly in drug dealing for fund raising is another discussion.

You should have a look around Bebo too, some sickening ones on there from both sides. It does seem to be from a lot of younger people.

They remind me more of a firm of football holligans than terrorists to be honest. Young stupid people with nothing else to do in their life, unloved, no supportive background who find their family figures in the only people who will have them. Pathetic. Even more pathetic is they are too stupid to realise how pathetic they are.

Allowed myself a small chuckle at the picture of a Loyalist mural in the Fan Photo section from a Turkish 'fan'. That must have gone down well. And the latest comment on the wall is about there being nobody Irish in the group and for everyone to feck off. Shame.

Well, when I was at Uni in NI it was reputed that the drugs trade was controlled by the paramilitaries. Very, very bad things happened to students who decided to branch out in that direction themselves apparently.

*snort* @ The 'IRA' FB group, the URL of which includes "Belfast - United Kingdom".

Bet that hurt.