Not sure where to start here.
Firstly, Britain is not and has no wish ever to be, at war with Ireland or
Northern Ireland.
The troops are not "occupying" Northern Ireland anymore than US troops
"occupy" Texas. They are there to ensure, in partnership with the police,
the rule of law in the face of continued and ongoing terrorist attacks. In
fact, in line with the Good Friday agreement, the number of troops in the
province has been dramatically reduced over recent years. The fact that the
IRA, supported by a number of misguided but secure American citizens, have
failed to deliver on any aspect of the agreement is not one that should be
overlooked.
>Brian wrote:
>This is the single biggest crock I've ever heard. Britain most
>certainly did declare war on Ireland, by deed if not by
>proclamation. It continues this war to this day.
>Who are the biggest supporters of Ireland in America? The millions
>of descendants of those who were forced to flee. Although even
>those like myself who have Welsh/British/Scottish/Irish ancestors
>see Britain as totally wrong when it comes to Ireland.
>Want to end the "troubles"? I can do it for you.
>1) U.N. Declaration: "The territory known as Northern Ireland is
>hearby recognized as part of Ireland, subject to its laws, and no
>other nation."
Sorry, but the majority of the inhabitants of Northern Ireland do not wish
to be part of Ireland. Hence the creation of the province in the first
place.
>2) Remove British troops occupying Northern Ireland, replace with
>U.N. peacekeepers. Make it clear to both sides that terrorism is
>outlawed and will be treated/prosecuted equally.
Er, actually terrorism is already against the law and all offending parties
are currently pursued to the full extent of the law.
>3) British subjects who wish to remain in Northern Ireland are
>granted dual citizenship and permanent residency status.
In case there was any doubt, I should reiterate that the UK remains firmly
behind the US - we feel for your loss (indeed we have lost many of our own
people) and understand the desire for justice and revenge. Having suffered
terrorist attacks for the last 30 years, the only consistently successful
policy for dealing with these people is to find them, prosecute them, punish
them and then to either remove the cause of their complaint (if genuine) or
to find some other way to address the problem. This isn't easy.
James
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Oct 12 2001 - 14:40:54 MDT