Interesting Times

[hellison]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4720863.stm

IRA is ending the 'Armed Struggle'. Or so they claim. Still the fact that they've actually come out and said this has to be some sort of step forward. ALtho I'd say mostly its a step towards getting Gerry Adams into running the Assembly (if it ever gets off the ground again).

Unionists (and I'd imagine just about everyone else) are taking it with a pinch of salt and Paisely is ranting as usual - he'd be much better off using his energies, influence and ranting against the paramilitaries on his own side who are merrily feuding with each other, with the usual round of tit-for-tat killings, homes petrol bombed or shot at and people forcibly evicted from estates.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4716729.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4324677.stm


Not to mention the latest spate of anti-Catholic violence in his own home town Ballymena just because of the suggestion of a Republican parade thro the town.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4716713.stm

Which of course is all playing wonderfully into SF hands, they couldn't ask for better PR to cover up the true nastiness beneath the surface. "Look we're NICE, we're not fighting like THOSE mean boys over there".

Comments

[whit-merule.livejournal.com]

SF == Sinn Fein?

[hellison.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed. I stopped referring to them as shinners after it confused Miv. Tho it did lead to him producing possibly the best pic EVAR
http://www.livejournal.com/users/hellison/64442.html?thread=123578#t123578

[sleetersoulfire.livejournal.com]

Wow, heavy day in the land of Hellison? ;)

[hellison.livejournal.com]

Well the loyalist feuding thing has been going on for weeks now, but the IRA statement kinda brought it all to a head for me.

Like I said Interesting Times. Tho mostly I'd prefer to live somewhere where the big news stories are Fireman Rescue Cat and so on. If there is anywhere like that actually left.

[whit-merule.livejournal.com]

Certainly there is. New Zealand doesn't have a national newspaper, just lots of little regional ones. So when we were visiting, we could only buy them to get our knowledge of the outside world. And they don't do outside world - they're only interested in the big local news. Like "Mr Henson's Pig Stuck In Tree". :)

So, NZ small towns should be right. :)

[malvino.livejournal.com]

"We had the quintessential 'fireman rescues kitty' theme,"

http://www2.townonline.com/westford/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=290036

Westford Massachuseets is the place for you :)

[hellison.livejournal.com]

Wow, they even live on Plain Road. Sounds blissfully dull ;)

[malvino.livejournal.com]

The headline on the homepage is "Westford dentist to deploy to Iraq with the Army" I hink I might move there too :)

[hellison.livejournal.com]

Heh. What's the bet the next headline would be 'Drunken Forners drink bar dry!!!!'

[malvino.livejournal.com]

nah, everyone knows forners can't drink for toffee :P

[hellison.livejournal.com]

Well who wants to drink for toffee? I'd much rather drink for money. Or for getting drunk ;)

ps an iconic icon ;p You should frame it in gold leaf or similar

[malvino.livejournal.com]

I thought about it, but it'd be a little too egotistical I think :P