Sir, - The current issue of An Phoblacht carries a statement from the IRA, with an implied threat of a return to Republican violence.
At the start of the present IRA ceasefire, and the previous one, we were asked to believe by some politicians and journalists that the IRA had come to realise it could not win the "war". The leadership was an ageing one, and perhaps becoming tired of all the killing. The impression given was that all Republicans wanted was a fig-leaf to cover themselves as they walked away from terrorism and into democratic politics. Well, the British and Irish Governments have given them such a fig-leaf, and a very generous one.
Given the appeasement by both Governments of SF/IRA throughout the "peace process", Republicans must know that all their prisoners will be released by next year, even without any decommissioning of weapons. If the present reaction, or should I say non-reaction, by both governments to "punishment beatings" is anything to go by, the IRA could be forgiven for thinking that it will be allowed to continue with that barbarity for as long as it wishes. For it seems that as long as the IRA does not resume "military" operations it will be allowed to continue controlling "Republican" areas in Northern Ireland by such methods. However, the IRA statement in An Phoblacht indicates that Republicans are not happy with what is on offer to them. It should be clear by now to both governments that Republicans have not reached a critical mass in favour of non-violence. It seems that they will grant us only an armed cessation of violence, and only on their terms.
Surely the time has come for both London and Dublin to refuse to yield to further blackmail. They should tell both "Republicans" and "Loyalists" that the contamination of democracy with fascism has come to an end. - Yours, etc., Tony Moriarty,
Shined Road, Kenilworth Park, Dublin 6W.