ONLY A UNITED FRONT WILL DEFEAT THE KILLERS
Only a united front will defeat the killers
THE worst outrage in 30 years of Northern Ireland troubles has been met by the toughest security crackdown.
The measures announced by Ireland's Premier yesterday would have been unthinkable only a few months ago.
Until now, the Republic's politicians, while condemning violence, were wary of taking action against the killers.
But all that changed when Taoiseach Bertie Ahern secured a 94 per cent vote in favour of the Good Friday agreement.
He knows his people are overwhelmingly behind peace. And that they have been utterly disgusted by the Omagh atrocity and unbearably moved by these painful funerals.
Spirit
From the start this terrible massacre showed the new spirit in Ireland, north and south.
It was condemned immediately by Sinn Fein's leaders, Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. It united both communities in Northern Ireland like never before.
It led to Mr Adams and Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble standing together at the funeral of three young Omagh victims yesterday.
It also sickened the people of the Republic to such an extent that the leaders of the breakaway republicans feared for their lives.
There can be not a shred of sympathy for them - and that is a harsh thing to say when they were also scared for the lives of their children.
But these people cared nothing about killing other people's children and wives. It was only when they realised that the revulsion and hatred they had created could harm them that they panicked.
Pathetic
Every one of the renegades who chose to continue with violence rather than join the quest for peace must be hunted down and put where he can do no harm.
The "ceasefire" of the self-styled Real IRA is worse than pathetic. Have these monsters suddenly seen sense? Have they suddenly decided to renounce violence? Have they suddenly realised the sheer horror of what they stand for?
No, no and no. All that has happened is that they see the entire mass of the people rising in revulsion against them.
They have nowhere to go. They stand alone, utterly condemned by those they claim to be fighting for.
There have been too many false dawns in the bloody history of Ireland but it may really be that this week has seen something totally new.
That would be wonderful for all the people of Ireland.
The tragedy is that 28 of them did not live to see it.
THE worst outrage in 30 years of Northern Ireland troubles has been met by the toughest security crackdown.
The measures announced by Ireland's Premier yesterday would have been unthinkable only a few months ago.
Until now, the Republic's politicians, while condemning violence, were wary of taking action against the killers.
But all that changed when Taoiseach Bertie Ahern secured a 94 per cent vote in favour of the Good Friday agreement.
He knows his people are overwhelmingly behind peace. And that they have been utterly disgusted by the Omagh atrocity and unbearably moved by these painful funerals.
Spirit
From the start this terrible massacre showed the new spirit in Ireland, north and south.
It was condemned immediately by Sinn Fein's leaders, Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. It united both communities in Northern Ireland like never before.
It led to Mr Adams and Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble standing together at the funeral of three young Omagh victims yesterday.
It also sickened the people of the Republic to such an extent that the leaders of the breakaway republicans feared for their lives.
There can be not a shred of sympathy for them - and that is a harsh thing to say when they were also scared for the lives of their children.
But these people cared nothing about killing other people's children and wives. It was only when they realised that the revulsion and hatred they had created could harm them that they panicked.
Pathetic
Every one of the renegades who chose to continue with violence rather than join the quest for peace must be hunted down and put where he can do no harm.
The "ceasefire" of the self-styled Real IRA is worse than pathetic. Have these monsters suddenly seen sense? Have they suddenly decided to renounce violence? Have they suddenly realised the sheer horror of what they stand for?
No, no and no. All that has happened is that they see the entire mass of the people rising in revulsion against them.
They have nowhere to go. They stand alone, utterly condemned by those they claim to be fighting for.
There have been too many false dawns in the bloody history of Ireland but it may really be that this week has seen something totally new.
That would be wonderful for all the people of Ireland.
The tragedy is that 28 of them did not live to see it.
Further Information
Publisher: THE MIRROR
Ref: TM/065
Published Date: 20-Aug-98
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