Tuesday 24 November 2009

More on the superannuated hard men

A few days ago this blog observed that the men and women arrested in connection with dissident republican activities are frequently rather old for militants. It seems that the mainstream media has also noticed this. Yesterday's News Letter had the following to say in relation to a list of 30 dissident suspects being especially targeted by the PSNI:

The officer, who made the revelation to the News Letter, said although there has been a list of around 10 suspected dissidents in circulation to officers for months, the numbers have swelled to more than 30 in the last eight weeks.

He added that the majority of men – and one woman – on the list are in their 40s.

[…]

"When the mail came out a lot of us recognised the names, and out of the 30-plus there were no teenagers. The youngest was around 30 and the oldest near pension age. These suspected dissidents are mainly mature men from all walks of life. Quite a few of the men are in their late 30s and 40s," he said.
These are, of course, the 'main players' – the total number of dissidents under observation is around 200, and presumably some of the smaller fish are younger than the leaders. But nonetheless, it is interesting to note that the prime movers in dissident republican circles are 'new blood'.

If dissident republican politics follows dissident republic military activism, the risk to the Sinn Féin political strategy would appear to be small. The noise being made about dissident republican inroads into Sinn Féin's support base would not appear to be borne out, and this leaves Sinn Féin with a certain amount of leeway to pursue its political goals. The dissidents are not posing the kind of threat to Sinn Féin that the TUV is posing to the DUP.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think your point is hopeful rather than factual. There are many protestants in Northern Ireland who are prepared, reluctantly or otherwise, to enter a United Irish state. I speak from personal experience so no need to argue this point. However, we will never consider it for a second as long as any violent activity continues against the British-Irish population. Therefore the damage to SF strategy is more dangerous than you state.

Watcher said...

Dissident Republicans are not interested in pursuing an electoral strategy. Their prime goal is to use violence to draw back in The UK armed forces and possibly Loyalists thereby creating again an atmosphere in which Nationalists will give them increasing support for their military campaign. They would then be in the same position as The Provisionals were with all that entails for damaging The Union.

Anonymous said...

These people do need to be caught and prosecuted, and so will any orange counterparts in future.

Anonymous said...

Well, you know what they say:

When the going get tough, the tough go shopping

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/1124/1224259334153.html

ROBERT EMMET 1803 said...

HORSEMAN,

ANONYMOUS SAID


"There are many protestants in Northern Ireland who are prepared, reluctantly or otherwise, to enter a United Irish state. I speak from personal experience so no need to argue this point. However, we will never consider it for a second as long as any violent activity continues against the British-Irish population"

Do you agree with this view and if so could you put a quntity on it ?.
Would it be a significant figure such as 10 to 20 % or far less.

New times, New approach said...

Anonymous commented on behalf of those Ulster Protestants willing to join with the rest of our country, 'However, we will never consider it for a second as long as any violent activity continues against the British-Irish population.'

I welcome his potential willingness to put the 'failed project' behind us and seek together to create a new Ireland which harnesses the creativity and talent of all of our people (imagine a football team as good as our rugby team; the Thierry incident would never have happened as we would already have qualified).
However I can't rationalise the logic of never considering that step while violent activity persists. Surely the very taking of that step pulls the carpet from under the dissidents. If a unified state had been achieved then what could they say they were shooting or bombing for? The raison d'etre for them and their activities would have been removed. I very much doubt if they do what they do simply for the love of abusing other people. It can't be much of a life being constantly hunted down by an increasingly effective police force with the prospect of a life in prison looming.
Let's seize the day and it's opportunities with both hands and a vision of what we can together achieve rather than be influenced in our actions by the inflexible dregs of the IRA

Watcher said...

"There are many protestants in Northern Ireland who are prepared, reluctantly or otherwise, to enter a United Irish state."

For the moment I'll assume this actually is a 'Protestant' (and I assume a Unionist) speaking. I assume he means if a border poll is called and won by those favouring a United Ireland, that he will accept the outcome of said vote, not that he would have voted for it. Again, assuming he actually is a Unionist at all.

Watcher said...

New Times, New Approach said:

"However I can't rationalise the logic of never considering that step while violent activity persists. Surely the very taking of that step pulls the carpet from under the dissidents. If a unified state had been achieved then what could they say they were shooting or bombing for? The raison d'etre for them and their activities would have been removed."

Interesting thoughts. By the same rational, Loyalist paramilitaries HAVE ceased all operations, so surely Nationalists in Ulster should accept that the onus is now on them to make The Union work and remove any "raison d'etre for them and their activities" to return?

bangordub said...

Watcher
"By the same rational, Loyalist paramilitaries HAVE ceased all operations"
Do you read the papers?
Check out what happened to a certain newspaper editor at the weekend and by whom.

bangordub said...

Robert emmett, I personally know many unionists who would agree with you