You may think so, but both the Garda and the PSNI disagree. They both have named one of the alphabet soup of dissident groups as the prime suspects. Second, the device was not really that sophisticated.

But aside from all that, the motivations are all wrong. If the army council truly are the puppet masters behind Sinn Fein why would they mount an operation now when Sinn Fein is on the cusp of their best electoral showing in over 100 years in the south? FG and FF are desperately trying to play up Sinn Feins history with the IRA. It would make no sense whatsoever for the provos to reassert themselves now.

A general election victory in the south is meaningless without a pro-republic majority in the north. Brexit is the biggest threat to Irish "unity" at present, and if the UK makes a success of it then the people of Ulster may abandon their voting on tribal lines just as people on the mainland have.

Ireland has one of the strongest performing economies in the Eurozone at present, but it is heavily reliant on EU subsidies. With France and Germany in recession, and Italy failing completely, people may realise that EU membership that comes with Irish unity isn't the gift they presently believe.

Sinn Fein must prevent a successful Brexit, or they are finished.

Sinn Fein has been something of a one trick pony for decades, a united Ireland was really all they offered. The issues north vs south are very different. Obviously, an Irish language act is a non issue in the south. Irish /English in the south has been the norm since the Free State.

The rise of Sinn Fein in the south is due to the attraction of younger voters to Sinn Feins economic policies, particularly their proposals to ease the obstacles to home ownership.

Realistically, Sinn fein will not be a part of the next Irish government. They may will be the largest party in opposition.

Obviously, the results of the election in the south will have no direct effect on the north. The Brexit effect with the boris border in the Irish Sea will shape the future. we shall see,

Exit polls are suggesting a three way split. Leo Varadkar no longer being priminister might influence the North, and UK in general, if his replacement isn’t as much of a federalist EU fanboy, or fangirl.

FF leader Michael Martin breaking a decades old prohibition against letting Sinn Fein join a possible coalition.

Sinn Fein will have to learn to do grown up government.

Belfast Telegraph reporting a dissident plot to assassinate Michelle O'Neil and Gerry Kelly in retaliation for the pair attending a PSNI recruitment event. Apparently Kelly's years in the cages and his leading the Long Kesh breakout dont buy him any credit with the dissidents.

Ah, well, they’re doing better in the Republic. The Irish Times has reported the Sinn Fein Brexit spokesman, David Cullinane, as having shouted “Up the Ra” during his election victory speech.

I thought Sinn Fein didn’t support terrorism?

It's a bit of a stretch to go from someone shouting "up the Ra" to supporting terrorism. Depending on the music being played and the number of pints consumed it would not be surprising to it shouted out in any pub in Ireland, or in New York or Boston for that matter.

Well, Donald Trump was supposed to be starting WWIII any time now, despite the evidence to the contrary. People keep threatening and predicting it. Yet, with Sinn Fein, there is definitely form in supporting terrorism, so it is not at all a stretch to go from a newly elected Sinn Fein MP shouting "up the Ra" in his acceptance speech, to "guns being put beyond use" meaning hidden under the floor boards, and Sinn Fein being perfectly comfortable with that.

You would have to be a completely naïve fuckwit to believe Sinn Fein and the IRA have severed all links.

they laid Bobby Storey to rest last week. He shunned the spotlight, unlike Adams, or even Mcguiness. But Storey was a giant in the republican movement. He was interned without trial as a teen ager, then spent most of the rest of his life in British goals. Give a long sentence in 1981 for a gun attack on a British patrol, he along with Gerry Kelly plotted the mass breakout from Long Kesh. Eventually he became the IRA director of intelligence. After the cease fire, he was equally ruthless with those volunteers who opposed it. Never proved, but widely believed he masterminded the great Northern bank robbery. If true, he holds the distinction of planning both the largest prison break and robbery in British as a well as Irish history.

Although he did support the peace process in his later years, Storey was a pure warrior. Vaya con Dios big Bobby.

Good riddance. All the Sinn Fein glitterati broke lockdown rules to turn up for the funeral!

True enough, Michelle on particular is taking heat for her attendance at the funeral. But not going to cost her many votes in west Belfast. Interesting that Bobby Storey was one of the Sinn Fein leaders on the dissidents hit list. Twenty years ago Storey could have ended them with a nod of his head.

There you go again with the dissident nonsense. The dissidents are the IRA, the others are the surrender monkeys!

The Northern Ireland Prosecution Service has announced today that no further criminal proceedings will take place against former British Soldiers over the Bloody Sunday shootings.

This leaves “Soldier F”, who faces two charges of murder, and four of attempted murder in relation to rioters shot in Londonderry on 30th January 1972 during illegal civil rights protests. There has been much criticism of the pursuit of this prosecution.

Ive posted numerous times no one should be prosecuted for any deeds committed pre good Friday. Obviously not a fan of the British Army, but going after an elderly man for something that happened decades ago serves no purpose.

Yes, you have. It's not about what you think, evidently. The GFA allows for injustice, clearly. It is no longer fit for purpose, events prior to and after McGuinneses death show that.

The people of Northern Ireland deserve a settlement free of outside interference, from Westminster, Dublin, Washington, and in particular the EU. A settlement that allows democracy, not politics along sectarian lines, which after two decades is all they still have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdGM..._radio=1&t=115

News years eve remembrance. Border campaign was a flop, it did keep the flame lit for another generation.

Coming months will be interesting as people in Ulster are forced to accept an absolute hash of an agreement in order to protect the GFA. It's fucking ridiculous really.

Any way, the upshot of the Bobby Storey story, is that the decision not to prosecute lock down breaking IRA supporters has resulted in rioting in Loyalist areas of Belfast over Easter weekend.