IRA tells freelancers ‘you’re on your own’?
Barney Rowan has a fascinating piece from a source, presumably close to the thinking of the four man IMC, or just as likely from the intelligence community, who are due to release their latest thinking on the conduct of the IRA. Whatever the content of that report due out in early October, the source gives an upbeat assessment of the current situation:
“We are still of the view not all of the weapons were handed in,” a source said. But the source was not suggesting that this was directed by the IRA leadership, but more an act of defiance by some within the organisation.Inside the IRA “there’s nothing to quartermaster” – no evidence of weapons being procured or developed. It is hard to accept that the IRA is without guns – that there has been total decommissioning, but, that said, there is no suggestion of any war intention. The IMC still believes there are “people around” who have “intelligence functions”, but there is no evidence of targeting. Now “it’s mostly a political style of intelligence”.
On recruitment, he said he didn’t “see any evidence of people being ‘green booked’ ? no evidence of training in weapons”. But on organised crime, the picture is more confused.
“The leadership are clear, they can’t afford that now. It is too dangerous for them politically,” the source said. But, he added, “there are individuals, some of whom are very senior (who) have no intention of packing it in”. Some people are at a level, that you can’t throw them out without splitting the movement. It’s a dilemma.
“They (the IRA) can no longer do things by way of internal discipline . . . (but) there’s evidence of people being told ‘you are on your own’.”
Mick
I’m not sure that’s as upbeat an assessment as suggested..
Apart from the contradiction in those paragraphs… where, for example, does that leave the previous IMC assessment that there was a need for the PIRA to retain a “command and control structure”?
So, have they actual any evidence for any of that? Because I can write a similar paragraph off the top of my head from “sources”.
It’s just telling people what they want to hear.
posted by Kathy C
This is an interesting spin on things especially if taken in content with what was just written in the Sunday Tribune that can be seen on Nuzhound. How the electoral advance of sinn fein in the republic has just about stopped. It just might happen…the provo-IRA fades away and so does sinn fein. Maybe neither one is needed anymore for unification
Kathy_C
Maybe neither one is needed anymore for unification
They are probably counter productive.
If there is astory here which I really dont think there is it is to be fonud in the last two parargraphs surely.
The story is basically a good story,” added the source.
“It is a story of change a story of the IRA doing what it said it would do when it formally ended its armed campaign.
The next chapter is about getting the loyalists to match those moves to begin to do what they have been talking about doing for quite some time.”
Thats is there is a story!
posted by Kathy C
Hi all,
bootman, what makes you think the loyalist have to do anything? They aren’t getting any political push by the brits…by ireland…and surely not by sinn fein…the loyalist seem to be enjoying much of a free ride…I think inpart due to paisly…and sinn fein isn’t putting any pressure on paisly….Politically speaking…the loyalist are in the drivers seat and the provo’s are fading away and so is sinn fein’s clout…all sinn fein does is whine about wht others should be doing….with that drive….yep…the unionist don’t really have to do anything.