Malachi O’Doherty puts Sinn Fein’s own dilemma more graphically:
Had the Provos given Blair and Ahern what they demanded, it would still have gone before a meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council – albeit endorsed by David Trimble – and it may not then have proven possible for the party to fight an election in support of a lifting of suspension. Even then, if the Ulster Unionists had agreed, by the usual slender majority, that the move warranted a return to power sharing, there would have been no guarantee that power sharing would have been possible.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
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