Thomas Harding reports that the IRA had planned a major act of decommissioning for Monday, but that the British government had refused to accept the wording of the offered statement.
Sinn Fein has been at the centre of two opposite and competing demands. From IRA volunteers on the ground, who are said to be reluctant to give up on their current active status in their home areas. And from pro Agreement Unionists, who see disbandment as the only act of completion worth talking about.
This time it was victory to the home team, leaving this particular historic occasion set to become nothing more than an obscure footnote in some history anorack’s journal. But undoubtedly there will come a time when these demands will have to be resolved.
October is being slated as the next engagement. On current form however, politicians and journalists might be best advised to leave history to one side and get down to the business of making deals that will last.
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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